In a recent “The Good Wife” episode, Alicia Florrick was being coached by Eli Gold (Peter’s campaign manager), for an interview about her husband’s indiscretions.

He suggested that people do not always listen to words. They watch your facial expressions and body language. They want to know if you show confidence and look comfortable and sincere.

So, when you are being interviewed face to face, remember, it is more about body movement, facial expressions and a projection of sincerity. If you can convey this, your audience and interviewer will be engaged and connected to you.

There are two relationships that are critical to business success. A mentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced and knowledgeable person helps a less experienced person.

The other relationship is having a sponsor. A sponsor is a person or a group who believe in you so much that they are willing to promote you to others. They put you in high visibility situations and will introduce you to others who can help your career. Today, competition is so fierce that having a sponsor can be critical to your success.

Often, we do not have the opportunity for face to face meetings. Because of that, it is critical that your phone voice build a relationship with the person or persons on the other end.

Today I witnessed a client ace a phone interview which resulted in a job offer sixty minutes after the interview! Yes, the client had the technical knowledge and experience. However, as we know, jobs and the opportunity to interview are scarce these days. Now more than ever, it is the person who can create a relationship with trust who will land the job.

In this case, following are six elements my client used to engage the interviewer:

1. He opened with a thank you and closed with a thanks for the opportunity to be interviewed.
2. He repeated key questions to give time to think thoroughly before answering.
3. The interviewer was never interrupted.
4. He spoke with energy and passion about his leadership skills.
5. He spoke about what he would bring to the position and used key stories to paint the picture.
6. He commented on the interviewer’s key points by stating “I understand what you mean.”

Remember these six key elements and you will always engage the interviewer. And most likely, you will put yourself in prime position to get the job.

On the cover of this week’s Golf Digest there is a picture of Rickie Fowler, Golf Digest’s Playing Editor. He is wearing orange slacks, matching orange hat and print shirt with yellow, blue and orange stripes. His shoes even match.

Is this the norm for golf attire today? Rickie pulls this off because he wears it confidently. He is also a professional golfer who wants to call attention to the designer, Puma.

Here are some guidelines to use when choosing golf attire regarding color, fabric and fit.

• Color: A dash of color is good in the shirt or hat. Keep your slacks neutral. If you want to match, choose to match two of the items, not all three (unless you are being paid by the clothing designer!).

• Fabric: A popular fabric today is wick. It breathes, reduces sweat and will not stick to your body. This fabric is especially effective in very hot climates.

• Fit: You want to be able to move easily in the clothes you select. Remember that clothes that are too loose or too tight will hamper your golf swing.

Follow these simple rules and on the links, you will look like a seasoned golfer with style.

Change, as we all know, is difficult. It takes time and patience. Keeping a daily log on a particular habit you want to change is a way to ensure that you stay on track.

Start by writing the habit you want to stop on a piece of paper. For example, let’s say that you have a habit of filling dead space when you speak with “ahs”. You would like to remove the “ahs” out of your speech. So, each day, log how many times you say it. The goal the next day is to reduce the number. (Note: A tip to replace the “ahs” is to pause when you know one will come out.)

Keep this log for a month. Check it each week and note your progress. This is a sure way to feel a sense of accomplishment by making a change one step at a time.

Gossip causes more unnecessary damage to both personal and professional relationships than just about anything else. A study done at the University of Michigan indicated the person who did the most damage regarding the gossip was not the one who starts it, but the person who hears it. That’s because the person who hears it can either pass it on or stop it.

So, remember that when someone starts to talk about another, you have the power of preventing that piece of gossip from going any further.

So many times I hear from clients they feel self-promotion is a negative thing. The thinking is that if you are good at what you do, self-promotion is not necessary. However, self-promotion is critical to business success if it is always done inclusively not intrusively.

Doing the few things below will make sure your self-promotion is inclusive and acceptable:

Social Media: Be on Linkedin
Be an author: Write an article, get quoted in a trade publication or write a book
Facebook: Tailor it to your profession or company guidelines
Networking: Be active in trade or civic associations
Twitter: Offer advice that will enhance your visibility
Face to Face: Have a professional introduction ready to use

Self-promotion is a good thing when done inclusively because it will connect you to your audience. They will then do the promoting for you.

The current color for shoes is neutral, which means color shades of beige, taupe, and camel. The first time a neutral color shoe appeared in the movies was in the remake of Sabrina. Sabrina wore a taupe shoe with a black suit.

The neutral shoe can make the leg look longer and slimmer in a heel. When wearing it in a flat shoe, it can make the foot look smaller.

What actors wear in movies tends to set trends. For example, in the Prince of Tides, Barbra Streisand wore a blouse not tucked in but worn out over a skirt under a jacket. That’s when fashion designers began designing blouses to be worn out for women.

That look has become acceptable in most professional settings for women. The blouse worn in the right length can make the body look slimmer.

Look for the designers to test and some cases set trends by trying their fashions out in the movies. If you stay aware, you can be a trendsetter by observing what actors wear in the movies!

We often forget we are our own reality show. If you are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Spoke, etc. this is your show. Who is your target market? What is your message and do you convey it consistently?

The book 20 20 Workplace by Jeanne Meister, discusses the importance of social media. It’s basically all about interaction—how you reach beyond your backyard to become global.

My question is how do you ensure a consistent and universal message to your audience? This is why it is important to have a consistent story line. You want your reality show to become a hit with your readers, not a nightmare.

Begin to put yourself in the shoes of your readers. What is it you are trying to accomplish? Does it impact and add value to their lives? Or is it just a story of your life? If you can begin to answer some of these questions, your reality show will be a hit in your business life.

Marshall Goldsmith’s book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” uses the quote “Happy are they that they can hear their detractions and put them to mending.” William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing.

So much of what makes us successful can get in our way as we begin to move upwards. This why it is important to listen closely to what the chatter around you is saying. It is not easy to let go of the traits that took you where you wanted to go.

A great example in my mind is Oprah. Her original talk show began like most talk shows. She became successful by finding individual stories that were interesting to the viewers. However, she realized that was not going to take her where she wanted to go. Whether it was a direct inner voice or outside chatter, Oprah decided her mission was to empower others.

So ask yourself, what is it that you need to change so you can get to where you want to go?