PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com)
provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services
for public and private clients. More than 120,000 people in
139 countries connect their thinking, experience and solutions
to build public trust and enhance value for clients and their
stakeholders.
“PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to the network
of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited,
each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.
The Opportunity
Business casual means different things to different
people. Management typically observes one standard, while employees
(particularly those just out of college) take a different approach
to wardrobe. The partners at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) wanted
to ensure that the employees at PwC were consistently projecting
the right image to their clients.
PwC contracted with Ms. Linda Thomas, principal of Powerful
Appearance, to present an image-coaching seminar, which kicked
off a year-long coaching series for PwC.
Ms. Thomas delivered four seminars to a total of 120 men
and women from the Dallas and Fort Worth offices. During the
seminars, she delivered a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate
the effect of dressing in various styles: Traditional Business,
Business Appropriate, Business Casual and Weekend Casual.
Throughout the seminar, Ms. Thomas stressed the value of dressing
to support one’s professional goals. The presentation
included a series of “before” and “after”
images of men and women in their own clothes. These “makeovers”
reinforce the notion that one’s professional appearance
can be enhanced significantly by making a few adjustments
to one’s current wardrobe, and by maintaining a current
hairstyle and proper grooming techniques.
Ms. Thomas concluded her seminar with a call-to-action urging
the attendees to go home and remove from their closets any
clothes that do not fit, have lost their shape, have become
faded, or that haven’t been worn in the last past two
years. The message was reinforced with a suitcase filled with
humorous examples.
Results
“Linda did a great
job of emphasizing how individuals contribute to the brand of
a company. Image is extremely important to PwC because our company
represents quality”, said Lisa Ong, PwC’s
Dallas diversity worklife leader.
“We
were impressed with Linda’s Image Coaching Seminar.
The quality of the presentation exceeded our expectations.
The lasting impact has been the awareness that Linda created
among our employees. Some managers immediately noticed people
talking about the meaning of the colors in each other’s
outfits? whether a certain color conveyed trust or power.
Other people have been motivated to clean out their closets”,
Lisa continued.
Feedback from Seminar Participants
“I found showing the “before”
and “after” pictures of people that were made
over the most useful – as the audience gasps or
snickers, it reemphasizes how much more seriously people
take you when you look good.”
L.W., sales support group
“I really liked the topic and the
hints that Linda gave to present a more professional image.”
S.M., PFS senior associate
“It was very interesting to learn
about how people react to certain colors.”
V.T., tax department
“I found how different colors affect
how you’re represented very useful. I did not realize
makeup and a haircut make such a dramatic difference in
appearance.”
S.V., human resources
“There were great examples of do’s
and don’ts through the booklet that went with the
training.”
L.K., manager
About Powerful
Appearance
Powerful Appearance shares proven concepts with
its clients enabling them to exude an up-to-date, powerful image
that will help them achieve their business and personal objectives.
Clients range from small business owners to Fortune 500
companies, including Sun Microsystems and Merrill Lynch. Other
notable clients include SMU, Flextronics, and Right Management.
Linda Thomas, principal of Powerful Appearance, is the author
of My Closet My Boutique: How
to Organize Your Image. She is a popular speaker, providing
programs in the Dallas area and around the U.S.
Linda can be contacted by phone at 940-321-2594 or by email
at Linda@powerfulappearance.com.
Also, visit her Web site at www.powerfulappearance.com.
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