Chapter 2: Good morning - Rise and shine!

Answer the following questions and, after all, give a more formal title to the text below:

1. Do you even know what kind of image you project?

2. Is it professional and flattering?

3. How important is image to a rising executive?

4. What should you do about your image to impress a headhunter?

5. Are first impressions, including how you dress and how you carry yourself, important for the headhunter?

Vocabulary work:

I. Here are the adjectives collected out of the text.

Positive, upbeat, friendly, correct, demanding, abrasive, unwilling, physical, obese, wrong, questionable, more pleasant, softer, specific, cleaned, polished, coiffed , curled, colored, negative, uncomfortable, uneasy, exemplary, threatening, dirty, professional, strong.

Which of them can relate to the appearances, which to the moral values and character and which ones concern the way people behave? What adjectives from the list can be combined with the word image? Fill in the following table.

appearances	moral values and character	behavior	image	clothing
physical	unwilling	wrong	professional	questionable

2. Match the words to the corresponding definitions, please:

Abruptly	a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior
Command authority	unkind and rude.
Abrasive	progress in your job or in your social position.
Attitude	intensify, increase, or further improve the quality, value, or extent of
tailored to	their breath smells unpleasant
Advancement	lift or move to a higher position or level
Halitosis	made it suitable for a particular person or purpose by changing the details of it
A raise	suddenly , unexpectedly, shortly
Enhance	The right to take the final decision

Insert a title here…………………………………………

The best chance of advancement in business have those who are positive and upbeat. At work, a smile and a friendly attitude are the correct way to present yourself if you want others to enjoy working around you. The president of a company who is demanding and abrasive and unwilling to listen to the subordinates risks getting abruptly fired because of “attitude problem.”

Image is the sum total out of appearance, speech, demeanor and skills. There are as many images as there are people. But business image has to fit the type of work one has to do and the company this person has to do work in.

Some aspects of people’s image they are born with, such as height, bone structure, facial features. Even those physical aspects may be changed by people doing everything from keeping in shape (instead of becoming overweight or obese), applying just enough make up (rather than too much or wrong colors) or even having cosmetic surgery if necessary.

Clothing may enhance or detract from someone basic physical self. If someone’s taste is questionable, it is possible to consider a “personal shopper”, who with the corporate image in mind suggest clothing selections that suit the body type, coloring and corporate image of an employee.

Voices may be trained to be more pleasant or softer. Speech may be modified so that specific words or how they are spoken make a better impression.

Nails may be cleaned, polished or colored. Hair maybe coiffed, curled or colored.

An exercise regime tailored to the current physic, weight, and endurance will give extra stamina and strength. Image consulting is a new field that emerged in the 1980s to fill the needs of corporations and individuals in enhancing their professional appearance.

Positive or negative image may also be factor in why someone wants to continue to do business with a firm or switches to another executive or professional.

(How uncomfortable it was to have an orthodontist with halitosis! Or an expectant mother was uneasy being treated by an obstetrician with long dirty nails!)

Private image coaches are hired by some companies to overcome image problems which maybe hampering a manager’s ability 1.) to command authority, 2) to ask for or to receive a raise, 3.) to represent the company in an exemplary way.

To create a positive image the consultants may role play threatening situations, such as reprimanding (rebuking) a subordinate, or to videotape a client to see how he or she actually appears.

Written tests may also be given and analyzed to determine the strong areas and deficiencies.

Actually, people with a touch of class, are still the ones in business world who have an advantage.

Chapter 2: Do’s and don’ts of business dress.