Confidence is...

Ross Taylor has a book titled: Confidence in just seven days. In the book there is a list of suggestions about what confidence is and they are -

• Doing what you want to do, when and how you want to do it.
• Being relaxed, comfortable and secure.
• Believing in yourself.
• Doing as well as you can so that doors open in the future.
• Setting goals that are not too high so they can be achieved.
• Not having a huge gap when comparing yourself to others.
• Not compensating for being insecure by being harsh or aggressive.
• Having the ability to act confident even though you don't feel it.
• Having the self-esteem to fail and make mistakes.
• Being comfortable with yourself and not worrying what other people think.
• Having the guts to achieve what you want.

Are you a confident being? What do you think reflects confidence in someone?

Personal Branding Tips x 3

Here are 3 tips from Personal Branding VIP by Millenial Branding

Attitude is everything. Those that are positive, optimistic and ambitious are more valuable than people who are only looking for a paycheck and benefits any day of the week.

Acquire new skills. Research shows that job seekers don't have skills that employers are looking for. There are a lot of jobs out there, but most people don't have the skills required in order to get them. You should review job descriptions to see what skills are important now and then read books and take classes to acquire those skills.

Stop wasting time. Too many people have ideas that they don't capitalize on. If you think of a practical business idea, you should go for it! You have nothing to lose and you will learn a lot in the process. Think of failure as a way of educating yourself so that you're more successful in the future.

“Be a Remarkable Brand”

This corporate presentation will provide you/your staff with the skills to:

• represent a consistent, authentic brand.
• impress others with your image excellence, business etiquette and professionalism.
• make your personal brand a powerful and influential tool in today's fast-paced world.

Now is the time to take control of your brand. Let the team at Professional Impressions help you or your company to increase the impact of your impressions. We look forward to helping you design your personal brand and unlock your unlimited potential!

For a detailed quote contact us here
Visit our website: http://www.profimpressions.co.za

Conversation Starters

A networking event or company function can sometimes be daunting for a lot of us. Social interaction comes naturally to others but to you and I it may be a "mumble moment" every time. We hesitate in interacting as much as we should to benefit from the potential opportunities in the room. So for the next event you attend, why not take Lynne Brennan's list of tips and put them to good use:Dedicate a number of topics you feel confident about discussing to start the conversation with like:

• Sport
• Music
• The surroundings - if it is an event you need to travel to
• World affairs
• Holidays
• Food
• Films
• Favourite people and places
• News items
• Business associations
• Industry news and happenings

Be sure to:

• ALWAYS read a daily newspaper to ensure you are up to date with business news and current affairs.
• AVOID initiating a conversation on politics or religion and asking questions of a personal nature i.e. income, sex, family.
• If you tend to speak quickly, remember to pause now and again - make it easier for people to listen to you and understand you.
• If you discuss business - AVOID gossip. Be loyal to the company, department and your colleagues and be sensitive to the reaction of others.
• When conversing, show real interest in the person you are talking to. The minute your mind wanders, you will show the person you are talking to that you have lost interest and they will notice. Do not interrupt others or talk over them when they are speaking. Use phrases of encouragement like:
  - "That's interesting, where did you see that?"
  - "I noticed an article about your company in..."
  - "So tell me when you decided to..."
  
• Give some thought to developing some links of your own - empathising with others soon builds relationships:
  - " I appreciate that feeling"
  - "Yes it is difficult isn't it?"
  - "That must be really exciting"
  
  It will make the person you are talking to feel comfortable because you are building empathy, not just talking about subjects that are of particular interest to you.

For more information - visit our website www.profimpressions.co.za

The ME in my brand - COSMO October Issue

Define YOU, define YOUR BRAND
Your brand is all you say and do, and your image and etiquette are the visual part of that brand. To define your brand, ask yourself:

Who am I? 

What do I stand for? 

What do I believe in? 

Where do I want to go?

Your brand must be authentic and reflect your personality, values and vision. Write down your mission(what you do) and vision ( what you can do-your promise) and set your goals.If you are always labelled by your colleagues as being a "funny" person, that will become a part of your brand.

