🇬🇧 The personal image as a non-verbal communication tool

In this text we talk about the personal image as a non-verbal communication tool and the importance of considering it in this way.

In communication, we must observe every element involved. A doctor who talks to a lay patient using scientific terms that lay people do not understand is unable to communicate. A person who tries to talk to a deaf person by talking loudly and wearing a mask 😷 is not communicating well. A person who only follows general advice to take care of their appearance is demonstrating that they do not have the ability to carry out adequate communication through their personal image, as well as the lack of communication skills of the doctor and the person who screams on the deaf in my examples. And not having that ability, these people have communication problems, like that speaker I commented on in my first fashion blog in 2008, who gave a speech to small business owners, where clearly most of them had no training in management and only have small businesses, and he used the jargon we learn in college and talked about how the giant companies operated at the time, citing unworkable options for a clothing store owner who doesn't even have the ambition to become a giant. I don't know if the event gave him a wrong briefing, if that's his profile and the event took on the wrong one, or what other reason generated it, but what I saw, being in the audience, was the people who looked at it without understanding the relationship of that content with their companies. This can generate a feeling of dissatisfaction and waste of time for the audience. And for the doctor's patient, for the deaf, etc.

Taking a more specific example of the use of prints resulting in a communication error... imagine a person who has been hired for an executive position in an industry. The position requires logical thinking and firm attitudes. To avoid the cliché of the white or blue shirt and navy blue suit, the person chooses to wear tailored trousers with an abstract print on the first day of work, with various curved lines, like waves, very discreet. And a shirt with floral prints, similar in tone to the trousers. According to the general "rules", it is allowed to use different prints with similar tones.  If the company does not have a very specific dress code, it also, in theory, would not be a mistake (since there is no information on what the right dress code is, it has no mistake - if your company has problems with the way employees dress, I suggest you know my services). But what a person will communicate to subordinates and other colleagues when he uses this combination of prints is that he does not have the skills required for the job. He will have to work twice as much to earn the respect of his colleagues, to demonstrate skills that he could strengthen in the way of taking care of his image.

While personal image doesn't define who a person is, it does have an impact on how others perceive you. This is why it is important to know how to use your image to convey the qualities you have in every situation, whether at work, in the social environment, anywhere outside the home (and sometimes even inside it). You don't have to think about it 24/7, because if you want to stay home in your pyjamas, at least until you have guests, that's fine. It's your home, you wear what you want. With visitors it is good to take care of your appearance a little out of respect for the visitor.

My example was limited to describing the prints on the person's clothing, but everything in your appearance conveys a message. The fabric types of the clothes, the model and condition of the shoes, the look of your hair (cut, colour, hairstyle, length), make-up or lack (even for men! It’s good to learn how to hide dark circles), the model and the materials of the accessories (glasses, watches, etc.), etc. And it is for this variety of factors that any "rules" or generic advice on mass media channels tend to generate poor results and a lack of a true personal style.

While most people are consciously ignorant about this, they subconsciously judge you on these issues, just as you judge them. So it's best to learn how to use your looks to your advantage. Hire my style consultancy.

I also use this knowledge in my work as a fine art photographer.

To hire my services, please visit the "Services available" page.

Non-competing professionals and companies interested in promoting their products and services in my communication channels should read the “Media Kit” page to find out how to do this.

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Nycka, the Nomad