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How to Dress for Women Entrepreneurs

How to Dress for Women Entrepreneurs
By Patti Wood Body Language Expert, MA, CSP

If you want to insure that your “brand” is current.  Here are the fall fashion trends.

1. A little black leather or leather look jacket or top. My highest recommendation is that you always wear clothes that are on trend. You want your company brand to be current not fuddy duddy or dowdy. The Little Black Jacket: this season the little black jacket is being hailed as, "The answer to every fashion question." The little black jacket can dress you up and make you look youthful if you pair it with a little dress or slender black pants and a high quality little white shirt! Make sure it fits. Leather is hot you just keep the design simple and tailored.

2. Pants: Ankles are this season's bare-skin. Store any pants that don’t match this seasons. Pick up a magazine. Skinny pants, lots of ankle, gauchos that look good on only a few women.

3. Skirts: Classic cuts, short, but not too short. If it is age appropriate you can try a fitted skirt with a small flounce. They are very in. Make sure you pair it with a fitted top.

4. Tops: While jackets and blazers that don’t look dowdy are sometimes hard to find they can give you a crisp pulled together look. You can wear a short jacket with the new style of long blouse if you wear it with narrow pants. You can also wear a jacket with a shorter fitted skirt.

5. Dresses: Still very on trend. Some of the new dresses have a skirt that swishes slightly rather than pencil thin all the way down.

6. Colors: black, bluish or brownish red, sage to sage tinges gray, pink (not fuchsia not pale), teal, and orchid purple are the front-runner colors of this season's pallet. Black and white block patterns on fabric, are popular.

7. Legs with attitude. Hose with pattern. Subtle not fishnets!

8. Bow with a blouse. They are narrow and you don’t actually tie the bow, it is more to create a color contrast and act like a necklace.

9. Victorian blouses lace and leather details are hot. But just use one in an outfit.

10. Rhinestone statement broaches are in again. But in different shapes, stars, bows and flour de lease. If you wear a broach just make sure the rest of your outfit is hip. So you may want to wear the latest narrow pants with the ankle showing, or a shorter skirt.


The Body Language Expert
Web- www.PattiWood.net

I have a new quiz on my YouTube station. Check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNDJOcYly1uLU5dxr9JFkpQ

When it comes to work clothes, we are in a new era — the era of Mark Zuckerberg's hoody, and Mary Barra's "jeans allowed" policy. Where 20 years ago, dark power suits with sculpted shoulders emanated prosperity and productivity, now people seem to think henleys do the trick.

Even in corporate environments that have not adopted the casual, start-up ethos, business casual is the new business formal; weekend wear is the new business casual; and pajamas are legitimate uniforms for the growing ranks of telecommuters and freelancers who work from the privacy of their bedrooms. Suits are gross.

Given the changing fads, you may not want to start showing up at work in a three-piece suit and a tight half-Windsor, especially if you work at a flip-flop office. But there's some evidence that for most of us, a return to slightly more formal work attire may be a good thing. Even if you work at home.

Clothes can make you smarter

The new phrase is “enclothed cognition" — an offshoot of "embodied cognition," the idea that aspects of your thoughts are shaped by your body — entered the b-school vocabulary. The term came from Adam D. Galinsky, a professor at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, who found that when people don a white lab coat they believe belongs to a doctor, they become more focused and careful — effectively a little smarter when performing cognitive tasks.

For the study, Galinsky assigned 58 under grads to either wear a white, doctor's lab coat, or simply the street clothes already on their backs. He then used incongruent trials that tested their focus and mental acuity. He found that those who wore the lab coat made about half as many errors as those who wore street clothes.

In his next test, he assigned 74 students three sartorial options. Some would wear a white coat, and were told it was a doctor's coat. Others wore an identical coat, but were told it was a painter's coat. And a third group merely looked at a white "doctor's" coat. The subject then took an attention test where they were asked to point out differences between two images and speedily write them down. Those who wore the "doctor's" coat performed significantly better than the other two groups.

