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Over the past few decades self image and appearance has taken on an increasingly important role in the business world. Who you are and what you look like applies to both the physical and psychological aspect of the image issue, which not only relates to the brand you are projecting, but also the people who work for and within the corporation. It is the importance of these issues that is the subject of this article or, to put it more succinctly, the importance of self-image in the business world.

PHYSICAL SELF IMAGE

The mention of self-image in the physical sense might generate the thought that this simply applies to the way you dress, cleanliness and other aspects of the visual image that others see when they look at you. Of course these aspects are important in business. For example, consumers would not like to see retail staff, even if they are in corporate uniform, in clothes that have not been cleaned and ironed, or with untidy hair and scuffed, dirty shoes. Neither would the company for that matter. Personal hygiene and smartness are essential to the appropriate presentation of self-image in business, both for the individual and his or her employer. If you do not present a clean and hygienic self-image it is unlikely that potential employers will consider you as an appropriate staff member and the same applies to the business person.

Nevertheless, physical self-image goes a lot further than this. It is also about how the other person perceives you. This includes their visual and emotional reaction to the image you present to them. It is important to note that this may differ from your own perception of self-image.

Let us again use the retail environment as an example. There are several self-image situations here that might deter customers. For example, you may think that there is nothing wrong with chewing gum or sweets whilst talking to a customer, but they might find it off-putting, especially in a food environment. As a result a sale might be lost.

Mannerisms and body language are other areas of self-image that need to be considered. The first of these is facial expressions. We often do not realise how much impact our facial expressions have on others. In some cases the message being perceived by others is at odds with our intention. For example, we can sometimes come across as being bored or discourteous to those we are conversing with or serving. A similar reaction can be expected if we fail to make eye contact, with the other person perceiving us to be

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