Some Etiquette tips for face to face meetings

Some Etiquette Tips:    http://www.susiewilsonimagegroup.com

Etiquette, and manners is one of the few things in our lives over which we have control.
If one has perfect manners one will always be an asset to your Image, and may even be your insurance policy against discrimination or ridicule. Etiquette facilitates trust between strangers and minimises offence.

Do not be afraid to ask someone with experience of a particular occasion for etiquette advice.
It shows a sign of maturity and certain responsibility, not ignorance. Much of the traditional etiquette rules are no longer taught at school or even in the home.
In today’s more relaxed culture, some of the rules are bent at times, however, if one is prepared to follow the rules, one will give people the impression that you are respectful of them and their time.
Some general etiquette rules people need to know for networking and dining.

Order of Introduction:
Traditional conventions of introductions are that the gentlemen are introduced to the ladies, junior colleagues are introduced to senior colleagues, and a person of a lesser rank is introduced to a person of greater rank.
When in doubt, use the title and surname.
There is an order of importance when making an introduction. An easy way to remember is to say the name the person with the most authority first.

When introducing two people to each other, you do need to remember precedence (the order in which people are addressed, greeted, introduced, referred, seated and served.)
In both formal and informal social settings, women have precedence over men; older people over younger (as long as they are the same gender); smaller groups usually over larger groups.

Senior executives have precedence over junior executives.  If there is two of the same rank, defer to the one with seniority.
Clients and customers have precedence over fellow associates, regardless of rank.
When making introductions always remember to:

1. Determine the order of precedence.
2. Say the most distinguished person's first and last name or title and last name, first, while looking at him or her.  Use appropriate names and titles.
3. Choose appropriate introductions, for example: Formal - "Rev. Jones, may I present...Mr. Smith", Business or social - "Ms. Green, May I introduce...Mr. White"; or
"Mr. Client, I would like to introduce...Mr. Co-Worker"; Casual - "Susan Smith, this is...Bob Jones", may appear unsophisticated, especially in a business setting.
4. Always stand for introductions and make eye contact.
5. Always introduce people by their preferential name.
The way we meet and greet them creates lasting impressions and paves the way for a productive encounter. Introductions project information. Besides the obvious elements of name, title, and affiliation, an introduction conveys a level of respect and reflects how the person making the introduction views the other person's status. Mastering the art of the introduction will help put you and the people you are introducing at ease. Learning the basics - and they are not very difficult - is the first step.
The most important point about introductions is to make them. Failing to do so causes embarrassment and discomfort. If given a choice, most people would prefer you to make the introduction incorrectly, even if you forgot their name, rather than stand there unacknowledged and disregarded.
A second important point in any introduction is the order of names. The name of the person being introduced is mentioned last, and the person to whom the introduction is made is mentioned first. The rules for who is introduced to whom depend on whether it's a business or a social introduction.
Business Introductions: In business, introductions are based on power and hierarchy. Simply, persons of lesser authority are introduced to persons of greater authority. Gender plays no role in business etiquette; nor does it affect the order of introductions.
For example, you would say, "Mr./Ms. Greater Authority, I would like to introduce Mr./Ms. Lesser Authority." However, the person holding the highest rank may not be Mr./Ms. Greater Authority.


 A client, for instance, always takes precedence over anyone in your organisation, as does an elected official. Here are examples of pecking order:

The Etiquette of introductions is to be respectful and to help people start conversations.
Once you know the conventions, you can then understand when it is appropriate to follow them and when not to. When in doubt, start formal. "You will never be penalised for having good manners."

Etiquette Tips

Susie Wilson is the principal of The Susie Wilson Image Group.

The different Faces of a Women

The Many faces of a Women

Elegant

Faces of A Women

The Faces of a Women.

The characterisation of a person as “beautiful”, whether on an individual basis or by community consensus, is often based on some combination of Inner Beauty, which includes psychological factors such as personality,intelligence, grace, politeness, charisma, and  elegance, and Outer Beauty, (i.e. physical attractiveness) which includes physical factors, such as health, youthfulness, and complexion.

