Tag Archives: certified image consultant

Etiquette

Business Card Etiquette

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Even though the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver / Whistler will be a social event for most, there may be an opportunity to exchange business cards. Unfortunately many of us were never given instruction on how to conduct this exchange. Here are a few tips: 

  • Wait to be asked – don’t just hand them out.
  • When asked for a business card it is polite to reciprocate the exchange
  • In many cultures the business card is considered very important. When receiving a business card, take a moment to look at the card before putting it away.
  • Respect the card – don’t just stuff it into your back pocket. Place it carefully into a business card holder or into a jacket pocket.
  • Don’t pull out your pen and make notes on the card. This again is about respecting the giver and the card. 
  • When handing out a business card, the card is held with the print facing upright on the card so the receiver can read it.
Business Dress, Colour, Men, Wardrobe, Women

Do Socks Really Matter?

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In the Vancouver City Hall Protocol Manual for the 2010 Olympics one of the clothing details that were addressed was wearing the right socks. Although, this may seem very basic or even unnecessary to some, you would be surprised how many of us get it wrong. When choosing your socks consider the following:

  • Coordinate your sock colour to the hem of your pants. For men, neutral tones work best.
  • The thicker the sock the more casual the look. This style works best with casual clothing and casual shoes; the thinner the sock the more dressy the look. Always wear thinner socks when dressed in trousers or slacks and thin soled shoes. 
  • Avoid sport socks for work
  • When worn with pants, socks should cover the shins. This way it is unlikely your shins will show when sitting with your legs crossed, unless your pants are too short. (a later blog post).
  • Never wear socks with sandals.
Business casual, Business Dress, Casual dress, Men, Uncategorized, Wardrobe, Women

Fashion Tape Quick Fix for Hems

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Leaving the house and just noticed your hem coming down? As a certified professional image consultant my first suggestion would be to change into another outfit. However, in some circumstances this just isn’t possible. Instead of pulling out the safety pins or the duct tape…

Fashion Tape again, is the better solution. It will be less visible and do a better job then a homemade remedy.

Etiquette, Uncategorized

TECHNOLOGY VS CIVILITY – BY KIMBERLY LAW AICI CIP

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In the Toronto Sun today there is an article called Rules of dumb, has our high-tech evolution resulted in a lower standard of etiquette? It mentions a situation where a teacher took a cell phone away from a student and then read all of her saved text messages in front of the class. Obviously he did this out of frustration over the perceived lack of respect. However, were his actions more respectful? He obviously embarrassed the student.
Catherine Bell of Prime Impressions shares some great comments in this article on cell phones and technology from an etiquette perspective. When asked if the rules have changed, she says that the rules haven’t changed, but that people’s perceptions of them have changed and that is just as important. “The whole idea of civility and respect is wanting in all environments,” she says. “They’re throwing out the window the consideration for the people around them.”
So I guess the question is, whether consideration for the people around us is still important. Or has society evolved to a place where taking other people into consideration by using manners and etiquette is no longer important? And if so will this lead to a continuation of civilization as we know it or will it lead to chaos?

From my perspective as a certified image consultant and etiquette expert, it would seem that a society lacking in civility would be taking a step backward. Civility evolved over time to create order and respect in the lives of others and ours. However, lately I have seen examples of incivility everywhere. It is my personal belief that we need to get back to basics and consider before hand how our actions might affect others. Then act appropriately.

Colour, Men, Uncategorized, Wardrobe, Women

How to Wear Colour Schemes Effectively

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Throughout history, clothing colour combinations have been made more complicated than they need to be because fashion has always dictated what we should wear. However one of the nicest things about being a certified image consultant is that I get the privilege of showing my clients what colours look great with their colouring and what they should wear based on their personality, body shape and goals. Instead of focusing strictly on fashion, they are shown how to dress to look their personal best with colour.

In general there are two types of colour schemes – related colour combinations and contrasted colour combinations.

Related combinations are colour schemes where the colours have something in common. An example of this is an analogous colour scheme, where colours are side by side on a colour wheel. Monochromatic colour combinations are another related colour scheme. These colour combinations refer to colours that are made from the same base colour. The colour is altered by toning with grey, adding black, white or a small amount of another colour. When these colours are worn together they appear tone on tone.

