Image and Etiquette
When department store tycoon Gordon Selfridge opened his namesake store in London, over 100 years ago, his flair for marketing was apparent from the moment the front doors opened. As one of many innovations, he located the perfumery, or scent department as it was called then, adjacent to the main entrance to mask the smell [...]
Posted on August 26th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Business Etiquette, Communication, Diane's Reflections, Dining Etiquette, Food, Hair, shopping | No Comments »
I am a real advocate of looking up the ladder to role models, for cues and guidelines, so I was truly exasperated to hear the following story: A young colleague of mine, let’s call her Mandy, returned from a recent meeting so agitated, not even an iced cappuccino (with whipped cream!) would calm her down. Mandy [...]
Posted on August 20th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Business Etiquette, Communication, Techno-Communication | No Comments »
Picture a weather-perfect long weekend marking the unofficial start of summer and you’d have Toronto’s Victoria Day holiday. My husband and I decided to seize the moment and take advantage of the idyllic conditions with a long walk — far from the pervasive concrete of our urban neighbourhood. We headed for our local public transit [...]
Posted on May 28th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Accessories, Business Etiquette, Communication, Social Etiquette, Workplace Etiquette | No Comments »
Image has a profound impact on both professional and personal life. When people are comfortable with the way they look, they are most likely happy, relaxed and self-assured. They even communicate more effectively. With this confidence comes the ability to set, manage and achieve personal goals. I was reminded of the importance of this much [...]
Posted on April 25th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Body Image, Communication, Image, Social Etiquette | No Comments »
My journey as a public speaker may soon take to the high seas — literally and figuratively. Rarely does a week pass that I’m not engaged to speak. Venues vary in size and scope but probably my largest audience was 19,000 plus, at the Ottawa Senators’ home game when I introduced Sandrine’s Gift of Life [...]
Posted on March 24th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Business Etiquette, Communication, Diane's Reflections, Special Events, Workplace Etiquette | 4 Comments »
Public speaking is fundamental to my profession. Every week, without fail, I’m in front of an audience. Size and location vary — from a dozen people in a corporate boardroom to several hundred at a convention centre. Regardless of the size or scope or topic, I generally make sure there’s time provided for questions from [...]
Posted on October 2nd, 2009 by Diane
Filed under: Business Etiquette, Communication, Conferences | 2 Comments »
A great way to educate, inform and receive invaluable feedback As most of you know, when it comes to blogging, I fall into the neophyte category. Yes, I’m a social media enthusiast — but the idea of starting a blog was somewhat challenging. The interaction between the writer and the reader demands a greater sense [...]
Posted on September 17th, 2009 by Diane
Filed under: Communication, Diane's Reflections | 1 Comment »
As Consumers, Our Expectations Are Extremely High Do you offer the quality of service you gauge others by? Do you demand the same high standards of yourself — that you expect from other business professionals — when you’re working with clients? As an image and etiquette consultant, I am very conscious of how I present [...]
Posted on September 2nd, 2009 by Diane
Filed under: Business Etiquette, Communication, Image, Workplace Etiquette | No Comments »
A Few Words on Apologies Last fall, on a walking tour of downtown Toronto with my son, a particularly attractive building caught my attention. I was so busy admiring its architecture that I didn’t see the bench in my path. Boom! I took a tumble worthy of a Hollywood stuntwoman. It was a spectacular fall [...]
Posted on August 4th, 2009 by Diane
Filed under: Communication, Social Etiquette | 1 Comment »
Earlier this month, Global News asked me to appear on the 6 o’clock news to comment on the social taboo of foul language or cursing and swearing. I was being asked to comment on the etiquette of cursing–an oxymoron if ever I heard one! (Swearing – meaning solemn promise – is another subject for another [...]
Posted on July 21st, 2009 by Diane
Filed under: Communication, Social Etiquette | 2 Comments »