Though the results were white, doctor's coat-specific, Galinsky's work implies that merely wearing an item associated with intelligence can improve your cognitive abilities. "Clothes invade the body and brain, putting the wearer into a different psychological state," said the New York Times about Galinky's findings.

It is up to you whether you want your PJs invading your mind while you work, or something a little more smart and attractive.

Clothes can also make others think you're smarter

Of course, we're not implying you should show up at the office tomorrow in a white coat with a name tag that says "doctor, not artist." But it's worth thinking about what symbolizes smart and effective in your own office.

Tracy Morris, a professor of psychology at West Virginia University, for years studied how attire impacts perception. For one test, Morris asked a group of professors to dress in three types of garb — formal professional (full dark suits), business casual (slacks or skirts and nice shirts), or casual (jeans, a plaid flannel, sneakers). I should mention here that she conducted her study in the mid-90s.

The professors then gave lectures. Controlling for content, as well as non-verbal behavior like eye contact and smiling, she then asked students to rate professors on several attributes involving competence, character, sociability, composure, and extroversion.

What she found: Perceptions of professional attributes, like competence, composure, and knowledge, "are effected most by dress, with formal dress resulting in the most positive perception." Perceptions of instructor competence were highest in the formal condition, with business casual a close second, and the lowest ratings for the casual wear.

Of course, the study took place in the 90s, and the definition of formal business attire in most industries has shifted toward the more casual (though thankfully away from flannels). Nevertheless, it's worth thinking about what is "formal" in your industry and dressing accordingly.

It also impacts how you see yourself on the job

This one is directed at those who are wearing jeans and sneakers in a mostly slacks and oxfords office — meaning, those who tend to dress more casually than others. Even if you're not violating a dress code, some evidence says dressing "properly" has an impact on how you see your own skill set.

In a 1994 study, Yoon-Hee Kwon, from North Illinois University studied how clothing impacts the way you rate yourself on ten occupational attributes: Responsibility, competence, knowledgeability, professionalism, honesty, reliability, intelligence, trustworthiness, willingness to work hard, and efficiency. Cross-referencing these attributes against broad guidelines like "properly dressed" or "not properly dressed," she found that when wearing appropriate clothes, a person's sense of these occupational traits were augmented.

Once again, the idea is not to show up at work dressed for a gala, or even to wear anything obtrusively businesslike if your office is casual. The idea is simply, if you're dressing like a schlub for work, maybe step it up a notch.


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

How does body language effect the interaction at the Big Brother House?

Body Language at the Big Brother House.

How does body language effect the interaction at the Big Brother House?

Space invasion, proxemics Body Language Expert Patti Wood MA, CSP Author of SNAP Making the Most of First Impressions Body Language and Charisma.

WHY ARE WE SO UNCOMFORTABLE BEING CLOSE UP WITH STRANGERS?

In forced close distances, get intense at 2 feet.  When a stranger comes closer than two feet or less our bodies go into stranger danger stress response. You have heard of Flight Fight response, well when a stranger gets to close the limbic brain goes into a stress response and the brain releases cortisol. You may Freeze in place, Flee for safety, Fight, perhaps expand and get big to show don’t mess with me. (Arm’s length, our bodies go into a “Stanger Danger” stress response. You have heard of the flight fight response it’s more complex. Close strangers may make you want to freeze in place, flee, expand into fight response, faint or fade.) 

HOW CLOSE CAN WE GET TO ANOTHER PERSON? 

In Europe and North America our sense of self is external so we have a body bubble wall that extends out from our body 18 inches. 

THERE’S A CERTAIN DISTANCE WE ARE ALL GENERALLY COMFORTABLE WITH.

Intimate relationships 0 to 18 inches, for people we know but aren’t going to be kissing 2 feet is what is called personal distance. If we don’t know them and are confined we ideally want 4 feet or more (Think two arm lengths.) The interesting thing about the Big Brother house is it forces people into intimate distance space interactions_(0-18 inches) and social distance space one and a half to two feet) We normally would create a relationship then reduce the distance in this case the space requires us to reframe our relationships. It can make some people get belligerent and stay in attack and defend mode and others form close relationships very quickly.

