People. Image. Results
Fruition Image Consultants
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
NATIONAL INTERACTIVE YOUTH FORUM
AS A MAN THINKETH...
Understanding the Power of a Positive
Image
“Give your career your all.
Be ready to sink or swim
with it. And be
determined to excel and
ensure you have integrity.”
Chief Michael Ade Ojo, on his Celebration of grace at 70
- Guardian on Wednesday June 11, 2006.
Aspire today, Inspire tomorrow
To be an inspiration, you must have goals. You need to have
aspired to do something or be someone. As we grow, we
discover and possibly develop certain characteristics that help
us become who we aspire to be. We encounter experiences
that shape our perception about yourselves, others and life in
general, plan our future, identify and develop necessary
talents and abilities to execute our plans and remove
obstacles or avoid habits that will stop us from reaching our
goals.
We all hope, with a few exceptions, that one day we will
become a source of inspiration to other people.
It is this journey of becoming an inspiration that we are about
to embark on... starting today!
The Johari Analysis
Perception is Reality
Perception is a confrontation between inwardly developed conceptions of external reality and
an outwardly imposed realities of physiological and cultural transformation. Where these two
clash and balance each other, is what we perceive.
“Perception is reality" is a simple and short way of saying that people do not react to reality,
they react to their perception of it. Therefore if you control how they perceive reality, you can
control how they will react.
This view of perception helps us explain the importance of portraying a positive image. Your
perception of a certain situation may not be true but based on your observation and evaluation,
your reaction will be due to the reality that your perception has formed. For instance, a
marketing executive of a clothing company visits your organisation looking unkempt with
unironed clothes, wrongly fitted pair of pants, a dirty looking sandal... You get the point!
Though there might have been several reasons why he/she would show up looking that way,
your observation and evaluation of the person in comparison to what is expected guides you to
form a perception that your organisation will not benefit from a relationship with this
marketer’s organisation. This is your reality.
In summary, creating the right image for yourself can offer you the opportunity to be heard or
betterstill, it will help you indirectly control how people may react to you in your professional
and social lives.
Perception is Reality!
S.W.O.T.
SWOT Analysis is a powerful technique for
identifying Strengths and Weaknesses, and for
examining the Opportunities and Threats
organisations and individuals face. It is mostly
used in the business context, however, more
individuals are learning to adopt this technique
to plan their professional and social lives.
SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and threats.
S.W.O.T.
Strengths:
When considering your strengths, think about them in relation to the
people around you - for example, if you're a good orator and the
people around you are equally good at speaking, then this is not
likely to be a strength in your current role, it is probably a necessity.
Questions to ask to help you identify you strengths include;
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What advantages (for example, skills, education or connections) do you have that others
don't have?
What do you do better than anyone else?
What personal resources do you have access to?
What do other people (your boss or lecturer in particular) see as your strengths?
What talents do you have that other people admire and love to see?
What do you have to offer that no one else can?
S.W.O.T.
Weaknesses:
It is best to be realistic now, and face any unpleasant
truths as soon as possible. Ask yourself;
• What could you improve about yourself?
• What should you avoid?
• What things are the people around you likely to see as
your weaknesses?
• Do other people perceive weaknesses that you do not
see?
• Do co-workers, friends, class mates etc., consistently
out-perform you in key areas?
S.W.O.T.
Opportunities:
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Where are the good opportunities facing you?
What are the interesting trends you are aware of?
Useful opportunities can come from such things as:
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Technological, political, social (social patterns, population profile, lifestyle changes) and
economic changes in the society;
Changes in government policy related to your particular field (school, work);
Changes in social patterns, population profiles, lifestyle changes, etc.; or
Local Events that offer you the opportunity to develop your strengths.
Examining the possibilities of using your strengths to open up any opportunities
Also examine your weaknesses and ask yourself whether you could open up
opportunities by eliminating them.
Be open to the vacuum in the society and carve a niche for yourself. How do you want to
be remembered as an individual?
S.W.O.T.
Threats:
• What obstacles do you face?
• What are the people around you doing that might give
them an edge over you?
• Is your job, school (or the demand for the things you
do) changing or becoming more chalenging than you
can handle?
• If yes, how does it or how will it affect you?
• Is changing technology threatening your position?
• Could any of your weaknesses seriously threaten you or
over shadow your strengths?
S.W.O.T.
The Essence
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Carrying out this analysis will often be enlightening - both in terms
of pointing out what needs to be done, and in putting problems into
perspective.
This helps you to focus on your strengths, minimize weaknesses,
and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available.
With a little thought, it can help you uncover opportunities that you
are well placed to take advantage of.
By understanding your weaknesses, you can manage and eliminate
threats that would otherwise catch you unawares.
When drawing up a SWOT analysis, consider all aspects from your
own perspective as well as from the point of view of the people
around you. This will help be more objective. If you are experiencing
any difficulty with this, try writing down a list of your characteristics.
It may be useful in pointing out some of your strengths and
weaknesses.
Turning Weaknesses to Strengths
and Threats to Opportunities
The 93/7 Ratio
The 93/7 ratio was propounded by
Professor Mahabian, a Harvard Professor.
According to Professor Mahebian’s 93/7
ratio, an individual is accessed in the
following way;
• 7% - Content
• 38% - Presentation
• 55% - Appearance
The Game Plan
– 5years
Your plan to become a better individual projecting the best possible image may be summed up
in a short or long term plan. Whatever duration it is, this results of this plan should be easily
observable and based on results.
