BUSINESS CASUAL

A Modern Form of Professional Dress

Most traditional businesses have a professional uniform of suit, shirt and tie. However, gradually we are seeing the introduction of a more casual way of dress, even in the most conservative companies.

A lot of people think that this idea of “Casual Fridays” is a new, American idea. However, it actually comes from Victorian times when business men in The City dressed in a more casual way because they were going to spend the weekend in the country.

A “Smart Casual” or “Business Casual” dress code or “Dress-down Fridays” can create a lot of problems especially if you haven’t had the practice!

For example, if you are meeting clients you might not want to change your way of dress, or perhaps your existing wardrobe does not contain “casual” clothes. Then there is the question of how casual can we go? What actually is acceptable?

It is very difficult to dress “down” and still appear businesslike.

Unlike men’s “business” dress, women’s professional dress has no long history – so no parameters. This makes it more difficult to know exactly what to do, more so when there is a need to dress less formally or in summer.

It is very easy to slip into too casual dressing therefore making it more difficult to “communicate” professional credibility.

When we have rules and regulations it’s easy to make a decision about what to wear but when there are no rules nor regulations, it is a lot more difficult. Valuable time is wasted and very often less self-confidence than when wearing traditional dress.

This course shows how to analyse the business environment and determine what is appropriate for different situations.

Another key factor is our own individual personality. If the clothes we are wearing are in harmony with our personality, they look natural and right. If not, they somehow look wrong.

This course deals with all the problems as well as helping participants to put together individual looks honouring their colouring and personality.

Objectives

Inspire the participants so they:

Learn how to use “image” to their advantage and use its potential as one of the strongest forms of non-verbal communication.
Create an individual professional image in harmony with their personality
Write an action plan for the immediate future and short/long term, making a commitment to improve their personal presentation

The benefits of understanding how this visual communication works enable us:

To create a more positive first impression.
To improve professional credibility therefore increasing self-confidence.
To receive more respect.
To be the best visual aid when giving a seminar or presentation.
To communicate more effectively.
To save time and money as well as looking more attractive.
To avoid running the risk of antagonistic forms of dress.
To avoid “contaminating” our messages.

The knowledge that you look good allows you to concentrate 100% on business.

Content

Questionnaire to define personal/professional messages.
The Power of “Image”.
The Importance of non-verbal communication.
The First Impression.
Dressing with formality.
Dressing appropriately – levels of formality.
Different levels of formality and professional messages.
The psychology of colour.
Business casual.
Minefield – what can destroy professional credibility.
Individual factors – colour/proportion/ style
Self-assessment.
6 steps to improve your image.
Planning.