Networking

Over the next few months many people from different companies will be entertaining at the various social season events. How many  employees will portray the image of their company’s brand and will their personal image fit in with the brand?

Dress  Codes for the “Social Season Events”

Different Race meetings have different dress codes, for more information on the correct Etiquette at the Races click here

Henley Royal Regatta  – Ladies wishing to enter the Stewards’ Enclosure must ensure their hemline is below the knee and trousers are not permitted. A hat is not obligatory but is encouraged. Avoid high heels shoes as they will sink into the grass. Men should wear lounge suits, or rowing blazers or jackets and trousers, a tie or cravat.

Lords Test Cricket – Jackets and ties are required in the Pavilion, smart casual in the Warner or Tavern stands and no fancy dress. A hat is advisable, on a hot sunny day as over a third of the seats are uncovered.

Wimbledon – Smart casual is required in the members’ areas (usually jackets/blazers and flannels for men and dresses or smart trousers for women). A hat is definitely advisable on a hot day and consider a cushion for sitting on. Although you can hire cushions or purchase one as a memorabilia.

Cartier International Day  – Smart casual and no jeans, trainers or sportswear, and gentlemen are requested to wear trousers, collared shirts and jackets in the restaurant.

Glastonbury and other festivals - Comfortable and practical and possible your wellies, as be prepared for all weather.

Business people regularly entertain clients at lunches, dinners and various social events. How many employees will portray the image of their company’s brand and will their personal image fit in with the brand? Having good social skills enhances your personal and professional image and reputation. It can also give you the edge and stand you out from the crowd.

Hosting

The fundamental role of a good host is to make sure your guests are comfortable, relaxed and enjoying themselves. Good etiquette creates an environment that allows everyone to feel at ease.

Dress code: As a host or guest it is always advisable to dress on the side of conservative sensibility: dress well and in good taste and observe any rules. As the host, advise your guests any rules, and provide guidance as to appropriate wear as what you may consider is smart may not be what your guests do and vice a versa. For example – Smart Casual e.g. Men – trousers, jacket and no tie, Women – dress, skirt or trousers and top but no jeans.

Host

The demeanour of the event will very much be lead by you as the host and is the ideal time to show your personality, but at the same time remember you will represent the brand of your company.

Tips:

1. Arrive approximately 30 minutes before your guests.
2. Planning – check that everything is organised and planned to your requirements.
3. Greet everyone with a firm, sincere handshake, a friendly smile and direct eye contact.Kissing on the cheeks should be avoided unless you are close friends, as many people find this uncomfortable..
4. Introductions – formally, you should introduce lower ranking individuals to higher ranking individuals and it is appropriate to include titles (e.g., Dr., Judge, etc.) and name prefix (e.g., Mr., Mrs. Ms.). If you are on first name terms and in a more relaxed atmosphere then you may prefer to use first names only.
5. Mingle – mingling amongst your guests is very important but can be nerve wracking. Try to find topics of interest you have in common or gain information of ones you don’t e.g.  your guest may well be a keen rower, and understand the rules more than you. Remember, always smile and look happy to your guests.
6. Relax and smile – be relaxed otherwise your guests will not relax. Make every effort to show you are enjoying yourself but remember you are there to ensure your guests enjoy themselves.
7. Partner – when partners are included ensure your partner introduces her or himself and uses the same tips.

If you are new at corporate entertaining, remember it gets easier with practise. Observe good hosts when you are entertained.

If in another country or in unfamiliar territory it is best to do some research. Key is to be relaxed and ensure your guests enjoy the event.

Guest

Tips:

1. Be on time – Don’t arrive too early or be late, arrive within 10 – 15 minutes of the time given.
2. Conversation – Listen and avoid interruptions, contribute to conversation and pick topics that involve everyone.
3. Compliments – give and take compliments gracefully.
4. Drink – wait to be offered a drink and don’t over indulge on alcohol.
5. Meal – wait for all guests to receive their food and the host starts their meal.
6. Thank you – email or text if that is your usual way of corresponding but strictly speaking I always think it is best to write a letter of thanks. You will always be remembered and you show your full appreciation.

