Dress for Success
Putting on the the right business attire will get you on track to success. In this lesson, learn the basics of accepted office attire.
Why All the Fuss About Dress When Companies Are Going Business Casual?
As the business world changes, many of the formal office dress codes of yesteryear are becoming more relaxed. Depending on the type of business setting you work in, you may see extremely casually dressed people all around you. But don't kid yourself -- people still judge you by your clothes. It's part of that critical first impression. And first impressions are difficult to change.
Obviously, you must follow a dress code if your company has formal guidelines. But in many offices these days, the "What do I wear?" decision is a strictly personal decision. When you're dressing for the "new" business world, keeping the following two rules in mind should help simplify your decisions:
1. Dress according to your corporate culture.
2. Dress like the people with whom you are doing business.
Dress According to Your Corporate Culture
How you dress at work depends largely upon your industry, the amount of client contact you have, and the overall culture of your company.
How do you know what your corporate culture dictates? At some companies, your employee handbook will cover the topic of appropriate office attire. If your handbook doesn't cover this or you are still unsure, you can always ask your supervisor about appropriate dress.
Dress According to the Position You Want in the Company
If your company doesn't cover dress in its employee handbook, look around at other people in your office. Here's a hint if you want to get ahead: dress like the people one level higher than your position. If you're a front-line employee and want to advance, dress like your supervisor. If you're a middle manager and want to move up, dress like upper management.
You'll Never Go Wrong with This Advice
Business Dress for Women
Here are some key points women should keep in mind when making decisions about appropriate business attire:
1 Understatement is the hallmark of the well-dressed. Generally, five minutes after a business meeting, your associates should not be able to remember what you were wearing. They should be able to remember that you were well-dressed. If people remember your clothes, then your clothes are making the statement -- not you.
2 Mirror Your Company's Image. Even if it's casual Friday, if you're expecting a client at your office, or you're going out of the office to meet clients -- keep in mind that you are a reflection of your company. Always look your best when meeting with clients and customers.
3 Be Neat. You can wear a $600 skirt suit, but if your blouse is wrinkled or there's a grease spot on your jacket, you've just blown your professional image.
4 Don't Be Revealing. Whether intentional or not, blouses that are too low cut, slacks that are too tight, and dresses or blouses that are transparent send a strong non-verbal message: that you're not authoritative, competent, or reliable.
5 Dress for Daytime. If you have an after-work engagement, bring a change of clothes to the office and go to the restroom and change after work. Wearing eveningwear to work is always a bad idea.
6 Avoid Tackiness and Trends. Colors that are too loud, fabrics that are non-traditional, and extremely trendy clothing send a message that you either don't care about proper business dress or you don't know what proper business attire is. Either way, you lose credibility.
Business Dress for Men
Believe it or not, there are more rules for office dress for men than there are for women. One of the most often-overlooked aspects of men's business attire is accessories.
1 The Tie. This traditionally has been considered the most important accessory for men. Some people maintain a tie should express your individuality; others advise being safe and conservative with your tie choices for business. (The guideline here is the same as for women's business attire: people will always forgive you for being too conservative, but few people will forgive you for not being conservative enough in most business situations.) Keep your tie width in line with the width of your lapel; wear wide ties with a wider lapel, narrower ties with narrower lapels.
2 Hats. Hats carry more connotations than any other accessory. Choose a hat style that looks good on you. The only exception: never wear a baseball cap to the office.
3 Belts and Suspenders. Coordinate belts with shoe color. The widest acceptable width for the office is one-and-a-quarter inches. Suspenders are meant as an alternative to a belt -- not an addition. Coordinate suspenders to the tie. How wild you get with patterns and colors is dictated by your corporate culture.
4 Jewelry. Less is more. A wedding ring, a watch, and perhaps one other ring (such as signet or family crest) are acceptable. Bracelets and neck chains are rarely acceptable in any business setting.
