Your silent message
| I used to hear a great radio commercial that started with a list of the “great” questions: Who am I? What is Life? etc. Then it threw in this: Just what exactly is business casual?
It made me laugh, because although this is obviously not one of the profound questions of the ages, it does seem to stump many of us! In fact, I have heard and read comments by many managers and business owners who are now wishing they had never allowed employees to wear business casual, on Friday or any other day. Why? There’s a wide range of interpretation of what the term means, and some of the results are unfortunate, to say the least. The way you choose to present yourself to the world, and particularly the world of work, sends a message. What is yours? Here’s an exercise to help you with this vexing question. Next time you are passing through a building or an area where many business people can be seen, look at their outfits. There will, of course, be a variety of people from all walks of life and in many different jobs. Try to decide what people do, based simply on what they are wearing. Be honest now! Did you perhaps credit the suit wearer with a higher level job than the one wearing sweater and pants? Did the open-toed sandals and bare legs suggest something different from the high heeled shoes and stockings? Are the men in jeans in a different job bracket from those in sports jackets and sweaters or blue pinstripe suits? Do you attribute higher job level to the ones who are well groomed, versus the flyaway hairstyles and scuffed shoes? Notice, it doesn’t matter whether or not you are correct in your guess. For the purpose of this exercise, it’s not the facts that matter but your perception. Like everyone else, you make value judgements about people based on the way they look. After you have done this for a while, turn the looking glass on yourself. Consider the “look” you present when you arrive at work each day. Does it say: businesslike, professional, polished, competent? Or is it more like: sloppy, dressed-for-a-party, undependable, lazy? Make no mistake, your message may be silent, but it is nonetheless clear. Shouldn’t you make sure it says what you want it to say? © 2004 Helen Wilkie All Rights Reserved. You may reprint this article for your online or print publication so long as you include the complete article and the following paragraph: Helen Wilkie is a professional speaker, consultant and author who helps companies do better business through better communication. Her latest book is "The Hidden Profit Center". To received free monthly tips and techniques on communication, visit http://www.mhwcom.com or http://www.HiddenProfitCenter.com and sign up for "Communi-keys". Reach Helen Wilkie at 416-966-5023 or hwilkie@mhwcom.com |
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