PROJECTING A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE Phillip Westermeyer Learning & Development Manager

Learning Outcomes What is image? Leveraging social media What professional services are looking for in new recruits Making a positive and lasting impression Communicating to be understood Working under pressure Recommended reading

What is Image? “Your brand or image is what other people say about you when you are not in the room” - Jeff Bezos, CEO, Amazon

Who is your target audience? Which social media platforms do you use? Blogging  LinkedIn publishing platform Microblogging  Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc Video and audio sites  YouTube Image Pasting  Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter Leveraging Social Media

What does your photo say about you?

People buy people and it’s your personal brand that tells them what they get when they buy you. The Bottom Line Your college grades will get you invited to the party…how you present yourself determines whether they’ll let you stay and dance.

What professional services are looking for Likeability Team player Emotional intelligence Confidence Curiosity Enthusiasm Commerciality Resilience Initiative

The Top 10 Bad Business Handshakes 10. The Sweaty Palmer 9. The Lobster Claw 8. The Fist Bump 7. The Wrestler 6. The Phantom 5. The Hanger-on 4. The Decliner 3. The Double-hander 2. The Bone Crusher and coming in at No.1 is….

No. 1 THE DEAD FISH

Communicating to be understood Albert Mehrabian’s rule

Active Listening Skills Engaged body language e.g. leaning forward, nodding Noticing shifts in body language and responding to them Validating and encouraging language e.g. ‘right’, ‘I see’ ‘go on’ etc. Questioning to explore and clarify Paraphrasing or restating in your own words what you have heard the contact say to check understanding Playing back your perception of the situation to understand if it is accurate Pausing to consider answers

Active Listening Skills Placing your attention totally on the other person, not allowing your thoughts to wander Genuine curiosity and open mind Holding back your own ideas and views for a time Aiming for a balance in the conversation - 70% other person and 30% you Maintaining good eye contact

Open How? Why? Who? Where? When? What? Open How? Why? Who? Where? When? What? Open up the area for discussion. Develop understanding Probe “Can you explain what you mean by…?” “Tell me more about…” Probe “Can you explain what you mean by…?” “Tell me more about…” Exhaust each line of enquiry before going on Reflect Play back particular words/emotions Evaluate Does this hang together/ make sense? Summarise Play back to check understanding. Clarify actions. Applying the Questioning Funnel

Being Mindful At the right time Reading signals from the other person Knowing when to probe for more, when to stay silent or when to close off an area..... involves considering what you are trying to achieve to enable you to select the most appropriate questions

Probing with a purpose Probing to build rapport Probing to understand the issues, the facts, the situation Probing to clarify understanding and identify implications Probing to test ideas and offers Probing to gain agreement Personal: gently explore the other person’s interests, background, likes, dislikes Business: general business topics, the industry, market “What are your key strategic imperatives this year?” “Which of these are your priorities?” “Tell me more about…..” “Give me an example of….” “What else would you expect?” “What is the consequence of not meeting the deadline?” “Does this seem like the sort of approach you are looking for?” “What else would be valuable?” “How would you feel if….?” “Is there anything we haven’t discussed?” “Looking ahead, what concerns do you anticipate?”

Use POSITIVE Language

Working Under Pressure Viking Attack Game

In summary Your professional image is what other people say about you when you are not in the room Leverage the power of social media Use body language to accentuate what you want to say and how you say it A good handshake and introduction can create a positive first - and hopefully lasting – impression Every interaction is an opportunity for people to see you as the ‘go-to’ professional Be an interested listener

Recommended books

Thank you