The most important asset of your body language is the facial expression. So many times I have been asked to work with clients who have a poker face. The reason the poker face is such a negative part of body language, is that it puts up a wall to communicating. People cannot read or connect with you when there is no expression on your face. When there is a lack of emotions, there is no communications. A true leader must be able to communicate.

Here are some voicemail greetings that could stand a revamp:

• I really don’t want to talk to you but if I have too, leave a message. (trying to be funny and it is not)

• The low grunt and the name. This is after the prerecorded greeting letting you know the person is not available.

• The rushed name spoken in an out of breath sound voice – like the speaker has ran a marathon.

• The voice that sounds as if the speaker is on his/her death bed.

If you are not sure what you sound like, call in from another phone and listen to your voicemail greeting. If it sounds close to any of the above—change it!

Recently I have been interviewing folks on the phone for a special project for a client. Here are a few do’s for interviewees:

• Do give a mobile phone number that has good voice clarity

• Do give hours that you are available for an interview

• Do be able to answer questions like why we should engage you for the project

• Do apply for the role only if you have a current background in the field

• Do give a snapshot of your background in less than three minutes

• Do include impact statements (how your actions have positively affected a situation) in your background snapshot

Use these 6 do’s in your phone interview and you will have a very good chance of landing the role you want.

I feel strongly that it is important to show thanks to those who serve us. In some cases, it is a monetary gift for the mail person, the person who delivers your paper or the hair designer. For other folks that help you manage your business, it can be fruit or candy.

For my business clients who have families, Harry and David’s pears are always a hit. For travelers, a book on exotic places or the latest tome about leadership continue to be favorites. And for some, a hand signed holiday card with a note of thanks is always appreciated. Whatever method you select, giving thanks shows you care.

This is a list of my not so favorite workshop distractions:

• The attendee who wishes you would finish before you start by looking at their watch 10 minutes into the presentation

• The poker/frowning face

• The chatter box who constantly talks to the person next to them

• The arms crossed over the body, totally closed to listening to any observations

• The naysayer who will challenge whatever I might say with another point of view

• The note taker who never looks up

If you happen to have any one of these folks in your class, never look at them. Focus on a friendly face and you will have a positive experience.

Simon O. Sinek is an author best known for popularizing the concept of “The Golden Circle” and to “Start With Why”, described by TED as “a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership” It offers these seven tips to ensure you will have a dynamic presentation:

1. Do not talk right away, wait until the audience gives you their attention

2. It is about what you can give the audience

3. Have a compelling personal story

4. Focus on a friendly face

5. Don’t listen or look at naysayers

6. Talk much slower than you normally do

7. Always thank the audience

Task persons are individuals who are great at getting the job done. The areas where they need to pay attention are being more sensitive to the nuances of building relationships such as developing small talk as well as appropriate facial expressions and body language. These silent messages are critical to understanding and connecting to people.

Then, there are the people persons who are great at building relationships and connecting to the audience. Those folks never lack in the area of people skills but lack the skills to get the job done.

To help fully develop skills spend time with and observe those who are the opposite of you. You will learn to pick the skills you need to grow in a very balanced way.

– A resume writer can take a sentence like this:

Perform various analysis and audit procedures on specific accounts to ensure the accuracy of various companies financial information, ensure that funds were not misappropriated and that accounting records are accurate and complete

And turn it in to this:

Use analytical and audit procedures to ensure the accuracy of financial information and verify that no misappropriation of funds has occurred.

– A resume writer can provide a template that works not only for your work documents but for the job you are applying to.

– A resume can be however many pages that work but many hiring managers will not look past two, especially if a strong competitor has a well written two page summary. A resume writer can get your resume to the appropriate length for your career accomplishments.

– 30 percent of those wanting resume rewrites are over the age of 50. They may be experiencing how tough it can be to sustain their career while in that age group. A resume writer can “de-age” them on paper

– A resume writer can write a coherent, powerful career summary for a job applicant. Hiring managers prefer this is to an objective.

Steve Wyrostek, MBA, CPRW

No Cliché Resumes

Often, I am asked to work with folks who tend to ramble and say more than they should. The more they ramble, the less impact their message has.

A great example of this occurred today. A top candidate for a new role in a new company kept going on and on. I even interviewed him the day before and mentioned to him that he tends to go on too long, rambles and talks in circles.

He is a very qualified candidate and frankly, is the candidate of choice. In the interview, he was told what held him back was his rambling. The advice we gave him was to answer a question with a five or ten word description and then stop. Rambling indicates nervousness, lack of confidence and even a possible lack of knowledge.

If you tend to ramble, it is because you have not practiced your answers. A good way to practice is to write the answer on paper and edit it with three bullet points. This will definitely help curb your rambling.

Having modeled in my early career, I follow these tips to ensure my photo looks like me and shows me in the best possible light.

In a professional photo, check to see if there is a makeup artist tied to the studio that you can use. Otherwise, engage one for the shoot. The artists use a makeup especially designed for the camera.

Begin practicing by moving your mouth up and down at least 10 minutes before the photo shoot so you look relaxed when you smile. If you have any neck wrinkles they will be less noticeable if you stretch your chin out a bit. Your hair style should be natural. If you wear glasses all the time, your photo should include them.

When standing in a group photo, a sideways pose is best for a slimmer, thinner look.

Following these tips will help your photo turn out picture perfect.