Develop it!
Companies spend millions on branding and marketing and ensuring they are ahead of their competitors, you too need to develop YOUR BRAND to stay ahead of the rest. Identify your strengths and talents and invest in them. Ask yourself:

What do I want to be known for?

If it is being accurate and detailed then request jobs or tasks that highlight these skills and this will bring those attributes to the attention of others. If it is being warm and empathetic, nurture this to draw others to you. If it is being articulate, go on a presentation course to hone this. (Check out Paul duToits site http://www.presentationskills.co.za/ for some options) If it is something as simple as having amazing eyes, then highlight them with makeup, learn to use them and be known for them in a positive light.
Do a BRAND INTERVENTION.
Once you have a clear description of your brand, look at the areas that are not working and put a brand intervention in place. Consider your appearance, etiquette, body language, confidence, voice and communication skills. You need to at all times be consistent in your actions, words and appearance. You cannot subconcsiously say " I am a fun loving girl but I want you to take me seriously while prancing around in a lace cami, tartan mini and stilettos; wielding a cellphone covered in a barbie case.

Keep RE-EVALUATING your brand.
If you notice that people are no longer taking notice of you or projects are slowly slipping away then  re-evaluate and make changes. Update your knowledge base about your job, your industry and what is in fashion to keep BRAND YOU at the cutting edge - learn from others -what works and what doesn't.

From the Cosmopolitan (October Issue) article I contributed towards:

The Road to Miss SA

Haydee recently took the gorgeous Miss South Africa ladies through a powerful Personal Branding and Etiquette principles workshop - the presentation was televised for "THE ROAD TO MISS SA" insert and will be airing this Sunday - 30 October - on MZANSI MAGIC - Channel 107 on DTSV at 19:00pm - be sure to tune in and get an idea of the journey involved in becoming the next Miss South Africa.

Admin and Finance Organisation

Are you so organised that every time you open your mail it goes straight into a clearly defined and neatly labelled filing system in your office/kitchen/lounge? Or is there a semi-permanent pile of paperwork growing on that dining room table? What about your e-mail inbox or the bills you still need to pay... Joan van Zyl put together a fantastic article in the YOU Makeovers magazine - Summer Issue on sorting through one's life in different areas including admin. She talks about dividing your finances into two groups - NOW and FUTURE.

The NOW group is about the basics - staying within budget  and getting rid of debt.

• Determine your net worth (financial position) - subtract what you owe (bills,loans, accounts) from what you have in your account at the moment.
• For one month keep a pen and notepad in your handbag or use your phone and make a list of every expense you spend your money on then go through your list and see what buys were a necessity and what were just careless spends. Could you be making those purchases using loyalty points like e-bucks?
• Now take this info and compare them to your bank statements from the last 3 months and draw up a budget - including your debts and savings - include expenses that may only be monthly or yearly.

The FUTURE is the bigger picture - this is where you will be planning for the future and securing your financial freedom.

• Unless you are one (you shouldn't need to read this article if you are), you will most likely need the help of a financial advisor - ask a friend or family member for a recommendation.
• Money is unfortunately what makes the world go round and we are all dependent on it's importance so read the financial magazines, listen to the financial segments on the radio - stay informed about what goes on in the financial world.
• Change your perspective - instead of thinking about the lack of money "I" have, start thinking about how much you could have if you managed it better.

What about household admin - all that paperwork mentioned earlier.

1. ORGANISE your life NOW - buy files and labels and start sifting through that paperwork and separating everything into the correct piles and filing them away.
2. Use boxes for the post that you know you will not be able to get to straight away. Label them "IN" "OUT" "ACCOUNTS" "TAX" etc.
3. Search for a budget template on the internet and utilise it to see what you should cut back on and what you can spoil yourself to each month - try www.mydebt.co.za/downloads/personal-budget-spreadsheet.xls
4. Always check value for money - from policies to account promises to bank fees.

Trends for the Summer Season

For our other latest tips visit our website here www.profimpressions.co.za or click on this link to go straight to our Latest free Tips section