Lesson 2 – Image Management Part 1

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, the student must be able to:
• Identify Image Audit
• Familiarize skills to improve personality

INTRODUCTION:
This lesson deals with image audit and skills to improve your personality

CONTENT:

Image Audit
In order to project the business image that the corporate world demands, you need to
develop the habit of considering all aspects of your personal image from head to toe.
This chapter will help you be on your way to learning where to start and how to
achieve it.
Your perception of how you look and act influences your confidence to achieve your
aspirations, which is why how you feel about yourself, is so important. You owe it to
yourself to present the best of who you are or can be. Your total image must indicate
the right signals.

An image audit is a research tool that companies use to measure the opinions of
others, particularly the hidden perceptions of internal and external stakeholders. A
personal image audit, which you are tasked to do, is a means to find out if you are
projecting the best possible image of yourself.
In today’s overly competitive environment, men and women in business are expected
to be polished and skilled in appearance and in business etiquette. A personal audit
is a barometer to measure your perception of your own business image and how you
think others perceive it.
Benefits of an Image Audit
A personal image audit is important to your social and business success. Knowing
how you’re perceive by others allows you to understand their perceptions, craft the
steps, and take corrective actions to get you to where you want to be. If conducted
honestly, it allows you to leverage your personal style to create a consistent effect. It
lets you design visual assets that heighten your physical impact, your business
presence, and your brand distinction.
When your answer the audit, consider all aspects of your personal image from head
to toe; take a mental inventory of how you act, smile, laugh, explain and narrate. The
more honest you are with your answers, the better your image makeover will be. After
you are done, identify the image you want to project, jot this down in the self-
improvement separate sheet, and learn as much as you can from this course in order
to achieve it.
First Impressions
All you are given is a few seconds to make that crucial first impression, and often
that impression cannot be changed. It is important then that people have a good
impression of you at the first encounter. Although common sense tells you how to
make a good first impression, polishing your instinctive flair can change that
impression from good to great.
You are in a room, and someone walks in, let’s say, a new classmates, a teacher, or a
stranger. You take a quick glance, no matter how cursory, and within seconds you’ve
formed an opinion – who he/she is, how successful that person is, if the person is
rich or poor, his/.her level of sophistication. You evaluate the person from head to
toe even subconsciously. Similarly, it takes only seconds for somebody you’re meeting
for the first time to from his/her estimation of what you are based on you looks, your
body language, your manners and your clothing.
Studies show that these first impressions are almost impossible to overturn or undo,
making those first encounters extremely important, because not only do you get just
one shot at them, but also because they set the tone for the relationship that follows.
Substantial research has also confirmed the significance of first impressions and how
you, by understanding the kinds of impressions you create, may affect future job
opportunities, alliances, or other important matters. So, whether it’s in your social or
professional life, it is essential to learn how to create a good first impression.

Here are some useful tips to help you do this.

(1) Be on time
The person you are meeting is not interested in whatever reasonable excuse you have
for keeping him/her waiting. Always plan to arrive a few minutes early, no matter
what your social or corporate rank is.
(2) Be Yourself; Be at Ease
First meetings can be nerve-wracking, especially if it is for job interview. Take a deep
breath before walking in, imagine yourself confident and pleasant, use positive self-
talk and smile.
(3) Present Yourself Appropriately
Check your grooming. Clean and tidy is always appropriate for most business and
social occasions: a neat haircut or shave and clean, crisp, tidy clothes.
(4) Wear that Winning Smile
There is nothing like a genuine smile to create a great first impression. Remember
that smiling the entire time makes, you appear over-pleasing, and it lowers your
status.
(5) Be Open and Confident
Project self-confidence and assurance by letting your body do the talking. A study by
Albert Mehrabian of UCLA found that 55% of communication is received from body
language. Stand tall; smile; make eye contact; greet with a medium-firm handshake.
(6) Be Courteous and Attentive
Mind your manners. Anything less than polite, attentive, and courteous behavior can
ruin your first impression. Be friendly and pleasant, but not overbearing.

Skills to Help You Improve Your Personality

When it comes to polishing your skills and improving your character, the possibilities
are endless. If you make good use of the resources, you can learn new skills and
develop new ones. Developing the personality can have a lot positive effect on your
life and career. There was a belief that nature is permanent and it is not possible to
change it. The personality is a typical pattern of behaviors, thinking, and they are
unique. With outstanding effort, you can improve your habits and the pattern of
thinking.
Here are some tips that will help you improve your personality.
1. Become a Better Listener
If you are a good listener, you can learn a lot from your surroundings. Being
an excellent listener is a very good skill. When you listen to other people, you give
them importance. They also pay more attention to you and will become more
engaging. It allows people to be more open to you and they will comfortably share any
information with you. If someone listens to you intently, it makes you feel important.
You provide the same feeling to other people by being a good listener. Try to instill
this trait in your personality.
2. Expanding Your Interest
It is always good for the mental health to develop your interests. It will keep the mind
fresh, and it will help in cultivating the new interests. It will also make you more
attractive to others as you will always have new things to share and talk about. It
instills you with more confidence and provides you with an opportunity to share your
views with people who have the same interests as you. You need to be creative and
think outside the box. The interests can be literary or physical. You can join book
clubs or experiment with creative things like paracord projects.
3. Becoming a Better Conversationalist
When you know your interests, and are well versed in them, you will have more
confidence to talk about them. Having more knowledge means that you can
contribute more to the conversation. If you want people to listen to you, it is
important that you are an impressive talker. It is not possible to know everything,
and if you are good in making conversations, then you will be able to share your
knowledge and learn from others as well.
4. Meeting New People
Always make an effort to meet new people. Engaging with people provides you with a
lot of experience, and you can learn so much from different people. Meeting new
people can expose you to new cultures, ideas, opinions and it expands your mind.
Meeting new people makes you more tolerant towards other people. It can broaden
your horizons.
5. Polishing Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills are the core competencies for a successful life. These skills are
useful for communicating and interacting on a daily basis. These skills are needed
not just for individual interactions, but also in groups. You can work on developing
good interpersonal skills. It is not just important in professional life, it is also vital for
personal lives. These skills include listening, building connections and persuasion.
6. Developing Leadership Skills
You may have heard the saying that leaders are born, but it is not entirely accurate.
If you want to achieve success in your professional life, it is important that you seek
to develop and polish your leadership skills. Employees always look forward to
improving them because it includes dealing with people and motivating them.
7. Presentation Skills
If you want to make sure that you can get your message across to other people, you
need to have effective presentation skills. These skills are required in almost all fields.
You need to have all the necessary skills like speaking and creativity to make the best
use of your presentation skills.
8. Treating People with Respect
It is important that when you make promises to people, you fulfill them. Honesty and
truthfulness are essential qualities for an effective and good personality. You can only
earn respect and admiration of others if you extend the same feelings towards them.
If you have integrity and respect, then your personality will shine among many
others. Respect others and yourself so that you have an excellent life.

REFERENCE/S:
• Personality and Soft Skills Development for Workplace Success. J. G. San
Miguel. Published in 2015 by C & E Publishing, Inc.
• http://www.ted.com/talks/ze_frank_are_you_human
• https://www.lifehack.org/481944/8-life-skills-to-help-you-improve-your-
personality