“All that glitters is not gold”.
This may be true, but when it comes to humans, almost everyone feels that somehow no one sees the “gold” inside.
Well, there could be a good reason for that. Research has proven that a person makes up his or her mind about someone in 3 seconds. So even before you become aware that someone is looking at you or has noticed you, someone has already made up his or her mind about who you are and what kind of person you are.
Scary! Isn’t it? Especially when one does not even know about this! Well now that you know, you can use this to your advantage.
You might say that this is only true for people who work or do business. Not true, wherever you want to be seen in a particular way – be it home, office, in the grocery store or even the RTO, there is a need for image management because you communicate with your Clothes, Grooming and Body language as these are the elements of visual image.
Image Management is the biggest requirement today, people who will not manage their Image will be left behind, Image Management is all about respect-respect for self, respect for others, respect for occasions roles and goals. Image Management also deals with creating a powerful First Impression and leaving a lasting Impression because what happens with you today is a result of what had happened when you met someone for the first time.
In an Indian scenario, when the potential groom’s side goes to meet (see) the bride, within 3 seconds they have already made up their minds. Or even a visit from one’s in-laws. No wonder many ad films focus on these moments to underscore the importance of their products.
A friend of mine recently used this as well in a visit to the RTO. A visit to any govt office usually means endless waiting. She would have gone to the RTO for a renewal of her driving license in her jeans and t-shirt, with scarce attention to her appearance. Having learnt about the 3 seconds, she decided to dress carefully taking time to wear something nice, with earrings and little eye make up. And lo and behold, she was put on fast track and the officials who would normally speak to everyone in an authoritative manner spoke to her with respect and lot of courteous conversation (unheard of in this day and age) and in English and she was out of the RTO within 40 minutes (normal time is at least 2 hours). It was surprising but it works….The power of image management cannot be underscored enough.
Image is inside out, how you feel from within reflects in your appearance and that is why people who dress and present themselves well are perceived to be successful, confident and important and get positive attention from people around. However it is also important to project an Image, which is original and not phony, or make belief. Very soon people would realize this as a very integral way to live life that they would like to live.