| | MAY 20209Consultants has been a global phenomenon for many years, its entry into the Indian shores has been a bit late. Image Consultants do help in creating a positive im-age; however, the role of Image Consultants has grown from be-ing mere advisors on wardrobe choices. They play a critical role in advising their clients on man-aging media, internal and exter-nal stakeholders, to even planning their vacations. In current times, Image Man-agement is all about catching them young. Whether it was SRK's youngest son or Saif-Kareena's son Taimur, Image Consultants are connecting with either the par-ents or the youth, directly prom-ising to support them in creating a socially `positive' image. Gone are the days when we believed that just hard work and skills are enough for success. With constant interaction with different kinds of people, and the advent of so-cial networking platforms where every minute, we are judged and opinions are formed, the focus on Image Management has gained precedence. Today, management professionals are being guided on how to make an effective first impression, appropriate body lan-guage, what to say and how to say to develop them to be industry ready professionals. Image Management generally consists of three aspects ­ What you wear, How you behave, and what you say (or don't say). I would like 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 na-ture, we would want to create a positive image amongst people. The second aspect is our behav-ior. I would believe this is the most important as well as the most dif-ficult aspect to manage. There are few qualities in us which are ingrained in our DNA, and there-fore 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 be-havior. Our behavior at a family gathering will be different from a board meet, and very different at a funeral! Body Language does become a focus for business lead-ers. I remember watching the D8 interview of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, where he was fum-bling & sweating through ques-tions to a point that moderator Walt Mossberg literally asked Mark if he would like to remove his sweatshirt. Cut to 2018, Mark faces the US Congress and comes out with flying colors. He patient-ly listened and explained each is-sue, thereby making a positive im-pact on the perception as well as the company's share prices! Body language, a non-verbal too, of-ten proves to be the deal breaker in businesses. The third aspect is how you ex-press yourself verbally. It not about what you said, but how your words were perceived by the listener. 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 platforms, there is a huge risk of misinterpretation of mes-sages, as only the words are reach-ing the audience and not the tone or meaning of the message. We are witness to many faux pas' mo-ments on social media which have stirred arguments, and later fol-lowed-up with justifications & clar-ifications, and in some cases, gone the legal way. Image Consultants therefore guide you on the cor-rect use of words and their place-ment in your conversations online and offline. Going beyond an individu-al level, in the corporate world, image consultants help business leaders and employees to build a GOING BEYOND AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL, IN THE CORPORATE WORLD, IMAGE CONSULTANTS HELP BUSINESS LEADERS AND EMPLOYEES TO BUILD A PERSONAL BRAND, WHICH IS ALIGNED TO THE CORPORATE VISION AND GOALS
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