Looking the Part: The Image MOT!

1. Looking the Part: The Image MOT! Kathy Ennis

2. What is Image and why do you need a regular MOT?

7. For anyone who thinks image isn’t important …

8. Sensation Transference and Impression Management “People trust what they see before they trust what they hear, touch, feel, taste” louis cheskin “People give an assessment of something they might buy … without realising it they transfer sensations or impressions that they have about the packaging of the product to the product itself … most of us don’t make a distinction – on an unconscious level – between the package and the product. The product is the package and the product combined” extract from blink, malcolm gladwell, 2005 “A process by which people in social situations manage the setting and their dress, words and gestures to correspond to the impressions they are trying to make or the image they are trying to project” A definition of Impression Management (The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Erving Goffman)

9. Why is image important?

10. Congruency Builds Credibility

11. During your Image MOT consider … • the colours you wear and what they say • your company and its dress code • your grooming

12. The Language of Colour

13. Black: The Colour of Strength • Positive: • formal, sophisticated, mysterious, strong • Negative: • mournful, aloof, negative, lifeless • Wear if you wish to appear strong and in control • Avoid if you want to appear helpful and approachable

14. Grey: The Colour of Respectability • Positive: • neutral, balanced • Negative: • noncommittal, deceptive, too safe • Use if you wish to appear ‘steady’; grey is less authoritarian than navy or black • Avoid if you wish to get noticed

15. Blue and Navy: The Colour of Authority • Positive: • peaceful, trustworthy, constant, orderly • Negative: • ‘holier-than-thou’, tiresome, predictable, conservative • Wear navy if you wish to show authority and responsibility; mid-tone blues communicate confidence but predictability • Avoid if you don’t want top appear too conservative; combine with yellows/bright greens/pinks if you wish to appear creative and innovative

16. Brown: The Colour of Communication • Positive: • earthy, gregarious • Negative: • boring, dull • Wear if you want to appear ‘useful’ and adaptable • Avoid if you wish to appear in control and innovative

17. The Colour of Purity • Positive: • clean, fresh, futuristic • Negative: • clinical, cold, neutral • Wear if the objective is to project impeccable standards of care • Avoid (particularly in contrast with dark colours such as black and navy) if you want to appear friendly, sociable and accessible

18. Red: The Colour of Power • Positive: • up-beat, confident, assertive, exciting • Negative: • aggressive, domineering, bossy, threatening • Wear if you wish to exude confidence • Avoid if you are not prepared for confrontation

19. Orange: The Colour of Enthusiasm • Positive: • vitality, fun, sociability, uninhibited • Negative: • superficial, common, faddist, giddy • Wear if you want to appear innovative and uninhibited • Avoid if you wish to appear conservatively responsible

20. Yellow: The Colour of Impulsiveness • Positive: • cheerful, hopeful, active, uninhibited • Negative attributes: • tiresome, whirlwind, volatile • Wear to denote creativity and impulsiveness • Avoid all except the lightest shades if you wish to blend into the background

21. Green: The Colour of Dependability • Positive: • self-reliant, tenacious, dependable, reassuring • Negative: • boring, stubborn, risk-averse, predictable • Wear green when you wish to appear caring and trustworthy • Avoid if you wish to portray someone with vision and innovation

22. Pink: The Colour of Sympathy • Positive: • gentle, accessible, non-threatening • Negative: • pathetic, unimportant • Wear if you want to appear confident and • Avoid if you wish to appear powerful

23. Purple to Violet: The Colour of Imagination • Positive: • sensitive, intuitive, unusual, unselfish • Negative: • weird, impractical, immature, superior • Wear if you wish to project confidence and individuality • Avoid if you want to appear adaptable and conforming

24. Dressing for Work

25. The Business Suit vs. Business Casual • your company values • your industry • client’s expectations • client’s industry

26. What is Business Casual? • Tailored designs replaced by deconstructed or unlined options • Textured fabrics replace very fine weaves • e.g for trousers, skirts & jackets – moleskin, flannel, twill, linen, cotton, corduroy • for shirts / tops – cotton twill, Oxford cloth, brushed cotton, silk, linen, viscose, jersey, knits • no extreme looks – up-to-date, but not high fashion (unless you are working in the fashion industry!) • THE KEY – is to understand your work environment to determine how far the casual look can go

27. Grooming

28. “Women who wear make-up to work are seen as more polished and up-to-date, research shows that they also tend to earn more money [20%] and get promoted faster that women who don’t” The Times, December 2007 Hair and Grooming – Women

29. one in four men do not shower daily dirty fingernails go uncleaned nose hair remains unplucked some folically challenged males still think the comb-over is stylish Metro, 24th October 2003 Sometimes all it takes is a new hairstyle! Hair and Grooming – Men

30. Questions? For more information contact: Kathy Ennis e: info@envision-im.co.uk t: 020 8926 0331