Learn the expectations your professional appearance, decorum, body language make when meeting others. Because first impressions online are as important as in person.
It’s more important now to network, we don’t have the same opportunities to meet, attend and grow our client base, and develop professional relationships in the office. The work culture is mostly remote or from home offices during the pandemic. Therefore, it’s imperative to present ourselves, build trust and develop relationships remotely. Learn how to engage with our clients and grow our client base through networking virtually, in-person or in a hybrid situation.
A universal perceptual tendency is to “judge a book by its cover.” We form lasting opinions based on what we see. In fact, over half of the impression you convey to others is based on appearance. The look of credibility, composure and professionalism must accompany the message for an audience or client to accept it. You must be believed to be heard, and we believe what we see.
As we’re well aware, in this heightened globally competitive environment, our personal brand is the differentiator that counts. Clients, colleagues, and business leaders, like the rest of us, use the information about another that’s presented to them to make decisions. Never, ever, miss an opportunity because you failed to meet the expectations of decorum and appearance.
This invaluable seminar is about attaining a professional presence that, in all circumstances, speaks well of you. Learn how your body language, dress and personal style impact the decisions others make of you and your ideas.
Seminar topics include: The Psychology of Perception: The Primacy Impact of Appearance and Decorum, Professional Decorum, and Dining and Cocktail Etiquette.
Being the host of a professional social event is an exciting and high-profile way to make an impression on clients, peers, industry leaders, your professional community, etc. Be sure to make this impression outstanding by learning the essential requirements of host behaviors: before, during, and after the event. Cover your bases with pre-event planning: everything from logistics to back-up plans for the unexpected. Cultivate an attitude that exudes calm professionalism; learn diplomatic assertion to keep things on track; and, be attentive to the wide variety of participants’ needs, including gender and cultural differences.
When an event runs smoothly, and participants (attendees, speakers, VIPS, etc.) are made to feel comfortable and engaged with meaningful material, the host organization is seen to have pulled off something very special. Make extraordinary a ‘matter of course’ for you and your team when hosting events. This session provides us with the insights and practical strategies to make the most of our hosting opportunities.
What to wear? What’s the right look? Does this even fit? Is this right for the weather? What you wear, how you look, and how you carry yourself makes a bigger difference than most people realize. Over half of the impression you convey to others is based on appearance. Be sure to convey the appropriate message by presenting your best professional self. The four major image appearance components; hair care, skincare, colour analysis, and wardrobe development are reviewed in depth. Participants will learn the “must-knows” and the “never do’s” in this informative, entertaining, and interactive seminar.
In this fun and interactive workshop, you will be given tips on putting your best foot forward with non-verbal communication, effective introductions, table small talk, serving yourself at a buffet, dining demeanour and behaviours that will make you confident in any business social situation. You’ll learn the differences between attending larger group buffet venues and smaller dining situations.
Conversing with your clients at the dinner table is always an opportunity to create and strengthen the relationship, or to inadvertently weaken it. Understanding the ingredients of good conversation, knowing what to say and when, directing and redirecting the interaction, and being capable when it becomes difficult, are the hallmarks of excellent dining etiquette.
In today’s professional environment, responsibilities often extend beyond the workday into the evening and beyond the workplace into the social arena. Whether it’s client lunches, networking evenings, or business conferences, most professionals find themselves, from time to time, in the “social business arena.” However, these occasions sometimes trigger insecurities. Where do we sit at a social event? Who gets introduced to whom? What is the best type of handshake? When and how should I present my business card to international clients? How can I make it clear to my client that I intend to pay for the meal? What spoon do I use for my dessert?
This service is invaluable to anyone, looking to improve their professional appearance. Credibility, confidence, and being professionally up-to-date are all signalled through appearance. People simply believe what they see. Lynne Mackay will consider your career aspirations and will evaluate your present wardrobe with this in mind. Lynne’s guidance on what to stop wearing and what to start wearing is extensive. Lynne considers everything from hair, make-up, eyewear, jewellery, body type, budget, working conditions, business casual, business professional, etc., to make this time well spent. Past clients have noted that this service ended up saving them money because they made better investment purchases.
Networking is the set of communication skills required to build relationships, inform others, and learn from and about co-workers and clients. Managing the impression you make and maximizing your ‘like-ability’ are the keys to making every networking opportunity consistently profitable. First impressions really are important. The way you greet people can set the tone for the entire interaction that follows. If you make a poor initial impression, you may spend the rest of your time overcoming it. In this fun and interactive workshop, you will be given tips on putting your best foot forward with the right handshake, effective introductions, and presenting and requesting business cards with confidence. You’ll learn the differences between interacting in a large group venue versus the requirements of a more intimate setting. You’ll master the principles of impression management by exploring perceptual tendencies, the ins-and-outs of small talk, and the subtleties of office diplomacy.
With CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation) firmly in place, companies are reverting back to using the phone to make initial contact with prospective customers. The importance of these calls cannot be understated. Initial contact must inspire interest, pique curiosity, sell credibility, and secure consent to continue the conversation. Sometimes the right person answers, and sometimes they don’t. The ability to chat with gatekeepers, leave voice messages, overcome the response of “not now”, are all skills necessary to succeed in our new CASL environment. Our collective reliance on email has simply stagnated our phone skills. If there was ever a time to resurrect this powerful communication medium… it’s now!
This Lunch and Learn workshop provides participants with the easy to implement skills and scripts to implement in any telephone scenario. We’ll cover exercising good judgment, organizing voice messages, capitalizing on voice, and listening to build a customer connection.
A universal perceptual tendency is to “judge a book by its cover.” We form lasting opinions based on what we see. In fact, over half of the impression you convey to others is based on appearance. The look of credibility, composure and professionalism must accompany the message for an audience or client to accept it. You must be believed to be heard, and we believe what we see.
Be sure to send the full message by visually presenting your professional credibility. This seminar is about attaining a professional presence that, in all circumstances, speaks well of you. Learn how your body language, dress and personal style impact the decisions others make of you and your ideas.
In this seminar, we introduce the professional personal brand concept with the purpose of encouraging all workers (receptionists to CEOs) to take control of their own careers. Unlike a personal brand which focuses on self-interested aspects of one’s private life, a professional personal brand is service-minded and is uncompromisingly focused on one’s value to others. Conventional wisdom of impression management asserts the importance of acting and dressing for success, as all of our observed actions shape expectations of future behaviours.
As the lines between professional and personal reputations become blurred, it is important to know how to leverage social media to one’s professional advantage and to avoid the reputation-destroying outcomes of politically incorrect tweets, inapt Facebook postings, and errant instant messages. In this seminar, you will learn to reclaim, recast, or renew your personal brand with a focus on professionalism. A professional personal brand honors the greater good one has accomplished for others and conveys one’s capacity to contribute value to your network of colleagues, clients, and customers.
