VISIBILITY
If you’re a woman over 50 you’ll no doubt find it’s more difficult to get served at the bar than when you were 30. You may be asked for your opinion less frequently in meetings and even find that people actually do bump into you in the street more often.
You know why that is. You’ve become invisible. Research shows older women report invisibility in various forms, from not being seen or heard to their opinions being taken ignored.
I’ve often wondered if I danced naked down my High Street, whether anyone would notice. I also wonder why we don’t make more use of this. Surely middle-aged women would make the best smugglers, undercover cops and bank robbers as we pass through the world unnoticed.
Joking aside, this is deeply unhelpful for experienced working women. The more experienced you become the more you risk being invisible or being seen as irrelevant.
If we want to be top of mind for opportunities, we need to be visible.
Whether you fall into this category or not, in order to be effective we need to be influential. In order to be influential we need to be visible and relevant.
DOES YOUR WARDROBE SUGGEST YOU’RE A FUNERAL DIRECTOR?
If you’ve ever met a friend and are taken by how well and alive they look, it could be that their fitness regime is working but it could well be that they are dressing in colours that make them look alive because they flatter their skin tone.
Black is so easy. It’s the official colour of business. But for many of us, especially as we age and our skin tone changes, what made us look smart and chic years ago now makes us look tired and old.
Not the effect you were going for? Try navy or charcoal if you’re committed to a dark colour. Or branch out and choose a bold colour.
If you’ve not given much thought to how you dress for work lately and the effect you’re creating, find yourself a role model. Introverts often need more presence but fear being too loud. But you don’t need to avoid colour to be taken seriously. I suspect Penny Wong is introverted but uses simple shapes and often bold colours (softened for this interview in which she is accused of bullying).
Consider shape too – what do certain shapes signify in your business? Do you want to conform or break the rules?
Who’s that Tiny Person in the Dark Corner?
(Obviously not anyone I need to listen to!)
Even after 3 years, we have to address Zoom meetings, my friend.
Imagine you’re in a face-to-face meeting with several people. But you’re in a dark corner of the room where sometimes it’s hard to see you. You’re on a tiny chair so your head only just reaches over the top of the table. When you speak, sometimes you can be heard, sometimes not. And sometimes you disappear completely only to reappear randomly at intervals.
Not a very impactful presence is it? It definitely doesn’t inspire confidence.
We often think that our appearance on Zoom is less important – in fact, it’s MORE important. We have so much to communicate and we have less to work with, so we have to make everything work harder to have the impact and gravitas of leadership and influence.
Influence = efficacy.
Our worth in business is related to the difference we make to the bottom line.
In order to make that difference, we need to collaborate with and influence others.
We need to be visible. We need to be relevant.
CLICK HERE to book an informal chat to discuss your journey and how I can help
TOP TIPS FOR HAVING VISUAL IMPACT ON ZOOM
The principle rule is: Be Seen
1) Good lighting to your face so we can look at you without straining
2) Ideally and if culturally appropriate and fits with your authentic self, wear makeup that aids the definition of your features. This aids communication, especially non-verbal communication. If you’re using strong lighting on your face, and you’re wearing glasses, you’ll find you need more make-up than usual
3) Position your camera so the top of your head is just a little below the top of the screen – that way we can see your shoulders and chest. Shoulders and chest communicate authority. You want to be a body, not a head on a desk!
4) Consider how you want to come across and realise that you need to communicate all that with shape, colour, texture and pattern in just a few centimeters – make it work for you
5) Please stop wearing black!
