Greetings!

I have been speaking at numerous conferences and conventions over the past several months. While introducing myself to the attendees and networking at various events, I am always amazed at the poor handshakes I receive (from men and women alike).

When approaching someone to introduce myself, I offer play a game of stating to myself what type of handshake they will deliver. I must say I have gotten pretty good at it, but sorry that I receive more poor handshakes than professional ones.

In a study that was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, they found there is a substantial relation between the features that characterize a firm handshake (strength, vigor, duration, eye contact, and completeness of grip) and a favorable first impression.

Just yesterday I spoke to a group of women on the topic of Breaking the Glass Ceiling and Seeing a New View and had them stand and shake hands with each other. I too, was engaging in the activity with them. I then explained the performance and importance of a professional handshake. One woman came up to me after the session and told me she had never known how to correctly perform a handshake and thanked me very much.

When you meet someone and they have a poor handshake, what is your reaction or perception of them?

Have a great weekend!

P. S. I will be traveling for the next several weeks and my blog will be sent again on September 21st.

Nyda

Greetings!

Have you had difficulty in communicating with someone, just cannot seem to connect? Or engage in conversation with someone and you find yourself talking  and talking and talking? We know that our communication style has a great deal to do with “how” we communicate with others.

I am sure many of you have taken tests to determine your personality and possibly your communication style..such as Myers Briggs, DISC, Colors, etc. There are many of these versions on the market. But what do you do with the information? Do you know how to shift your responses to effectively interact with the other person?

With that said, we can throw all of that out the window when we talk about gender communication! We know that the genders communicate differently…neither one better than the other, just different. One from Mars…..

What is one thing that you find frustrating in communicating with the opposite gender and what strategies have you developed to overcome this frustration…besides turning them on their heads?

Men usually tell me that the most frustrating thing a woman does is wanting to talk when there is a game on TV.

Women tell me the most frustrating thing a man does is not having eye contact with her when she is talking…but say they heard every word.

 I would love to hear your views!

 Nyda

Summer is in its prime with temperatures boiling just about everywhere in the country. However, this is NO excuse to forget your image is showing, is it?

In the south as in most places, July and August signal sandals, shorts, collarless shirts, short skirts, and no hosiery. But for many it signals a time to let it all hang out!

This week I have had numerous client meetings, training sessions, luncheons and errands to run along the way and saw outfits that were unacceptable for most professions with the exception of one or two. But the worst thing was while waiting for my client there two men and three women in the waiting room. As I observed them, four were wearing sandals. They all had unclean feet, toenails were either not clipped or had been cut into the quick. I couldn’t believe it! And they were waiting to see clients as I was!!!!

I know you are reading and getting disgusting but I have to say that this was just the tip of the iceberg. Men are leaving their shirts out when they are that type of shirt, forgetting to add alittle extra deo, women are wearing sleeveless tops and you see bra straps, etc. and the list goes on….

Image is the entire package, from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet and everything in between. Attention to detail is so vital to our success, displaying a positive image and building the brand we desire.

There is no “off season” on image….

This Summer, what have you seen that was a real image buster?

By the way, when you read this on Friday, I will be flying to Chicago to present the leadership speech and I want to thank all who responsed to my blog on the subject as I certainly received insightful perspectives!

Greetings!

Today’s blog is on consistency.

When we speak to image and brand, consistency is key to creating a brand. We each have a image which is defined as a graphic picture or representation of someone which may be viewed as you think of them, or see another person. Brand then is the experience that someone has with you, your company, product or service. We all know that brands are not all created equal and some may be positive while others may be negative.  

Today I attended the fifth annual YaYa Conference in Orlando where I was a speaker. While I was there networking I saw numerous people who I have had “experience” with over the years. I paused to think about their brand and were they consistent. My answers varied from definitely to a flat no. I then began to focus more on this word consistent as it relates to brand and wondered about myself. How consistent is my behavior, actions, communications, and interactions with others?

Which brings me to you….How do you consistently display your brand?