Good manners are SINCERE – sociable, invisible, natural, caring, effortless, respectful, earnest

Good manners are about knowing what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.

When you are polite and respectful and put people at ease, as a matter of course and with no fuss, people feel comfortable in your company. Practice makes perfect and the confidence that comes with strong social skills allows you to stand apart from the crowd and quickly build successful and professional relationships. Good manners are not for special events but should be used every day.

Points to think of:

1. Respect other people’s space, time, privacy and priorities.
2. Messages or voicemail – always return telephone calls, if necessary leave a message on voicemail. Speak slowly and clearly. How good is your voicemail message?
3. Mobiles – where possible avoid loud rings/conversation on mobiles in public places.
4. Remember to be courteous to people at all times, including colleagues and visitors e.g. offer a drink, take a coat.
5. Deliver on your promises or at least go back and update people.
6. Introductions, general rule of thumb – juniors to seniors.
7. Table manners can ruin your image; make sure you look and act the part.
8. Invitations - always reply to an invitation and following the event send a letter of thanks is remembered more than an email.
9. Email etiquette – keep to same standards as face to face. Correct spelling, punctuation and grammar and be professional at all times.
10. Meeting manners - you reveal a lot about yourself and your potential in a meeting. It is an ideal time to demonstrate your ability to interact with others. Thank the Chair before you leave. Ask questions when you require clarification.

The Royal Wedding was an excellent example of good grace, manners and etiquette and certainly mobile phones were not permitted in Westminster Abbey. Hopefully, we call all learn from these events.

 I am often asked, when networking, what are the benefits of a consultation with Appearance Management and who comes to see me. Well here are my responses. Many of my male and female clients come to me because they:

1. Feel they are in a rut with their clothes and want to look and feel better; make less mistakes with purchases
2. Have become lazy and sloppy
3. Need to buy less but look smarter
4. Need to smarten up for an interview or are not sure what to wear
5. Are looking for promotion; had promotion
6. Got divorced or are looking for a partner
7. Want to update their style, what styles best suit them
8. Are lacking in confidence and low self-esteem
9. Wear too much black or lack confidence with what  colours are best suited to them
10. Are appearing in the media  or have  speaking engagements 

 Benefits of a consultation

1. Fresh ideas – Use the wardrobe of clothes in different ways
2. Look healthier and brighter in the correct shades of colour
3. Buy less but mix and match items so feel you have more
4. Understand what suits you and brings out your personality
5. Look good and feel confident on a budget
6. More confident to do the things you want to do in life
7. Have a wardrobe of clothes to suit your lifestyle
8. Buy the right clothes to suit you and your lifestyle; avoid mistakes when shopping
9. Know where and when are the best times of year to shop to suit you
10. Save money on purchases via Appearance Management eshopping (internet shopping service)

Why not email or telephone to arrange for a free 20 minute chat on how Appearance Management can help you.

 Over the last year more people are attending networking events but unfortunately, from my experience, they are not correctly networking. Networking, face to face, is an important part of the way people obtain new business, but people are thinking too much about sell, sell, sell! Instead they should spend time getting to know someone and show interest in their business or profession.  Networking is no different to other projects in that it needs to be planned, organised and appropriately followed up. When attending groups be positive whether it is an existing group or a new one.

7 Tips when face to face networking:

1. Dress to represent your business and brand
2. Walk in with confidence – give yourself a boost by reminding yourself what you have to achieve
3. Smile it will help you to relax and you will look more friendly and approachable.
4. Be a good listener – remember god gave you 2 ears and 1 mouth
5. Be prepared to tell people in short sharp sentences what you do and what type of business you are looking for.
6. Build up a relationship not a sale
7. Spend time with your existing networkers; not necessarily chasing new ones all the time.