5 Eyeglasses. Don't let your frames date you. Choose updated styles that go well with your face shape.
6 Umbrellas, Wallets, and Pens. The black umbrella is still best for business; leave the bright-colored ones for casual weekends. Wallets should be thin, of high-quality leather, and dark in color. And, don't opt for a $1 plastic ballpoint pen. Choose a writing instrument of high quality.
7 How Much Hair? The clean-shaven look is still preferred in most workplaces. However, a well-trimmed beard is usually acceptable.
The Difference Between Casual, Business Casual, and Formal Business Attire
Many people are confused -- and rightly so -- about what is appropriate for "business casual" attire. Below are some general definitions and when to use each type of attire.
Casual Attire.
Casual attire usually refers to clothing worn when relaxing on weekends or your days off. This includes worn blue jeans, inappropriate shorts, sandals, sweat suits, T-shirts with slogans, tank tops, and cut-offs. Unless you're at a company picnic, casual attire is not acceptable at the office or on so-called "casual Fridays."
Business Casual.
Business casual refers to clothing that portrays a professional, yet relaxed image. Clothing that falls into this category includes: dress slacks, shirts with a collar, mock turtlenecks, khakis, and loafers for men; low-heeled dress shoes, casual blouses, and casual fabrics for women. It does not include bare feet in shoes -- even though this has become trendy on the East Coast. (Men and women should always wear socks or hosiery -- even on casual Fridays.)
And a word about grooming on business casual days -- just because the dress code is slightly relaxed doesn't mean you can relax your hygiene or grooming.
Formal Business Attire. This refers to the traditional business suit for men and the skirt or pantsuit for women. Formal business attire is appropriate when meeting with customers or clients, or if you work in an industry (such as banking, finance, or law) that dictates formal business dress.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Tips to Improve English Speaking
1 Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them. When you are watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.
2. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down. If you speak too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time understanding you.
Don't worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow speech -- it is more important that everything you say be understood.
3. Listen to the 'music' of English.
Do not use the 'music' of your native language when you speak English. Each language has its own way of 'singing'.
4 Use the dictionary.Try and familiarise yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.
5 Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you.
Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time.
6 Buy books on tape.
Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the person reading the book on the tape.
7 Pronounce the ending of each word.
Pay special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English.
8. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day.
Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language.
9 Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.
Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However, this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are making.
10 Be patient practice practice and practice this is the key to success.
2. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down. If you speak too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time understanding you.
Don't worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow speech -- it is more important that everything you say be understood.
3. Listen to the 'music' of English.
Do not use the 'music' of your native language when you speak English. Each language has its own way of 'singing'.
4 Use the dictionary.Try and familiarise yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.
5 Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you.
Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time.
6 Buy books on tape.
Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the person reading the book on the tape.
7 Pronounce the ending of each word.
Pay special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English.
8. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day.
Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language.
9 Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.
Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However, this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are making.
10 Be patient practice practice and practice this is the key to success.
Practical Tips for Improving Commuication
The best way of improving communication skill is through practice. There are some easy and fun ways that you can improve your communication skill, though, so you needn't worry about it being too hard to do. You will probably be really glad in a short space of time that you bothered to improve your communication skill.
Remember that communication can be either written or spoken. Both of these improve with practice and here are some fun ways to do that:
1. Write down your thoughts
Just write down anything. It can be impromptu and you Don't have to show these ideas to anyone. This helps you to be able to order your thoughts logically.
However, if you find that you enjoy this way of expressing yourself, you could join an online community or article database which will publish your articles. There are lots of opportunities like this online and some even offer payment, but what is probably more important and more gratifying is knowing that people are reading your opinions.
2. Learn from other communicators
Watch speakers on TV or go to lectures. Watch English news daily See how the experts do it. You can learn a lot this way, seeing what you liked about their way of putting their message across.
In improving communication skill, it's important to have the confidence to get your own style. Getting some tips from others is fine, but no-one has all the answers and you may well have some good ideas yourself. Your communication style needs to be individual to you and you need to feel comfortable communicating in this way for it to be really effective..
