Well, my fellow AfricaTalentbank.com (ATB) Brand Ambassador Mitchell Odhiambo, has said it in a post due out this Saturday quoting an excerpt from a recent event we attended dubbed ‘Gentleman’s Evening’ which was hosted by Public Image at the InterContinental Hotel. “We are all business cards and the way we dress is simply how we first introduce ourselves to the world”
We live in a world where man cares most about first impression however, the same man isn’t in a position to make the right impression.
Conventionally, it has been said that “Manners Maketh a Man” but in the words of top image consultant, Derek Bbanga, “Shoes Maketh a Man.” Derek goes on to say: “70% of that first impression is on how you look, or simply how you are dressed; while 20% will be based on how you carry yourself and the rest (10%), will be based on what you say.”
This is actually the reverse of what majority of us would believe and/or always thought wrongly waiting for the opportunity to speak to make an impression about who we are, when in actual fact, the impression was already made as soon as we walked in to the room.
Let us take for instance a situation where you are invited to an event such as the evening above. Your hosts are top Image Consultant’s Derek Bbanga and Robert Burale and the event is being held at The InterContinental hotel and is dubbed “A GENTLEMAN’S EVENING”. Given that our hosts are top image consultants, one can rest assured that the audience is not the kind you find on the streets. The attendees are most likely be: VIPs; People you find on Business Boards; Interview Panels; Company Top Decision makers or simply individuals concerned with image management.
For an individual like myself, who doesn’t fall in that category, and my presence at the event is through the courtesy of AfricaTalentbank.com (ATB), all you (I) have to do, is to try as much as possible to fit in.
In regards to the scenario above, what impression would you want to give:
- When you enter the venue
- When you leave the venue
(1) WHEN YOU ENTER THE VENUE, you have little control over how you will be judged in terms of the content in your
head. What you will be judged on will be based on what people see i.e your dress/attire, your walk, your posture and so forth
(2) WHEN YOU LEAVE THE VENUE.
At this stage, you have had the opportunity to speak with people, network, show your personality, sit next to someone so since you are not the main speaker and have not held the mic, the audience still don’t know the true content in your head, nor the deep accent you possess. Judgment will be based on your acts; how you pulled the chair, how you sat, what posture you carry and how comfortable and confident you looked that evening.
This then brings us to the discussion that “image matters most.” The same concept may more or less be applicable in an interview scenario. How you are dressed and how you carry yourself in to an interview room will partially form a pre-judgment in the interviewers’ head right before they ask you questions. By their very nature, human beings are judgmental. You will know you are dealing with an intelligent person when the aura he carries about his is one of: well groomed, good attire and he oozes sefl confidence form his pores. Another man who may be far more intelligent, will often be written off before has even began, because of the way he represents himself.
So my friends, as the saying goes: ‘You only get one chance to make a first impression!’ Click link to view photos from our Gentleman’s evening at the InterContinental –