Contrasting colour schemes are colours that have nothing in common. They are on different sides of a colour wheel. When side by side they draw attention to each other and stand out. Complementary colour schemes are the most contrasting. Complimentary colour schemes are when the colours are exact opposite to each other on a colour wheel. For example: red and green; blue and orange; violet and yellow; another example of a contrasting scheme is using three colours all equal distance apart on a colour wheel. An example of this is would be wearing red, yellow and blue together in a combination.

To look more elegant, softer, more approachable or harmonious opt for related colour combinations. To appear more dynamic, fun or energetic dress in contrasting combinations.

I highly recommend playing with colour and creating your own colour schemes with a box of Crayola crayons or paints. Find the combinations that interest your personality and suit your colouring. Incorporate them into your wardrobe and the way you dress.

Uncategorized, Wardrobe, Women

4 Ways to Instantly Look Slimmer!

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This picture demonstrates 4 ways to look slimmer.

  • A non-descriptive print with no background can fool the eye, camouflaging the area. This print works particularly well. It forces the eye to look diagonally and vertically.
  • The crease up the centre of each leg on the pants creates vertical lines elongating and slimming the legs and body.
  • A broach draws attention, acting as a focal point close to the face and by-passing the figure challenges.
  • The tie on the shell creates a vertical line drawing the eye toward the face.
Etiquette, Uncategorized

Handshakes

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When meeting and greeting for the first time, be sincere, stick to the rules of etiquette and be sensitive to the person’s strength.

Make eye contact, smile and shake hands, repeating the person’s name in the greeting. For example:

  • “Hello Mary. It’s nice to meet you, I am …;
  • Or ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The most formal greeting would be

  • “How do you do, Mary, I am…” The reply to “How do you do.” is “How do you do.”

If you would like to meet someone, when approaching that person:

  1. Make eye contact and smile.
  2. Introduce yourself with your first and last name.
  3. Shake hands firmly, web to web. Lean into the handshake. Hands should be vertically parallel.  Shake hands 2-3 pumps.

This shows confidence and sincerity

Handshakes to avoid

  • The bone crusher – some people have no idea how strong their grip is.
  • The limp handshake (sometimes called the dead fish) – gives a non-confident wishy-washy impression.
  • The power grip (when someone grips with their hand on top) – in body language this indicates that the person perceives themselves as more important or is trying to get the upper hand.
  • Gabbing the finger tips sometimes very softly-  this can be a cultural difference not unusual on some Asian cultures – in western society we prefer a web to web handshake

These handshakes are a bit too friendly for business. You may be perceived as coming on too strong. Better to be saved for friends and family.

  • 2 handed handshake (when you cup both hands around the other persons hand) – is very nurturing and friendly.
  • Keep your hands to yourself. Avoid shaking hands while holding the other persons elbow or shoulder – too friendly for business

For another way to get a grip on your handshake watch the video on Living Vancouver with host, Jaeny Baik and Kimberly Law, AICI CIP. Click on Watch the Show in the top menu and then on It’s a Living in the right column.

Uncategorized

Hi There!

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Image really is everything… and companies are no exception!

I am really excited to announce that Personal Impact now has more Personal Impact with the launch our new Website and Blog.

Since starting Personal Impact in 1999, one of my goals has always been to make personal image knowledge easily obtainable for everyone. Because of this, one of the most important things for our new site was to have the ability to make even more personal image information easily available.

Our new resources page is loaded with image tips, articles and links in all media formats including audio, video and print.

Or try one of our Free Self-Assessments tools. This tool contains seven self-assessments on the following image topics: Personal Care, Makeup, Wardrobe, Business Dress, Manners & Etiquette, Dining Etiquette and Communication. Try one or all of them to find out if you have Personal Impact or which areas of your personal image need tweaking. Once you have determined which areas need some tweaking you can use the Free Self-Assessments as an action plan. Work on them yourself using the resources page, Image Matters articles or the future resources on our Blog described below. Visit the shop to find our how our Personal Impact Series of 8 special reports can help or contact us for a complimentary initial consultation to find out how we can help.

Along with our new website, I am especially excited about our new Blog. I have been looking forward to setting one up for quite a while and here it is… finally! I will be using this as a medium for sharing tips and information on image, fashion and etiquette.

I hope you will visit my website www.personalimpact.ca and comment frequently or you can sign-up for an RSS feed at Personal Impact Blog so you can be notified about our Blog posts right away.

If you find the information interesting please share it with your friends, family and social media sites.

I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me if you have any questions, comments or if there are any topics you would like to hear more about.

Enjoy!

Kimberly