3. Try the telephone
Telephone conversations take a different set of skills. Obviously, one big difference is that you can't read body language of the person you're talking to on the end of the telephone line. Also, without this body language to read, silences can seem much longer over the phone.
They are still important pauses to allow people to think, though, so you need to learn not to be frightened of these pauses in conversation.
4. Chat to people
Try holding a conversation with anyone you meet - the bank cashier or the man you pay for your gas when You fill up the car. Anyone. It's the practice that matters.
5. Strike up a debate
One way of improving communication skill that you may not have considered is getting a few friends together and having a friendly debate. Pick a current topic in which you are all interested. It doesn't have to be anything weighty or in any way controversial; in fact, whilst you are just starting out improving your communication skill, it really should be something light and fun in which everyone can participate.
Serve up the coffee and have fun with the debate. It can be casual and low-key and if you really want to have fun with it, which not switch to argue on the opposite side a little way into the debate. That's a great way of improving communication skill.
6 Read a lot.
Even if you don’t always understand. The subconscient mind will absorb it all and when you need, it will draw on its memory. The human memory is not perfect and it needs repetition. So you have the option of reading a lot or reading selectively but repetitively to retain whatever you have come across.
7 Language is learnt more by association and environment. So try to create this atmosphere around you as much as possible.
8 Watch good clean movies, graded for children. Repeat them till the storyline and vocabulary and conversations make a permanent imprint on your mind. This is equivalent to audio-visual education.
9 Avoid B grade publications/productions because you will end-up learning a mistaken form of English. For the same reasons avoid communicating in English with people who are not good in English.
10 Style and Content are important. Avoid slang and local versions. Learn the internationally accepted common language. Aim for simple but correct sentences. Your language should be international in its character so that anyone anywhere can understand it.
11 Remember it is very easy to learn but very difficult to unlearn. Unlearning needs
10 times more effort. So whatever you learn, you must do it correctly the first time itself, otherwise your mistake will become a part of you and a habit and this becomes very difficult to eradicate.
12 If your foundation of basic grammar is weak, you should take private tuition. You will need a teacher who can make you practice and correct mistakes as they are being made. The rules of grammar can be found in any book but this is not enough. It is practice that you need and much of it so that it becomes automatic.
13 A word can have many different meanings. First is its real & original meaning; this is called its literal meaning. Second are its related meanings and these are the figurative meanings. Thirdly the same word is used in phrases/idioms/sayings, which have very different and special meanings. The beauty of the language is in these various usages. That is why it is of utmost importance that you read a lot and with attention. Take notes if you have to. A good dictionary will give you all this information
14.Another Important tip to improve communication is to stay positive. Phrase your ideas and suggestions in a positive, rather than critical way. Be confident.
15. One more method to improve communication is to listen actively. Make sure you understand what the other person is trying to say. And see if you got it. Do not get so preoccupied planning what you will say next that you do not pay attention. Keep an open mind. Be flexible about compromises and alternate solutions. Speak with self-control do not just say the first response that comes to mind
16. A powerful way to improve communication is to step into others shoes
Remember that communication can be either written or spoken. Both of these improve with practice and here are some fun ways to do that:
1. Write down your thoughts
Just write down anything. It can be impromptu and you Don't have to show these ideas to anyone. This helps you to be able to order your thoughts logically.
However, if you find that you enjoy this way of expressing yourself, you could join an online community or article database which will publish your articles. There are lots of opportunities like this online and some even offer payment, but what is probably more important and more gratifying is knowing that people are reading your opinions.
2. Learn from other communicators
Watch speakers on TV or go to lectures. Watch English news daily See how the experts do it. You can learn a lot this way, seeing what you liked about their way of putting their message across.
In improving communication skill, it's important to have the confidence to get your own style. Getting some tips from others is fine, but no-one has all the answers and you may well have some good ideas yourself. Your communication style needs to be individual to you and you need to feel comfortable communicating in this way for it to be really effective..
