Eye wear can say many things, authority, playfulness, drama or creativeness. Shape and color will also set the stage. Today’s eyewear continues to change in style daily and more folks have more than one set. Years ago, a well-known host of a cable show set her brand with the style of her glasses when heavy frames were just becoming the style. Now depending the person, their daily and special occasions eyewear has many looks for different occasions. Just be sensitive to the style of choice your audience will understand.

Apple, Nordstrom, Warby Parker, and Kohl’s rarely disappoint in their service. Just yesterday, I needed a consultation on a replacement connector for my MacBook Air. I made a reservation with Apple, the service person was on time, and the item was replaced. Last week, due to an update on my iPhone 6S, my anna@personalimagesinc.com address was not receiving emails. I called Apple support and they were able to walk me through the steps to get Microsoft emails to work. Nordstrom provides consistently good delivery service and easy exchanges, as does Kohl’s with their curbside pickup or returns.

A signature brand can be a color that is recognized as belonging to an item or person. Take McDonalds, for example. McDonalds’ signature colors are red and yellow. Apple’s signature is the apple with a bite missing. For Anna Wintour of Vogue, it is her hair cut. Eyewear has now become an easy way to make a statement and be a brand. For Simon Sinek, it is his colorless eye frames. Consider choosing a color or jewelry pieces that can be worn constantly.

Here are some of the “don’ts” to avoid when promoting virtually and working to engage the audience. Some of the speakers running for office missed the mark at the Toastmasters International annual meeting. The issues included:

• A background that washed out the visual appearance of speaker.
• Having a lack of engaging facial expression.
• Using a very serious, dry tone of voice.
• Visual technical problems.
• Audio technical problems.
• Making clothing choices that did not enhance the speaker’s appearance. For, women, their appearances were too plain at times. For men, the jacket and tie combinations appeared stiff and intimidating at times.
• Using a negative pitch.
• Using generalized challenges.
• Keeping these “do’s” and “don’ts” in mind when presenting virtually can help you to capture your audience’s attention and help your pitch be successful.
• Telling personal story that rambled and was a bit too long.
• Using a negative pitch.
• Using generalized challenges.

  Keeping these “do’s” and “don’ts” in mind when presenting virtually can help you to capture your audience’s attention and help your pitch be successful.

Promoting a product or an idea virtually in a meeting can be tricky. Here are some of the “do’s” that work to help engage the audience. These aspects helped the members running for office and speaking at the Toastmasters International annual meeting:

• A visually appealing background that aligned with the personal appearance of the speaker.
• An engaging tone of voice and excellent audio sound.
• An engaging personal appearance. Making good color and clothing choices. For women, adding a nice, sophisticated touch of jewelry. For men, wearing a white shirt and a tie that is a good color choice.
• Smiling and use engaging facial expressions.
• Sharing a quick, related personal story (such as when someone asked them why they were a member of Toastmasters).
• Asking the audience to consider how this vote would affect them.
• Giving a pitch to the audience as to why the audience members should vote for them.

I have been a Toastmaster for more than 30 years and was recently asked to be president. Toastmasters is critical for growth not just in the area of speaking but also for developing relationships. There are many leadership tracks to take when presenting. Toastmasters also will help develop your skills at providing feedback. I have learned how to give feedback that is impactful and empowering to the speaker. Visit www.toastmasters.org to look into joining a club.

Virtual meetings present multiple challenges. This is especially true for new team members who are being introduced (virtually) to an existing team with a history of working together. Virtual introductions can be made easier by offering time in the first meeting for individuals to really get to know each other before business begins. An interactive discussion is helpful. Ask the team for suggestions as to how best to interact as a new team.

Being on LinkedIn offers many benefits. Keeping your profile up to date gives you a presence without a website. A strong LinkedIn profile may help you receive a promotion to a potential project, obtain a new position, or make a career move. Be sure to include critical elements, such as a current picture and biography. Continually add new content in order to keep your profile fresh. Remember, LinkedIn is not a vehicle to sell products or services. It is a social media platform to let the audience know about you and what you offer.

Recently, Seth Godin presented a webinar about how an entrepreneur can manage life and business being at a standstill due to the current coronavirus pandemic. Seth talked about his many ventures, successes, and failures. The important take away for me was how to present and view my consulting and coaching business as adding value to one’s target market (in my case, the client). It is key to be able to describe, in simple language, the value that is being added. It is important to know what to say to a potential new client. Godin also stressed having “smart persistence”. This means not giving up when an idea doesn’t work but doing what is needed to make it work—whether that means adding or taking something away. Marketing is understanding what the target market needs and providing it. Being the provider who adds value is what makes us tick.