| | MARCH 20209like to bring in a 4th aspect ­ what you post. The first aspect is attire. Remember the saying `Clothes maketh the man'. Our thinking while selecting a wardrobe for an occasion comes from the fact that irrespective of how we are by nature, we would want to create a posi-tive image amongst people. The second aspect is our behavior. I would believe this is the most important as well as the most difficult aspect to manage. There are few qualities in us which are ingrained in our DNA, and therefore a change in the same needs a mindset shift. It is an understand-ing of the basic rules of a situation that determines our action or behavior. Our behavior at a family gather-ing will be different from a board meet, and very dif-ferent at a funeral! Body Language does become a focus for business leaders. I remember watching the D8 interview of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, where he was fumbling & sweating through questions to a point that moderator Walt Mossberg literally asked Mark if he would like to remove his sweat-shirt. Cut to 2018, Mark faces the US Congress and comes out with flying col-ors. He patiently listened and explained each issue, thereby making a positive impact on the perception as well as the company's share prices! Body language, a non-verbal too, often proves to be the deal breaker in businesses. The third aspect is how you express yourself ver-bally. It not about what you said, but how your words were perceived by the lis-tener. The tone of your voice, use of words, the meaning interpreted by the listener and your body language while speaking determines how a person receives your communi-cation. Whether it is at a business meet or a pitch to a prospective client, your choice of words can make or break a deal. The 4th aspect, I believe is `what you post'. With the rise of social media plat-forms, there is a huge risk of misinterpretation of mes-sages, as only the words are reaching the audience and not the tone or meaning of the message. We are witness to many faux pas' moments on social media which have stirred arguments, and lat-er followed-up with justi-fications & clarifications, and in some cases, gone the legal way. Image Consul-tants therefore guide you on the correct use of words and their placement in your conversations online and offline. Going beyond an indi-vidual level, in the corpo-rate world, image consul-tants help business leaders and employees to build a Samir Kalia, CEO & MD
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