My Reality Check Bounced! - Jason Ryan Dorsey [33]
When it comes to recording your voice-mail greeting—work, home, or cell—be creative but safe. Something professional like Angela’s message is one way to go or you could make it a little more fun and personalized. Just be sure you record it in a quiet area so they don’t hear Metallica playing in the background! The same forethought is important when leaving messages on other people’s voice mail. Many employers save all voice mails (and e-mails) that their employees receive. These can be used against you when you least expect it. Don’t get caught sounding like a fool on tape; think before you leave your message so the recipient gets the right signal no matter how many times they play it back.
TO PLUG IN: Change your voice-mail greeting every two months.
IMAGE IMPROVER
Image is the bundle of signals your physical actions and presence send into the world. Image is important because the way people see you influences how they initially treat you. With the right image, you can open up doors before you even open up your mouth.
And trust me, no matter what jeans you wear people notice you. When you walk into a crowded room, they check you out from head to toe. They make assumptions (right or wrong) about who you are without taking the time to actually get to know you.
This habit of people sizing you up and fitting you into a category can make or break your chances of impressing them before you get the chance to use your IM. If your image doesn’t match the Future Picture you desire, the people you need on your side may never give you a chance to reach the opportunities you need. However, you can choose to use this “judge them before you know them” habit to your advantage by crafting an image that attracts and motivates people to want to meet you and support your efforts. Focus your image on your strengths. Do this by thinking outside in rather than inside out.
To Send a Physical Signal That Gets What You Want, Do These Four Things
1. Keep your head up. People pay attention to how you carry yourself. When you walk is your head up and confident or are you slouching and looking worn out? This one simple habit reveals much about your attitude. People meeting you for the first time may go so far as to interpret how you carry yourself as evidence of how you might carry them in a time of need. Think about it: Do you want the person with the firm handshake who holds her head high on your team or your opponent’s? I want her on my team!
Have you ever met a new person who introduces himself with a limp-fish handshake while looking at his feet and mumbling his name? I have. It sure doesn’t send a message of confidence and leadership. Instead, it sends a message of anxiety and insecurity, exactly what you don’t want to convey when trying to get plugged in. Get your image off on the right foot by always offering a firm handshake, making good eye contact, and having decent posture. This goes whether you are a man or a woman, going for a job interview or on a blind date.
Jose, twenty-two, was raised in an area of the South where it was considered disrespectful to look your elders in the eye. He strictly adhered to this policy until he went away to college. There he quickly learned that unless he did look people in the eye, they didn’t trust him. He admits he still has issues making eye contact with his older relatives; but he says that since he started looking people in the eye, his college dating life has definitely improved!
TO PLUG IN: Before you go into a meeting or on a date, take a deep breath, collect your thoughts, and then walk in with confidence.
2 Dress the