During or after the meeting arrange to meet people outside the networking meeting or telephone them.

Wearing the correct clothes means you need to be comfortable but ensure you are well groomed. Your clothes need to reflect your wardrobe personality and your business and the type of industry you are in.

For more advice or if your networking group would like a speaker then contact Angela Marshall at Appearance Management.

The world is getting smaller; competition is getting stronger for obtaining jobs and doing business. We need to ensure we have every advantage when selling ourselves to people. It is, therefore, important for children to learn manners and social skills from an early age, so that they will be ready for interviews for university, jobs and generally knowing how to meet, greet or entertain customers and clients.

So often I have heard or seen how a person has lost out on a job, a promotion or socially due to their lack of confidence in mixing and mingling, knowing how to behave and having good manners at the table.

Wardrobe

 So many clothes brands are setting up kids departments and parents are buying clothes often for the kids before themselves as they find it easier to spoil them. The best approach is to teach children how to organise and plan their wardrobe on a budget, so that they have clothes they enjoy wearing and yet know how to wear them in different ways and feel great in them. No doubt if you have two or more children you will notice they often want different clothes, due to having different personalities. But be careful – spoiling them with lots of clothes will only encourage them to have too many clothes in the future, with obvious financial consequences!

Shopping

When your child wants to purchase an item, have them go to the counter to pay for it and teach them to check the change and to thank the assistant and smile. This will encourage them to engage with strangers and to be confident and polite.

Manners

 For children to be successful in life, they need to have good social skills as well as academic skills. If you help young children to learn how to be polite and caring, they will continue to use good manners and become more socially aware as they get older.

 Your kids may not appreciate this advice at the time, but it is one of those things that they will thank you for later in life. The sooner you teach your children, the easier it will be for them as they get older. Good manners do not come by themselves, they need to be taught.

Parents should always remember that the best way to teach manners is to lead by example, although they must also allow the child time to learn. Action speaks louder than words.

Here are some ideas and suggestions that may help you to prepare your children:

 1.    PS AND Qs

 Children should be taught to say please and thank you in all situations. It shows respect and appreciation. Teach them to say “please” when asking for something and make sure they also say “thank you”.

 2.   Introductions

Teaching children how to introduce themselves can be a very useful social skill and will help them when meeting new friends e.g. “Hello, I am James and what is your name?” I would encourage you to introduce your children to friends when they meet them, particularly and teach them what to say in response e.g. “Hello, it is good to meet you”. On certain occasions let them shake hands when you do and include girls as well as boys. Getting comfortable meeting new people will help them for when they go away to university and/or when they start work, as they will find it natural to open conversation with people and they will appear more courteous and respectful. People like polite and courteous people even if they don’t comment at the time.

3.    Letter Writing

 Thank-you letters seem a thing of the past and yet the person that receives a handwritten note always remembers it in a very positive way. Encourage your children to send postcards to grandparents, relatives or friends instead of sending emails and texts.

 4.    Telephone Etiquette for Children

Encourage your children from an early age to answer the phone politely. Practising with a toy phone or an unplugged phone can help, playing both roles of answering the phone and phoning the person. It is a good idea to show them how to leave a message on an answer phone and not to phone people like their grandparents at unsocial times. Good manners go a long way in telephone etiquette and give the child confidence with people.

 5.    Dining Manners

 Sitting down together as a family for a meal is important for both children and adults and no mobile phones is a great rule. Families who share their meals together tend to be more attentive and interested in each other. It is also the perfect time to teach the children table manners. Encourage them to help you lay the table as this will teach them what goes where.

Many children (and adults) eat too quickly which is bad for their digestion as well as bad mannered. Teach your children to eat slowly and if they are very young play a game of how many times to chew the meat, vegetables or fruit.

Children should stay at the table until excused. Create a rule for how to leave the table. For example they can say “Thank you for my meal, I enjoyed it. May I be excused, please?” You may also want to teach them to carry their own plate and cup to the kitchen sink or even load it in the dishwasher. It will help them to create a habit of being tidy. Advising them that elbows on the table, making rude noises when eating or wearing hats at meals are not allowed are all good at helping them to achieve good table manners.