– Eternity
Constantly planning towards making yourself a better person using timelines will eventually
produce results and people are inspired by these results. The effect of these results provide a
source of inspiration for other people and this effect has the potential to continue after you
are no more on earth.
– The man in the mirror
Our plans and aspirations to be an inspiration to other people will come to nothing if we do
not take a critical look at “the man in the mirror” and make relevant adjustments from time
to time as we journey through life.
Personal image enhancement and development is a continuous thing, therefore you must
constantly review your plans to enable you navigate life.
The Necessary Components
A fit body is a fierce body and that is
what makes fashion fabulous. In other
words; diet properly, exercise regularly
and pay attention to your health.
The whole nine yards; looking, acting and
sounding the part
The Necessary Components
LOOKING
THE PART
YOUR
BRAND
SOUNDING
THE PART
ACTING
THE
PART
The Necessary Components
Acting the Part
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Body Language
Attitude
The Handshakes and Hand Movements
Eye Contact: The eyes don’t lie
The Smile
Hygiene
The Necessary Components
Sounding the Part
Your Para lingo: This is the “how” when it comes to your
voice.
• This arguably conveys more to others than the words
that you use.
• How loudly or softly you speak and the degree to which
you vary the volume conveys more about your
confidence as well as your gravitas.
• The pace at which you speak sends messages. The lively
fast-talker can come across positively as enthusiastic or
negatively as nervous. Conversely, the slow speaker can
seem either thoughtful or pedantic or, even worse,
thick!
The Necessary Components
Sounding the Part
Volume
Tone
Accent
Your
Paralanguage
which speaks
volumes to
others
Pitch
Pace
The Necessary Components
Looking the Part
The Basis. The Basics
• Colour and Style
• Your colour palette: depth, clarity and
undertone
Shifting the Goal Post;
The Dangers of Procrastination
Procrastination, like all of our behaviours carries consequences. Whether your
behaviour is conscious or unconscious, you will eventually have to deal with the
effects. Below are some of the effects and dangers of procrastination
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Procrastination causes inaction on an individual’s part and this inaction will
prevent you from being exposed to opportunities.
Procrastination makes you less effective and less efficient in whatever it is you do.
When you procrastinate, believe will be led to believe that you are lazy or worse
that you have no interest in whatever it is you do.
A study conducted by Fuschia Sirois and Timothy Pychyl of Carleton University,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada clearly shows that procrastinators are more prone to start
other vices such as smoking or abusing alcohol. Starting new vices will further
make it difficult for you to stop procrastinating and will further make your life
miserable.
Procrastination has both psychological and physical effects. The same study by
Fuschia Sirois and Timothy Pychyl shows that college students that procrastinate in
their schoolwork are more likely to have health problems such as suffering from
insomnia, diet and exercise problems
Shifting the Goal Post;
The Dangers of Procrastination
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Procrastination is a behavior that leads to stress, because it makes plans and wishes fail at what
should be the point of fulfillment: event tickets and vacation packages sell out before
procrastinators get around to calling or buying. Planes take off, deadlines pass, jobs go to other
applicants--the ones who got their resumes in on time.
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Procrastination can affect a person’s happiness. “The Procrastination Research Group at Carleton
University in Canada did an online survey. They received 2,700 responses to the question, "To what
extent is procrastination having a negative impact on your happiness?" Almost one person in two
(46%) said "quite a bit" or "very much," and around one person in five (18%) reported an "extreme
negative effect.“” - http://www.successconsciousness.com/guest_articles/procrastination.htm
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Though procrastination is often trivialized, procrastinators suffer when their careers crash or when
they otherwise fail to reach their potential. Long term and wide scale, "the big P" can become more
than just a threat to personal health, happiness, and productivity of individuals: it can carry that
threat into our companies and communities.
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Procrastinators avoid revealing information about their abilities, they make poor time estimates,
they tend to focus on the past and do not act on their intentions, they may also prefer service jobs.
These characteristics are linked to low self-esteem, perfectionism, non-competitiveness, selfdeception, self-control, self-confidence, depression and anxiety.
Shifting the Goal Post;
The Dangers of Procrastination
Procrastination, like all of our behaviours carries consequences. Whether your
behaviour is conscious or unconscious, you will eventually have to deal with the
effects. Below are some of the effects and dangers of procrastination
•
•
•
•
•
Procrastination causes inaction on an individual’s part and this inaction will
prevent you from being exposed to opportunities.
Procrastination makes you less effective and less efficient in whatever it is you do.
When you procrastinate, believe will be led to believe that you are lazy or worse
that you have no interest in whatever it is you do.
A study conducted by Fuschia Sirois and Timothy Pychyl of Carleton University,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada clearly shows that procrastinators are more prone to start
other vices such as smoking or abusing alcohol. Starting new vices will further
make it difficult for you to stop procrastinating and will further make your life
miserable.
Procrastination has both psychological and physical effects. The same study by
Fuschia Sirois and Timothy Pychyl shows that college students that procrastinate in
their schoolwork are more likely to have health problems such as suffering from
insomnia, diet and exercise problems
Fruition is Nigeria’s first and only holistic
image consultancy, with a mission to
develop individuals as world class brands.
LOOK, ACT AND SOUND THE PART
… let your inner vision come to Fruition!
We have the midas touch and a proven
track record, as our clients include:
BT, Deola Sagoe, Mo Abudu on
Moments with MO, ETC Lingerie store,
The Montaigne Place, Genevieve
Magazine, Angelica Clothing store…
to mention a few.