Paul Aldo’s eTips are back! My apologies for the delay but I’ve been busy working on my new executive presence book, which will be out soon. This year we pledge to an every other month eTips schedule.

 

This issue includes four sections:

- The Book Shelf, a recommended reading

- Q&A, to address your questions about executive presence

- Advice, which offers tips on development actions

- This and That, to call your attention to noteworthy items

 

We hope you find this issue of eTips helpful. Please send your thoughts and questions on executive presence to paul@executivepresence.com.
 

 

My recommendation for this issue’s reading list is Casual Power by Sherry Maysonave. I’m recommending it because of the growing demand for more image advice from those in my workshops and coaching relationships. Although the book goes a little over the top with its six categories of informal dress, it does a very nice job of discussing and illustrating important things you should and should not do to manage your image for best effect. Of all the image books I’ve read, this one is the best at providing an image framework and concrete advice for producing the right look for any situation.

 

 

Q: I desperately need some advice on dress. Do you have some simple rules to follow when buying clothes? Bill C., Chicago, Illinois

 

A:  Bill, there are several things to think about when buying clothes, but here are a couple of big ideas that will help get you started.

 

First of all, have a plan. Don’t just go out and randomly buy items of clothing because you like them individually. That is both costly and inefficient. Instead, use a strategy called capsule dressing. Start by selecting a good, versatile jacket with color and fit that work for you. Then match a variety of slacks and shirts with the jacket, again making sure you pay attention to color and fit. If you do a good job of this, it will give you the ability to mix your clothes and still have them match, use a small number of jackets on a regular basis (because of the variety of matching slacks and shirts) and in so doing, get the best possible return on your invested image dollar.

 

A second thing to keep in mind is that looking good in your clothes has everything to do with how they fit you (the cut and drape of the fabric), and selecting colors that match your skin tone. How clothes look on a mannequin has nothing to do with how they will look on you

 

 

Here’s something to think about… more than 80% of the meaning in most messages is communicated nonverbally. This does not mean that it is silent, since vocal inflection is a form of nonverbal communication. It means it is communication that occurs outside the content (the definitional meanings) of the words themselves. 

 

The creation of meaning is, in other words, more dependent on how we use our eyes, faces, bodies, voices, the pacing of our speech, and the architecture of our messages than it is on anything else. So be attentive to how you manage your nonverbal responses.  It doesn’t matter whether you are face-to-face or in the more restricted worlds of telephone and e-mail communication. We’ll talk more this in the next eTip. 

Executive Presence Workshops. The Executive Presence Workshop schedule for 2009 is now available and posted on www.executivepresence.com. You can find out more about the workshops, register, and pay by credit card using this link. Here’s the 2009 schedule for Atlanta, Georgia:

 

 

 

 

 

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Thank you for your patience and interest in executive presence,

Paul Aldo, Ph.D.

www.executivepresence.com

 

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Paul Aldo is the President of Executive Performance Solutions, Inc. (formerly known as IPS - Integrated Performance Solutions, LLC), an Atlanta-based executive consulting firm that helps executives and senior managers develop the interpersonal skills and leadership qualities needed to succeed in the executive suite.   Paul is available as a speaker for corporate and trade association meetings. Executive presence workshops are available onsite at your location and in open workshops in Atlanta, Georgia. Executive presence coaching is offered in individual and group coaching sessions.

For more information, contact Paul at 404-851-9699 or paul@executivepresence.com. You may review previous e-Tips in the Resource Library or view articles on executive coaching written by Paul Aldo.