6.    Eating out in Restaurants

It is good to encourage eating out with your children so that they become accustomed to being waited upon. However they need to understand that meals can take longer to arrive and that they will be served at the table by someone strange. Remembering their “Please” and “Thank You” will go a long way with the waiting staff.

7.    Social Skills

Not all children find it easy to make new friends yet encouraging them whilst they are young will help them in later life. These skills will give them confidence when dining with strangers and generally mixing with new people. You never know – it may refresh and improve your own manners at the same time!

 8.    Art of Conversation 

It is important for all the family to make conversation and also an important rule for children to learn to listen to what others have to say and to wait their turn to talk. They will find it will help to broaden their interests and it can be fun to talk to them about subjects you would like them to know more about. Dinner time is the ideal time to talk about what happened during the day.

9.    Respect Different Styles and Cultures

When people do things differently from your family whether it is due to having a different style, religion or culture then encourage your children to embrace it and appreciate the difference and to respect it and show them how interesting it can be.

10. The Golden Rule

It might seem like common sense, but it’s worth repeating to your child: treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you don’t want someone to be mean to you, don’t be mean to them. If you want people to say nice things about you, say nice things about them.

Any suggestions or comments for helping children please

Email:  angela@appearancemananagement.co.uk

The new season is a good time to start networking or joining new network groups. We all need to network whether looking for a job or business, whether self employed or employed; we are all in competition in business. 60% of people looking for a job find their job through friends, family or contacts.

Networking is a way of developing our awareness of other businesses and building our knowledge  and understanding of what they do and how we may work together.  It helps us to develop, appreciate and understand what is involved in other professions.

It is important to try various network groups which will help to understand what is your style of networking and what types of groups are suited to you and your business.

1. Have Presence – have a good personal image - good posture (stand upright), look smart and make sure you feel good as well as look good in your clothes. Dress to suit your business and your personality.
2. 3PS – be prepared, be polished and present a good one minute presentation.
3. One Minute Introduction – speak slowly, clearly and concisely. Advice people who you are, what your business is and mention what you are looking for and need help with.  Ensure you are aware how much you can say in one minute adn do not rush it. A short message will be remembered!
4. Smile –  a sign of friendship and people are more likely to warm to you.
5. Be engaged – show interest in others, be aware of people and join in conversations. Avoid spending too much time talking about your business; get to know people and their business.
6. Repeat Names – people like to hear their name.
7. Be Polite and Be Yourself - respect others, be well-mannered and be yourself.

Remember! You are always networking wherever you are, so make certain you look the part, feel the part and think the part to represent you and your business at their best!

The main summer holiday period has started and people have to cover for each other in work. This is a great time to make the most of the opportunity to network with different colleagues and see it as a positive time to get to know new people.

 Be polite and friendly to any new colleagues, introduce yourself and greet them in the morning! If you have colleagues doing a different role then be patient and considerate. Treat others as you wish to be treated and SMILE!

Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles. George Eliot

In today’s competitive world doing a good job is what you are paid for, but looking stylish and giving that little bit extra will make the difference and help you to stand out from the crowd in a positive way.

Ask yourself:

• How well do I represent my business and job with my appearance?

• How well dressed am I today and how well are you representing your business brand?

• Do you look good every day, not some days  (you need to show you are consistent in your appearance, as it indicates you are with your work).

• Who are you and what ype of business do you represent – creative, conservative, trendy or more relaxed in style.

I have been an image consultant , running my business Appearance Management, for 15  years and help people with their personal image. I have written  books, “Being Trluy You – Discovering your Own Unique Wardrobe Personality “, one for men and one for women,  which has a questionnaire so that you can work out your wardorbe personalities, often one more in work and one more in your personal life.

For more information check out wardrobe personality or to order a copy of my book Being Truly You.