WHY DO WE FEEL WE SHOLDN’T TALK TO STRANGERS IN CLOSE SPACES BUT SOMETIMES WE FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO?

Social proxemics typically when you have an intimate relationship think friend or family, both your primitive limbic brain and social rules say you can and should be physically close.  If you are forced to be close with a stranger you are battling the physical messages that say this is scary and the social etiquette that says, I should be nice, after all we close.

OVERALL: ANY GENERAL WORDS OF ADVICE OR TIPS TO MAKE CLOSE SPACES WITH STRANGERS LESS AWKWARD, AND MORE COMFORTABLE?

There is a tool I call, “establishing commonality” so you’re in the situation together. So say to them simple things you have in common like the weather outside, the temperature, the background music, so you feel a connection that makes you like each other. Yes there is a reason we talk about the weather finding out something you have in common with a stranger reduces your stress, it makes you feel like you are from the same tribe that you are in it together. By the way, you may establish commonality with some members in the house by forming an alliance against someone else!



Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Top Tips for Phone Messages By Patti Wood MA, CSP Professional Speaker

Top Tips for Phone Messages
By Patti Wood MA, CSP Professional Speaker
Though for some generations the phone has gone the way of the covered wagon, video tape and disco dancing, you still need to know phone etiquette to live with the rest of the world.
Here are important tips for voice mail and phone interactions. 
Stan was looking for a job and had a great interview with a Fortune 100 company that he felt had gone really well. He got a voice message on his cell from the manager he had interviewed with. But it sounded odd. There was a long silence, then a stuttered awkward message that sounded like he was upset. Stan wasn’t sure what the manager thought about him during the interview. When he told his friend Karl about the odd message, Karl laughed and said, "Well at least your prospective boss didn’t call your cell." "You still have that message on it that says, “Yo! What's up?" That sounds like you’re from the Jersey shore.” Horrified, Stan realized that’s the number he had given the manager. Stan changed his voice mail message and found out later he didn’t get the job.   

           Have a professional message on your work, home and cell phone voicemail. Create your message and leave it on your phone and people are still forming an impression of that message years later. Speak clearly; don’t talk too fast. Give sufficient amount of information and no more. Avoid music, slang, and funny voices.

           When you call leave professional messages on other peoples voicemail. And follow up. Prepare your message before you call. Make it short but complete. Leave your full name, your phone number, repeating it slowly and your email address. Always say why you called. If you have more than one point to discuss, start the message with, “I am calling about two issues.” 

      Fewer people listen to their voice mail messages so if you leave a voicemail follow up with email or text. A half hour before an important conference call from the west coast to discuss a big project my dog slipped out the side door as we brought in supplies. I grabbed my cell phone and ran up and down the hills of my neighborhood shouting “Come here Bo.”  The cell phone rang and I answered breathless and voice strained.  It was my client and her bosses calling early!  I explained what was going on, but found out that my first impression had worried my client’s boss. He told her, “She sounded nervous about the project and I wonder if she can handle it. “ I didn’t get the contract.

       Remember, cell phones can catch you casual.  Be careful of answering your cell phone on the fly. If your business colleagues call you on your cell, don’t answer your cell phone if you can’t answer clearly and calmly. Be aware that if you are in the car, your mind is distracted. Realize that if you answer the phone while you are in the bathroom, the echo of the tile is distinctly noticeable and that sound could potentially be very embarrassing.

       Return calls promptly. Time is strong nonverbal communicator

       Imagine you’re talking in person face-to-face. You lose up to 80% of your expressiveness with physical, non-verbal cues. Be present and focused on the call so that your emotions come through in your paralanguage. Otherwise your first impression may be a robot voice. Your energy level and vocal variation typically goes down on a phone call. You need to bring up your energy level to sound like you really are there and aren’t distracted driving or checking your emails while you are on the call. If you can, stand up to keep your energy high. If you are being interviewed over the phone, dress up for the interview to remind yourself to stay professional. If you are particularly nervous about a call forget the coaching to stand up. You will be calmer and more centered sitting down in place where you feel comfortable and safe. Don’t sit starring at a screen of any kind. Reading print on a screen makes your voice become monotone and the focus on the words may hinder your focus on the other person or people on the call. The most important thing you can do is connect.          




Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

Favorite Fig Pizza Recipe for Pizza Lovers

INGREDIENTS
  • 1lb prepared pizza dough, room temperature 1tablespoon olive oil
  • 1small sweet onion, sliced
  • 4 -6fresh figs, cut in half or thinner if they are big figs.
  • 5ounces goat cheese (if you can get goat cheese with cranberries it at Trader Joes it’s extra fabulous)
  • 1teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (The bottled stuff does not do the pizza justice.)
  • olive oil 
  • cornmeal
DIRECTIONS
1.   In a pan sauté red onions in oil till a caramel color, (takes 10 to 15 minutes, set aside to cool completely. They cook the best in a cast iron skillet. ( I cook extra onions and freeze them for the next pizza)
2.   Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3.   Roll out dough on a floured surface to 1 inch thick. You can make it round or square all a matter of taste. ( I use gluten free dough)
4.   Place on a pan that is dusted with corn meal.
5.   Spread a thin coat of olive oil on dough.
6.   Arrange goat cheese, figs cut side up, cooled onions around on crust.
7.   Top with little chunks of goat cheese and fresh rosemary.( you can add Mozzarella if you like it extra cheesy)
8.   Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.

What are the top tell-tale signs that someone is nervous? Body language tricks that hide nervousness well.

Here are stress cues and tips on how to prevent stress from Patti Wood, Body Language Expert, Coach and Author of "SNAP Making the Most of First Impressions Body Language and Charisma."


What are the top tell-tale signs that someone is nervous?

When someone is stressed. Their automatic nervous system will cause them to sweat more, particularly in the palms of the hands (which perspire solely in response to stress, breathing becomes uneven, the throat and lips become dry and swallowing may increase in frequency. But let’s say you’re watching someone giving a speech, interviewing for a job or being questioned during a performance appraisal.

Research on accurate lie detection's says most of believe someone is lying if their voice shakes, or they cannot make eye contact, they blink frequently, maybe they cover their face with their hand, or moisten their lips. But, each of these actions are actually signs of nervousness.

They may give stress cues, (also called comfort cues or pacifying gestures.)

·         Rubbing Motions—These motions are complicated. Rubbing may be a means of self-assurance. For example, we may gently rub a gold chain around our neck just before an interview, symbolically making it shine.

·         Nose, Eye and Ear Rubbing—Often signify disbelief or disagreement if done by the listener or: “Boy, that doesn’t smell right to me, that doesn’t look right to me, that doesn’t sound right to me.”  Or deception if done by a speaker. Note: The nerve ending in those location fire when we are stressed making them itch so it makes sense you touch the face when you’re anxious.

·         Holding MotionsHolding are own hand, placing are arms around our shoulders or stomach. When we were little and we were anxious or scared, our moms or dads held on to us, and the holding motion assured us that everything would be okay. As adults, when we are anxious or afraid we repeat these motions to reassure ourselves that everything is going to be all right.

·         Comfort cues and or Preening Motions—We use self-comfort touching your wrist. They may touch the neck and their limbic brain may fear attack, and respond with a primal response desire to cover their carotid artery and or windpipe (women touch the center and the base of the neck and may even place their entire palm over their neck or heart to protect it), the pulling up your pants or adjusting belt.  These motions to prepare ourselves for a stressful interaction like a speech a job interview. In preparation to flirt you may also touch your hair, rub out the wrinkles on your pants, adjust belt or watch, tuck in your shirt, and women may touch their collars and or jewelry. These self-touch motions offer comfort to us.

