Module 1 - LESSON PLAN s1

Module 4  Activity 10  APPEARANCE

APPEARANCES COUNT

Long before I am near enough to talk to you on the street, in a meeting or at a party, you announce your sex, age, and class to me through what you are wearing—and very possibly give me important information (or misinformation) as to your occupation, origin, personality, opinions, tastes, sexual desires, and current mood. By the time we meet and converse, we have already spoken to each other in an older and more universal tongue.—Allison Lurie, Author of THE LANGUAGE OF CLOTHES

YOU HAVE JUST THIRTY SECONDS . . .

Social psychologists studying the impact of image have determined that’s how long it takes for someone meeting you to form a whole laundry list of impressions about your character and abilities. The list of impressions encompasses:

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Educational level

Career competence and success

Personality

Level of sophistication

Trustworthiness

Sense of humor

Social heritage

Now, thirty seconds doesn’t give you time to pull out your transcript, showcase your resume, or present character references. It doesn’t allow any time to explain that you have talent, skills, training, and a substantial list of truly satisfied employers and customers.

In thirty seconds, people from all those different impressions based almost entirely on what they see—your clothes, hairstyle, carriage, smile, and the rest of your nonverbal communications. The bad thing is . . . there are no “erase buttons,” once a negative impression is made, it is extremely hard to change. Appearances do count.

Appearances count, not only in first impressions, but also in ongoing interactions. In his comprehensive research on communication, sociolinguist Albert Mehrabian found that in a face-to-face encounter,

7 percent of a verbal message comes from the words used;

38 percent comes from the vocal tone, pacing, and inflection;

55 percent of the message is transmitted by the speaker’s appearance and body language. Appearances count—often in cold, hard cash. Employers are willing to pay for people who look the part. If the employee already projects an image of professionalism, that’s one less thing—one potentially unpleasant thing—that the firm has to worry about.