Standards of beauty are always evolving, based on what a culture considers valuable. Historical paintings show a wide range of different standards for beauty. However, humans who are relatively young, with smooth skin, well-proportioned bodies, and regular features, have traditionally been considered to be the most beautiful throughout history.

Smiles, Susie

In my view, one of the biggest challenges that women face.: Gender equality

In my view, one of the biggest challenges that women face.: Gender equality: " Gender equality (also known as gender equity, gender egalitarianism, or sexual equality) is the goal of the equality ..."

Gender equality

Gender equality (also known as gender equity, gender egalitarianism, or sexual equality) is the goal of the equality of the genders or the sexes, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality. World bodies have defined gender equality as related to human rights, especially women's rights, and economic development. UNICEF defines gender equality as "leveling the playing field for girls and women by ensuring that all children have equal opportunity to develop their talents.” The United Nations Population Fund declared gender equality "first and foremost, a human right.” Gender equity" is one of the goals of the United Nations Millennium Project, to end world poverty by 2015; the project claims, "Every single Goal is directly related to women's rights, and societies where women are not afforded equal rights as men can never achieve development in a sustainable manner.” Thus, promoting gender equality is seen as an encouragement to greater economic prosperity. For example, nations of the Arab world that deny equality of opportunity to women were warned in a 2008 United Nations-sponsored report that this disempowerment is a critical factor crippling these nations' return to the first rank of global leaders in commerce, learning and culture. A 2007 study of gender equality in Sweden that "[n] negative effects" to health in both sexes are suggested due to increased stress of the opportunities of the workplace, observed that "one-sided expansion by women into traditionally male roles, spheres and activities will not lead to positive health effects unless men also significantly alter their behaviour.

UN Creates New Structure for Empowerment of Women

UN Creates New Structure for Empowerment of Women

10 simple ideas to Empower Women

10 simple ideas to Empower women-    http://www.susiewilsonimagegroup.com

As a woman, here are some simple tips and how men can help.

Value yourself, and relationships where you are an equal.
In any relationship, there is going to be give-and-take as situations and circumstances change, but you should also feel that, overall, your value in the partnership is equal to that of your partner's.

Learn how to own your voice and assert your opinions.
Pay attention to how women have been socialized to defer to men in conversations. For all you men, avoid interrupting, talking over, discrediting or dismissing a woman's opinion. Studies show that women are more frequently interrupted than men. Over the course of many conversations, they get the message that what they have to say is not necessarily as compelling or valued as what men have to say.

Identify words and language that communicate gender bias.
Make an effort to consciously change the language so it draws attention to areas where bias is apparent. Two places to look for gender bias include position titles that infer gender and school/employer policies that infer gender.

Speak up about sexist jokes or sexist images.
Promote sexual harassment policies in your workplace.

Focus on the person instead appearance.
To foster a healthier self-image, compliment yourself or other woman for achievements, thoughts, and actions.

Call attention to media deception.
Expose and understand unrealistic media images for what they are: retouched, computer-manipulated photos of models-a group that makes up only a tiny subset of the population.

Learn how to ask and negotiate for wages and raises.
Know the worth of your job. Education is your best defense. Research everything you can think of to find the competitive salary for your job in your region -- employment surveys, libraries, professional organizations, peers. For a raise, you need evidence to show your boss that you deserve it. One way to document your contribution to your company is to keep a job diary. Every week, or even every day, write down what you did and how it helped meet the company's objectives. Keep lists or spreadsheets, because managers like to count things. Remember that attributes such as positive attitude, willingness to put in overtime, and quality of work, are essential. Include a few good stories about your work in the diary to illustrate what you added.

Think about, plan and prepare for career advancement.
Mentors are a great asset. If your company doesn't offer clear career ladders, research or find a seminar to help you understand your industry and opportunities.

Encourage risk taking.
People develop self-reliance when they're given the space to solve problems and make mistakes in the process.

Know and be able to manage your finances.
Start saving for retirement immediately in a career - it will grow to much more than the same amount if you wait 10 years to start saving. And keep saving - Social Security doesn't provide the equivalent of a "living wage" for retirement years. Women statistically live about six years longer than men, and run a higher risk of living in poverty as they get older.