3. Try the telephone
Telephone conversations take a different set of skills. Obviously, one big difference is that you can't read body language of the person you're talking to on the end of the telephone line. Also, without this body language to read, silences can seem much longer over the phone.
They are still important pauses to allow people to think, though, so you need to learn not to be frightened of these pauses in conversation.
4. Chat to people
Try holding a conversation with anyone you meet - the bank cashier or the man you pay for your gas when You fill up the car. Anyone. It's the practice that matters.
5. Strike up a debate
One way of improving communication skill that you may not have considered is getting a few friends together and having a friendly debate. Pick a current topic in which you are all interested. It doesn't have to be anything weighty or in any way controversial; in fact, whilst you are just starting out improving your communication skill, it really should be something light and fun in which everyone can participate.
Serve up the coffee and have fun with the debate. It can be casual and low-key and if you really want to have fun with it, which not switch to argue on the opposite side a little way into the debate. That's a great way of improving communication skill.
6 Read a lot.
Even if you don’t always understand. The subconscient mind will absorb it all and when you need, it will draw on its memory. The human memory is not perfect and it needs repetition. So you have the option of reading a lot or reading selectively but repetitively to retain whatever you have come across.
7 Language is learnt more by association and environment. So try to create this atmosphere around you as much as possible.
8 Watch good clean movies, graded for children. Repeat them till the storyline and vocabulary and conversations make a permanent imprint on your mind. This is equivalent to audio-visual education.
9 Avoid B grade publications/productions because you will end-up learning a mistaken form of English. For the same reasons avoid communicating in English with people who are not good in English.
10 Style and Content are important. Avoid slang and local versions. Learn the internationally accepted common language. Aim for simple but correct sentences. Your language should be international in its character so that anyone anywhere can understand it.
11 Remember it is very easy to learn but very difficult to unlearn. Unlearning needs
10 times more effort. So whatever you learn, you must do it correctly the first time itself, otherwise your mistake will become a part of you and a habit and this becomes very difficult to eradicate.
12 If your foundation of basic grammar is weak, you should take private tuition. You will need a teacher who can make you practice and correct mistakes as they are being made. The rules of grammar can be found in any book but this is not enough. It is practice that you need and much of it so that it becomes automatic.
13 A word can have many different meanings. First is its real & original meaning; this is called its literal meaning. Second are its related meanings and these are the figurative meanings. Thirdly the same word is used in phrases/idioms/sayings, which have very different and special meanings. The beauty of the language is in these various usages. That is why it is of utmost importance that you read a lot and with attention. Take notes if you have to. A good dictionary will give you all this information
14.Another Important tip to improve communication is to stay positive. Phrase your ideas and suggestions in a positive, rather than critical way. Be confident.
15. One more method to improve communication is to listen actively. Make sure you understand what the other person is trying to say. And see if you got it. Do not get so preoccupied planning what you will say next that you do not pay attention. Keep an open mind. Be flexible about compromises and alternate solutions. Speak with self-control do not just say the first response that comes to mind
16. A powerful way to improve communication is to step into others shoes
Importance of communication
Good communication is the lifeblood of organizations. In any company effective communication is vital to get things done, pass on and obtain information, reach decisions, achieve joint understanding and develop good inter-personal relationships
Communication skills are some of the most highly prized and sought-after skills in business. And they are equally essential at home.
Without communication skills we are unable to let others know what we think, feel, or want to accomplish. We are unable to build partnerships, motivate others, or resolve conflict.
Studies show that as professionals rise higher in an organization, communication skills become more important, not less.
Communication skills are some of the most highly prized and sought-after skills in business. And they are equally essential at home.
Without communication skills we are unable to let others know what we think, feel, or want to accomplish. We are unable to build partnerships, motivate others, or resolve conflict.
Studies show that as professionals rise higher in an organization, communication skills become more important, not less.
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