Style is a language: the clothes you wear every day say a lot about you, before you open your mouth and talk to everyone around you, even before you really get to exchange words or not. With your clothes you help others form an image about you. Thus, research has conclusively shown that the way you dress not only changes the way you feel about yourself, but also the way others interact with you. What clothes to choose for an important business meeting? What outfit is the most appropriate?.
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Of course, what you want your clothes to “say” about you depends on the situation and the impression you want to make. For example, sometimes you just want clothes to help convey your own personality. Other times you want the clothes to create a certain effect, perhaps to give you an edge, so you choose your clothes strategically.
One of those vitally important moments is when you are in a negotiation environment, when you are in a situation where you need to bring the two parties together: project some trustworthiness and also bring confidence in your own judgment.
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The key, as many experts say, is to try to look great, but without appearing flashy.
Some useful tips on how to dress for a business meeting
- Whenever possible, wear a suit. For highly formal settings, it is best to choose a dark colored business suit, either navy blue or charcoal grey. However, when the place is not serious enough, but formal enough, you can choose to wear a slightly lighter suit, such as a gray plaid.
- If the environment is absolutely informal for a suit. In this case it is best to wear a good sports jacket and a collared shirt and pants. You should avoid, yes, blue jeans and collarless shirts.
- What happens with the ties? Ties are something of a clearly serious and business item, which usually tends to indicate that “you’re here for more official or serious business.” So use them unless the setting, though business-like, might be so informative as to make it look profoundly out of place.
- Use quality external elements. The image (and the appearance we give) is not only in the clothes, it is also achieved with the choice of quality pieces or external elements, or accessories that help us combine our outfit. If you use a briefcase, it should be simple but top-notch, avoiding backpacks or travel bags. In addition, a quality coat, scarf or umbrella will help you improve your image if it is cold and/or raining.
Keep in mind that dark suits convey authority, which is why it is much more appropriate to use shades such as grey, black or navy blue.
If you want to appear serious and also trustworthy…
There is no doubt that people involved in a negotiation are looking for someone they can trust. Therefore, you should dress in such a way that you manage to project calmness, which in turn will subconsciously reassure all those people that your judgments are absolutely sound. Take note:
- Use a softer suit or jacket. The sharper and flatter contours are not very suitable, since they tend to make many people uneasy. Wear a suit or jacket that has a slightly softer cut.
- Use fabrics with a little texture. It may be appropriate to use flannel and tweed yarns, which can help the garment tend to look softer.
- Be careful with shoes: Although we tend to forget about them a lot, the truth is that shoes should always be impeccable, perfectly clean and shiny.
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Other especially useful tips
Although it all depends on the type of meeting, preferably the man should wear suits in neutral colors, with brown, gray or navy blue tones. It is essential to wear pants and jacket. Although the vest is often useful, it is hardly used anymore.
If you prefer to wear a tie, it is best to always wear it, with a well-centered knot and the shirt button fastened.
Regarding the shirt, it must be long-sleeved, with double cuffs for the use of cufflinks. Regarding the neck, the English shirt collar is the one that tends to offer greater elegance.
Although accessories can be especially useful, we should not abuse jewelry or accessories.
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