Smiles, Susie

Humility is what it means to be true to ones self

“ Humility is what it means to be true to yourself.”    http://www.susiewilsonimagegroup.com

Humility, or the state of being humble, is a character or virtue of one’s self that is, for the most part, orthogonal to success in life or greatness in world affairs. That is, geometrically speaking, humility and success are at right angles to one another, or in terms of experimental design, they are statistically independent. In other words, one can be humble or arrogant, modest or showy, self-effacing or brash and also achieve world-changing greatness or do absolutely nothing of note.
As humility is a virtue we of course acknowledge those who express it even as they receive our accolades for greatness.
“Today I consider myself the luckiest Women on the face of the earth.” Wow, it raises a lump in one’s throat.
Greatness is a result of many variables, none of which have much at all to do with the virtue of humility. Intelligence, skill, training, coaching, advice, social connections, timing, luck, and plain old hard work and diligence all factor into someone’s achieving success. And if we throw a good measure of self-confidence, risk-taking, and derring-do into the mix, this would make humility even less likely to be expressed. Perhaps this is why we tend to notice — and reward with public recognition — those great ones who also show a little humility along the way. (Perhaps they even get a little boost now and again from such recognition, but I’m afraid that it isn’t necessary to get them to or help them stay at the top.)

In the end, at the deepest level, you have to be true to yourself, and this means observing the principle of humanity, that existence exists, reality is real, and that you are you and not someone else. To try to be something that you are not, or to pretend to be someone else, is a violation of that most fundamental axiom of life. In your personal life, humility means to discover who you are, what you believe, where you want to go, when you want to get there, why you are here, and how you got here. Our task in growing up, coming of age, and pursuing a career is discovering who we are. To thine own self be true.
Thine own self is your humility, so by being true to yourself you can avoid a lot of the difficulties many people encounter. People who work in jobs they hate are not being true to themselves; they are in violation of the principle of humility.

Priests and ministers who doubt the existence of God and the purpose of their calling lead lives of deception and fail utterly.
Just as atheists do who pretend to believe in God because of social pressure. Humanity applies to beliefs as well as actions.

People who seek self-esteem through the success of others are in violation of the true nature and cause of self-esteem: accomplishment through honest hard work. Governments who try to help the poor by robbing the rich destroy both the poor and the rich, because the poor can only become rich by helping themselves and the rich earned their riches and deserve to keep them. Nations that attempt to force other nations into political and economic change that they do not want will be met with violent resistance.

Humility is knowing who you are and following it with integrity.
Smiles, Susie

In my view, one of the biggest challenges women still face

                                                             http://www.susiewilsonimagegroup.com/

Seeing women succeed in management positions is uplifting and empowering. But I think it is fair to say that the challenges women face in the workplace depend very much on the profession.

There are certainly some professions that view women and men as equals at all levels, but some professions present more of an obstacle to women. As a general rule, women are still underrepresented in the senior management level of most professions, particularly related to finance.

In my view, one of the biggest challenges that women still face in the workplace, regardless of their industry, is themselves. We think we have to be the Superwoman – the high-flyer at work, the super Mum, the darling daughter syndrome, all things to all people. We try to participate in the classroom. We bake cakes for bake sales. We help out at girl guide meetings. In short, we try to do everything. It’s likely we’ve all been guilty of trying to do everything at one time or another.
An important key to our success is to realise it is not possible to do everything and do it well. We need to plan, prioritise and set realistic expectations as to what we can do. We also need to realise that as more women succeed and gain prominence in business, there will be more pressure on women to do it all.

In the global financial and legal industries there is an expectation of long hours and extensive commitment. There is a struggle for power and an expectation to win – all the time. But that doesn’t mean we need to sacrifice a work-life balance.
International Women’s Day is a great way to stop and celebrate the strides that women have made.
It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to stop and appreciate success achieved by our mothers, sisters and daughters across the world. But we must also remember the challenges women in other cultures and societies face as we honour women who have helped us get this far.
Smiles, Susie