The neck a classic position where a predator attacks, either going for the jugular artery at the side or crushing or ripping out the windpipe.  When people feel threatened they will thus naturally act to protect the neck, pulling the chin down to protect the throat and possibly also raising the shoulders to protect the sides of the neck.  When a person is uncomfortable with what they are saying or where they are saying it, then their neck muscles may tense, affecting their voice through constriction of the windpipe or tensing of the vocal chords. This can cause their voice to go higher or sound strained and may cause discomfort in the neck and the hand thus acts to sooth this irritation.

If they are confused and stressed they will shift in their seats or shuffle their feet.
Their brows may furrow and they may rub their eyes or face typically downward,
as if they could clear their head. They may touch their temple or forehead
symbolically pushing the ‘on’ button for their brain. Their eyes may blink or
stretch open, as if they hope they could see more clearly. Also look for cues that
look asymmetrical.

We have “windows” all over our bodies: at the top of our head, our eyes, our mouth, our throat, our upper chest or heart, the palms of our hands, our knees, at the toes and the soles of our feet. We may close one or more of those windows when we are stressed, by crossing our arms, turning away, buttoning up a jacket, hiding our hands

We open and close our heart window in four ways: through the clothing we wear, the way we position our heart window toward or away from someone, the use of physical barriers such as books and counters, and finally, through our arm and shoulder

What are the body language tricks that hide nervousness well? Or the most effective body language trick to hide nervousness?

Try to keep your hands at your sides most of the time. It’s ok to cross your arms briefly, just don’t freeze in a closed position.

The belly window is the area between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the hips. This area is particularly vulnerable to attack. It is the area that often receives punching and stabbing in a fight. As anyone who watches action movies, police dramas, CSI or frankly any television can attest, if the gut is pierced,  internal bleeding can cause a slow death. Holding hands across the belly can thus be a defensive act when we fear any form of physical or emotional attack.

·         When you’re stressed, you often feel cold, and crossing your arms can make you feel warmer. The science tells us that the area under the limbic brain engages different systems in you to prepare for the freeze, fight, flight or faint survival response. The blood is channeled away from the skin towards the large muscles of the limbs (as well as the vital organs so are heart keeps beating and are lungs take in air). Without the blood
to warm the surface of the skin, we feel cooler. So guess what? We often cross our arms to get warm.  If that is a typical problem for you wear a T-shirt under your clothes. (This goes for women as well as men)

·         Rehearse success: Visualize your success before the interview, rather than imagining all the things you might do wrong. Most people when faced with a difficult situation like a job interview or a speech imagine themselves failing; you create a movie where they don’t make a good impression. Instead, rehearse your success and create a positive script. Prepare by first practicing “live” with someone. Then visualize your successful movie closing your eyes and visualizing yourself in the interview... Imagine how you will shake hands well and sit with confidence, be warm and friendly, listen attentively and answer with confidence all the questions you’re asked. Play the movie of you giving a successful interview in your head over and over so that when you are under stress, you can easily go to the positive, successful responses you have rehearsed.

·         Merge:  Think of a time on the job, or in your personal life, when you experienced a success, take a success from any part of your life where you have had an emotionally satisfying experience where you have felt confident, fully alive and positive. Notice how you feel, tell yourself that story, feel those emotions and merge those positive emotions with the new story of your job interview success. (We create and experience stories in the emotional right hemisphere of our brain. When we recall and retell these stories, we re-experience the feelings that accompany them. By using the merging technique, you can bring positive emotions and success into any situation.)

·         Pop:  You can take this process one-step further by creating a pop anchor to feel and act more positively in your interview. I had a client who was having trouble visualizing success after a number of negative job interview experiences. He didn’t have a positive memory of a work scenario to recall. We used what I call my pop tool, so he could
“pop” to a more upbeat, optimistic body language. I asked him to recall what activities or situations made him feel that way. “Sailing!” he quickly replied, and his whole demeanor changed as he explained why. While he was in this mode, I asked him to “anchor” these feelings to his subconscious by briefly touching his leg. Then we watched our
recording, and he touched his leg when he saw and felt the confidence and excitement he liked.


Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/user/bodylanguageexpert.