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Issue #6 |
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Style & Substance Secrets a monthly tip sheet. The resource for business professionals to improve credibility and bottom line, through image, etiquette, dining and social skills.
Click here for your free subscription.
In this issue:
- Dress Dear Joanne & Terry Q&A
- Etiquete/Protocol - Dining
About Style for Success
Joanne Blake & Terry Pithers can help your organization and your people improve their personal image and social skills to build crediblity and inspire stronger business relationships.
Specializing in business dress, demeanor & dining, we add enjoyable, unique, profitable content to your training, conferences, retreats and in-house seminars.
Looking for a humorous motivational speaker?
Our Dining Etiquette Video is available.
What can we do to help you and your organization be more successful?
New - Gain a distinctive edge for your organization's brand
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   NEWSFLASH:
JOANNE EARNS HER CIP DESIGNATION - CERTIFIED IMAGE PROFESSIONAL
She is now one of only 109 image consultants in the world who hold this professional designation.
(Click to see a happy Joanne receive her designation and a hug from Elvis at the annual worldwide conference of the Association of Image Consultants International in Las Vegas)
Feature: 10 SUMMERTIME IMAGE TIPS - to Keep You from Sunburning Your Career
Ahhh, summertime and the Style for Success phone starts ringing off the hook as desperate organizations seek some help dealing with the summertime casual wear blues.
Business wear gets less businessy and casual wear goes right off the road into the ditch. Bear midriffs, crop tops, low-rise pants or shorts and that’s just at the lawyers’ office.
Much as we like the business, as your image consultants, we would rather preempt any image inspired blips in your career by supplying you with some tips to avoid any summer time CLMs – “Career Limiting Moves”.
So before you decide to let it all hang out, consider the power of your image to affect your employer, your clients and your career.
10 SUMMER WEAR CEMs – Career Enhancing Moves
Five for the Guys
1. Iron it out The more casual your clothing, the more important that it be clean and well pressed. Good quality golf shirts are a great option if the collars don’t roll. Remember an iron isn't just for the fairway. (Click to see something really wrinkled)
2. To tuck or not to tuck Many short-sleeved shirts with a straight bottom are designed to be worn outside the trousers, but more than a few decision makers confide to us that they find this look sloppy.
3. Short time? In almost all professional offices (except in Bermuda) shorts are a big CLM. If you are in a situation where shorts are appropriate, as one of our professional engineering CEO puts it, they should be Pebble Beach worthy.
4. Cargo pants Either they go or you go. Ordinary khakis are a better choice and then you won't be tempted to pack an entire weekend trip in your pockets. And have you ever tried to iron cargo pants?(Click to see cargo pants and you thought your highschool had a strict dress code)
5. Aloha, that shirt’s loud Loud Hawaiian or wide-striped shirts just aren't business class. You can't throw a sports jacket on over them for that unexpected meeting (well okay, you can but, as your image consultants, we're telling you, you shouldn't). Plain colors or smaller patterns are your best move.
Five for the Gals
1. Sandals/mules Sandals are okay if your corporate culture is creative/less formal, but your feet will become a focal point so they should look like you’re getting regular pedicures. Seinfeld fans, remember the loud-talker. Mules/flipflops will make you a loud-walker.
2. Revealing Victoria’s Secret With more whites and summer’s sheerer fabrics, a black bra might not be a good choice (unless black happens to be your skin tone). Select undergarments that are smooth with a ‘skin tone’ shade so they don’t show through.
3. Capris/culottes Best worn for Casual Fridays. As a CEM, if you're in a more conservative office environment, team them with a coordinating jacket to maintain your authority.
4. Don’t bare all the assets in your portfolio It’s all about your business credibility. Your face should be the center of communication. Do the dip test for cleavage, remember the creep factor for short/slit skirts and think twice about bare midriffs and shoulders.
Don’t neglect to maintain your hair. Wearing scrunchies or just pulling it back in a ponytail may be fine for the weekend; at work it will diminish your professionalism. (Click if your think you are having a bad hair day)
So follow the CEM tips to enjoy the summer without undermining the power of your image. And keep in mind one of our best Style for Success Career Enhancing Moves; Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.
Have a great summer, Terry & Joanne   DEAR JOANNE & TERRY Q&A
Q. - Golf & business can be a tricky shot
I'm a businesswoman who loves to golf and network but I find with some people it is very tricky bringing up business. I'm nervous even asking someone where they work, because I''ve been shut down in the past. Is there a way I can safely get around this?
- Fairway Flummoxed in Florida
A. Some people don't have a problem talking about business on the golf course and for others it is strictly verboten. Our best tip is to talk about golf in a way that tangentially brings up business.
As an opener try something like this; “The GE tournament last year was one of my best rounds. I shot an 87.” “That's pretty good, what course were you playing?” ” The Riverside, we hold it there every year. Does your organization hold a tournament?”
Connect business with the golfing experience in a few statements. Then if the person responds you can slowly move the conversation in the direction of sharing what each of you do.
- Terry
Q. - The 5-Second Rule and Dropped Silverware
When you drop a utensil like your knife or fork on the floor of the restaurant, what is the etiquette? I've seen some people pick it up and some people leave it on the floor. If you do it quickly, can you pick it up?
- Cutlery Klutzed in Calgary
A. The 5-second rule does not apply. Anything that falls on the floor should not go back on the table. Get the server’s attention and leave it there for them to take care of. However, if you drop a napkin, you can pick it up and put it back on your lap. Keep the 5-second rule for home use when you're dining by yourself. (Click for fun and facts about the 5-second rule)
- Joanne P.S. - Our new DVD - Business Dining for Success demonstrates silverware handling and hundreds of other tips to guarantee you appear sophisicated and confident in your business and social dining. Click here for info or to order our Dining Etiquette Video DVD. Available in a personal use version or a training/educational version.
If you break 100, watch your golf. If you break 80, watch your business. - Joey Adams
Fashion is made to become unfashionable. - Gabrielle (“Coco”) Chanel
A dinner lubricates business. - Lord Stowell 
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