Tips for Introductions -- part 2

Part 2

 Always be aware that your face and body provide messages as “ communication tells”, which are signs of a first impression- in that you are sending off messages you are not even aware of, such as  these following body language signposts:

a)     Legs crossed when standing usually signifies that you are insecure. Be aware of what your feet are doing and what the other person’s feet are doing. The fact that your feet  are not in position in front of you usually means that you do not want to communicate with them.

b)     Watch that your arms are not crossed-  this indicates a closed position.

They say image is everything so here are a few other things to consider  in creating a professional appearance for such an introduction.:

·       For women, a hairstyle short and cropped ,or hair pinned up implies  efficiency. A hairstyle loose, long and  free reflects a free spirit and   a more open -ended person and therefore not suitable for a conservative organization.  So wear your hair back or up for this occasion, especially if you are meeting a conservative person at an organization with a  very formal work culture.  

·        As  for men -men’s oxford shoes are more professional.  Wear higher- end shoes than you would wear in the course of a work day.

·       Watch out for  any clothing odour.  Make sure if you eat in a restaurant, or at a place you were prior to the introduction that no odour clings to your clothes. Also, ensure the seat of your car does not leave a lingering smell on your clothes You can use Freebreeze to eliminate odours on fabric. Watch  out for lingering smoke odour from cigarettes as well.

·       Be careful re: the state of your hands- make sure they are manicured and moisturized.  They, like your teeth, tell a story about you.

·       Watch out for sweaty palms. Keep a kleenex in your pocket to wipe your hands before meeting people ,or dust your palm lightly with odourless  talcum powder  prior to the official introduction.

·       Choose the style of the specific industry re: what people wear in that field. For example,   banking/ finance  requires a  classic dark blue business or black suit, while  the apparel  for advertising or creative artist would be more casual.

Tips for making a positive first impression for introductions and meetings/interviews

Here are some tips for making a positive first impression for introductions and meetings/interviews

a.      Clothing-wear the high -end clothing from your wardrobe. Prior to the important introduction, try the outfit on first and wear it front of a full-length mirror… Practice sitting down and shaking hands as well in front of this mirror to see how your clothing presents itself.   Also, men and women, bring a stain away pen for emergencies to remove stains and spills on your clothing, just in case something happens before you meet this person(s).

b.     Smile, but not excessively during your introduction.  Before the introduction,  please check a pocket mirror or car mirror to see that nothing is between your teeth , and  that there are not any pen marks, dust particles, etc.. are on your face, either.

c.      Eye contact- Try to not to stare intensely( eyeball- to- eyeball—maintain very direct eye contact long enough to note their eye colour), but focus on the space between the eye brows. Shift your gaze  to  the person’s eyebrows  after a few seconds  so they know they have your interest. But do not lose their attention by having your eyes wonder during the introduction.

d.     Body scents-  Both men and women  should not  wear  any scented deodorant,  cologne or perfume as a lot of people have allergies/ chemical intolerance these days.

e.      Breath-  Always carry and use breath mints or breath spray.  Don’t use gum to freshen your breath as you may forget you have it in your mouth.

f.      Tone of voice- watch that your voice is even toned- not harsh or anxious Try to avoid having any dairy products before such an introduction as they tend to create more mucus and congestion, and you may end up coughing, or sounding raspy or harsh.  If you are thirsty, drink water for hydration. .

g.     Posture- don’t hunch over or slouch.  Your posture gives away your attitude and confidence level.. Remember that your stance portrays how you feel about yourself.

h.     Content of introduction- try to be articulate and not ramble on.  Say what you have to in a concise manner. 

i.       Listening.- shut off your own  noisy thoughts in your mind and focus on their words - not yours.

j.       Teeth- Before this  introduction, try to use Crest White strips to remove coffee, tea, smoking stains and to whiten  . Brush your teeth first and your tongue to cut down on  any mouth/breath odour as well before you go out to any such event.

k.      Earrings- women, try to be careful about what earrings you wear.. No large clunky, overly large or hooped earrings, please

l.       Shoes- they have to be well-polished wear  shoes that are in pristine condition. Don’t wear worn -down heels.. No excessive ornaments e.g. large buckles, on your shoes either- this includes men’s shoes as well. Avoid wearing shoes with clunky heels or platform shoes.  Women, please don’t wear open-toed shoes, sandals or excessively high- heeled shoes. Ladies, avoid wearing flat shoes as well because they may look too much like slippers.

m.   No heavy jewelry e.g. bracelets..  This goes for both men and women Wear minimal jewelry only.  This is not the time to show off your “bling”. “ Less is more”.  Watch out for ostentatious rings ( this applies to men too) . The  principle of” Less is More”  applies to make up as well.  Use only subdued colours for eye shadow, rouge, lipstick/gloss and nail polish.

n.      Men and women, please hide your tattoos.

Some key tips for Introductions and Meetings-- part 1

Attending a seminar several years ago re: persuasive communication skills for business Owners" with Suzanne Sherkin, CPO Highborn Communications on ”The Power of Presence” has given me some lasting thoughts on this subject. Introductions are one of the best opportunities to make that lasting impression, because quick judgments are made in the first few minutes of the encounter. 1- Practice and hone your personal technique for making that professional first impression. 2- People will remember how you make them feel- not what you say…Treat them like they are the most special person in the world- like they are the CEO of the company. Try to honor and respect them in a genuine and caring way. 3- Timing is critical in the introduction - it starts/ begins with (and your chance can be lost right there by their first impression of you), simply by failing to ignite a spark of dynamic interactivity between you and the person. 4- Pay attention to what takes place in the dialogue following the introduction. I recommend you get to know their agenda- do your research about them before introductions happen re: their interests. Google them first to research their involvement in the business sector/ industry, community involvements, achievements, publications written, etc… and familiarize yourself with them so you can bring these topics up in the discussion at the appropriate time. 5- According to Sherkin, the most critical factors we must keep in mind during the first few critical minutes of an introduction are: • Messages are sent out consciously and unconsciously. • “Communication Key Tells” are always the major non -communicative events. They are the interpersonal signs that you give out more often than you ever thought possible.

