Laura Snyder - Marketing Director

Whether you are meeting a future employer, the In-Laws, or just the guy who’s going to be sitting next to you in contemporary auditing; let’s face it, first impressions count. As much as we would love to believe people like to “get to know” you before passing judgment, sometimes that just isn’t the case. According to Geni Whitehouse, author of Even a Nerd Can be Heard people need to put more effort into packaging themselves. This doesn’t mean just your physical appearance and body language, but more importantly the way you communicate with others. You could be the most well-dressed, manicured professional but if when you open your mouth and all anyone hears is gibberish, you are never going to be taken seriously.

Just look at the number of job postings on Monster.com that mention communication skills. I assure you, the designers of the site weren’t just arbitrarily placing those words everywhere because they thought they were aesthetically pleasing. It is because without effective communication skills it is nearly impossible to ascend up the corporate ladder. Promotions come to those who can communicate effectively at all levels, even those who come last in the pecking order. According to Whitehouse, “communication skills are the most important part of presenting yourself as a professional. Good communication can help you to not only make an impression, but make a connection or even drive change.” If you are timid and lacking confidence, these traits will inevitably saturate every task you attempt to complete. People that lack confidence often second guess themselves and can come across as inept even when they are in fact highly capable.

Believe it or not, Whitehouse herself used to lack confidence and had poor communication skills. She reached a turning point in her life when she decided she was going to need to work on her communication if she ever wanted to truly improve professionally. She began to study public speaking in earnest- “by reading everything in sight on the subject, taking classes and listening to all of the great presenters [she] could find.” The take home message of Whitehouse’s article is that it is never too late, or early for that matter, to start working on improving your communication skills. If you want to make an impression take Whitehouse’s advice and please work on this one critical area- “read about writing, write about reading, take public speaking classes, listen to public speakers, take speaker training classes, but whatever you do, work on it!”

Think to yourself, would you want to give someone you care about a gift in tattered packaging, with the corners jabbing through and maybe some dribble from good Old Rover who thought it was his Birthday bone?? Well, when you were three that may have been endearing, but not anymore. As Whitehouse puts it, “don’t ruin your chances by wrapping your stellar professional self in soiled newsprint.” For more tips like these, visit Geni Whitehouse’s website http://www.evenanerd.com