Are you letting yourself down by the way you dress, walk and talk?

I often come across people making comments such as ‘so and so is Managerial material or so and so is Presidential material’. The opposite is also true, ‘so and so is not Managerial material and so and so is not Presidential material’. So what does that really mean? What criteria are they using to come to such conclusion? Sometimes it’s based on facts but other times its mere gut feel, intuition. It all comes to one word, confidence. We are familiar with the saying ‘first impression counts.’ So how can someone whom you are meeting for the first time make a judgement about you? Three things people usually use to have a quick assessment of each other, the way we dress, walk and talk. Ignore these at your own peril especially in professional circles. In my other life as a college student, I enrolled on a modelling course and the instructor used to say to us ‘give me attitude’. In fashion industry ‘attitude’ is everything and it’s not bad to show ‘attitude’. Have presence. Walking is not just putting one foot in front of the other so that you get where you want to be. Be alive to your posture. Tips that help you project confidence:

1. Manage your appearance. Dress properly for the occasion with clothes that fit. Don’t be like some people I see at the beach wearing suits or at a wedding wearing shorts, and push in shoes. Be neat. Being smart does not necessarily mean being fashionable. Fashion comes and goes but neatness stays forever. Select colours that compliment your complexion. Even with a tight budget one can always be neat. Funds permitting invest in quality fabric and accessories. Dressing well heightens others’ impression of you. Don’t leave your house even going to a corner store without projecting a good image by the way you dress. Dress down does not mean shabbiness.

2. Walk like a winner and not a loser. Head up, chin up, back straight, and arms swinging freely by the sides. Make eye contact. Don’t walk looking down. Walk with feet pointing forward and not sideways. Don’t walk with your feet too close together as if you are pressed to go to the loo. Don’t hunch your shoulders. Instead get your shoulders back and put the chest out. Walk in style with each step, the shoulder on the same side moves slightly down and back. Putting hands in the pockets is a no. Don’t walk too slowly or too fast. Pace your strides proportionate to your body. Don’t walk behind someone you are talking to. Be on the sideways or face each other unless protocol dictates otherwise.

3. When you open your mouth talk sense otherwise you are safer saying nothing. That reminds me of Proverbs 13:3 “He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.” Speak coherently. Don’t speak fast. Speak to be understood. Speak and don’t shout. Why do people in a pub shout and not speak? Project your voice and avoid swallowing words. Relax and cool down the nerves.

These points seem trivial but powerful in building or destroying your confidence. Practice makes perfect. So do what’s necessary to improve yourself.