Idioms of interest

Here below are some common idioms that you may hear in the workplace. It is a good thing to have an understanding of them. Downtime ( time to get some rest, some Rest and Relaxation (R&R) I could do with some downtime. I ‘m totally exhausted because I worked 20 hours overtime this week. Give you a leg up ( help someone out in an endeavour, help someone achieve something) My supervisor really helped me with an important report; thereby giving me a leg up in getting this new promotion. Give you a toe hold ( opportunity to get into something e.g. a job, into a good school, etc…) I sent out 100 resumes , but starting my own blog gave me a toe hold in the job market and got me several interviews. You haven’t been straight with me ( truthful) My son said to me that he had been doing his homework every night as required. However, his teacher called me the other day and informed me that he had not been doing it after all. When he got home, I told him that he had not been straight with me Dial it up or down ( raise or lower the volume) If the music is too loud in the next suite, I just tell them to dial it down a bit. My friend speaks so softly that I can hardly hear her, therefore, I often have to tell her to dial it up. I’m all over that (covered all the bases- been very thorough and already prepared for what needs to be done) Don’t worry. I’m all over that is what I said to my supervisor. I have taken care of every single detail in this project and missed nothing of importance. Hilary Duff “dishes” about fashion ( celebs talking about something) Hilary Duff was on TV lately dishing about her latest line of clothing that will be coming out on the market soon. Suck it up ( stop complaining, and just deal and accept the situation) I lost about $100.00 at the casino last night, but my friends were not very sympathetic, because they had lost even more, They just said to me to suck it up. Ragging on ( razzing someone , teasing or bugging someone) My friends are always ragging on me about being too stingy. I’m tired of them always commenting on how cheap I am. The truth straight up ( telling the truth as it is) I was very direct with my friend. I said he would have to redo his resume because of all the errors in it if he wanted to get a job. I gave him the truth straight up. You’re good to go ( ready for the start of something e.g. project or to continue with something) I just got all my monthly office supplies from Staples; therefore, I’m good to go for the month.

Basic research sites for career and life goals

For your career and life goals, you have to do research, so I thought I would include here some user-friendly ones that will provide a basic yet good foundation . Good luck. Some other sites for information finding: ( a lot of these are American –based so you have to consider this when researching) **** a cautionary note always double check the information for reliability through a 2nd and 3rd source. www.ask.com www.about.com wwww.reference.com www.askmefirst.com www.webcrawler.com http://www.savenkeep.com http://www.kuidle.com http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com for Canadian content http://www.thefreedictionary.com For quick and usually brief answers to basic questions try these www. life123.com www.answers.com www.allexperts.conm ( only 1 free question) www.ehow.com www.howcast.com Wiki Answers Wiki How * For reviews of services, etc... and other research you can also use ...yelp.com, Google local, and citysearch.com StumbleUpon.com- is part Social networking site & part web content classification engine—this is a definite must for research

Toronto Public Library Services for ESL Students and Others

Toronto ESL Public Library Services Toronto Public Library Service- call 416-393-7209- to book an appointment with library staff that can help with research and info re: job searching, profession and the trades, ESL materials, tests and more. They will also help learn your way around the library, order books , movies and the like, and how manage your library account. Workshop for Newcomers to Canada The library has workshops for Newcomers to Canada. To register you go to the Newcomer Information Service desk or call 416-917-6717. You can connect with the Toronto Public Library on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest, and Flickr. Other Toronto Public Library sites to check out : torontopubliclibrary.ca/e-news torontopubliclibrary.ca/blogs For answers to your questions: There is an Answerline 416-393-7131 to answer questions re: programs and info. you are searching for. To check out all the programs-- go to torotnopubliclibrary.ca/programs.

Money Saving Tips

Well, we are into the summer season and it seems it is all about thinking of ways to save money for ourselves and for our families. So, here below are a few sites to check out with this goal in mind. h Info. and services about Toronto: blogto.com/Toronto for the best of Toronto at your fingertips—services, restaurants, stores, movies, etc... Toronto’s official discount ticket booth—T O Tix—discount for buying tickets to theatre, dance, opera, comedy—www.totix.ca or in person at Yonge and Dundas Square. http://www.torontogasprices.com/- for the highest and lowest prices for gas www.gasbuddy.com-- for gas prices as well www.gasticker.com for gas prices and locations across Canada http://www.tomorrowsgaspricetoday.com/-- a site to determine the best time to buy gas. www.moneysense.ca- ways to save money in everyday life

Welcome to ESL Resources

A good share of the content of this blog is a truncated version of the ESL Resource/Guidebook I have created for Newcomers to Toronto. When I first arrived in Toronto, I would have so appreciated something like this to turn to when I needed resources and info. This need was one of the primary reasons I developed it.. All of the resources that will be posted are searches I have done at one time or another regarding my own need for specific information. I look forward to sharing with you all of my great discoveries. I will also be sharing other resources that Newcomers to Toronto will be interested in learning and knowing about so that they may conduct themselves professionally in the workplace.