Face-to-face Networking: 60-second Solutions – – What Does Your Appearance Say? Part 1

I’ve been working on several “What You Say before You Speak” presentations and thought my readers would enjoy a recap of my findings.

Did you know that of the 86,400 seconds in a day, it takes 10 or fewer of them to make or decide a first impression?

Some of you undoubtedly will say that you don’t make such rash decisions. Consciously, perhaps not. Your subconscious mind, however, works on a different level. It quickly makes decisions based on image, a combination of appearance and behavior, i.e. how people look and how they act.

For instance, 20% of your optic nerves go directly to your pituitary gland that creates emotions in response to color. People who are aware of this process can help control the response by choosing the colors they wear. The same is true for people who understand the messages they send through their nonverbal communication. I call it Impression Management.

“Remember, color is a language. It will speak for you,” said Carlton Wagner, recognized authority on the power of color. “It always does the talking, whether you are conscious of it or not. Make certain that you are using color’s wonderful ability to communicate to your advantage.”

Since about 90 percent of your body is typically clothed in business, the color, style and fit of what you wear plays a big role on the appearance side. Your hair style (plus color and condition), skin care and make up for women, skin care and facial hair for men and exposed skin on your arms and legs also play into this part of the equation.

Next week I’ll look at the messages different colors send.

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