by Solange Lopes | Jan 30, 2014 | Career |
Fitted Non-Iron Shirt – 2 for $159 – brooksbrothers.com
I love love dress shirts, and I believe that it is one of the best wardrobe investments for your career. And I also happen to have 0 time and availability for ironing…which is why I’m loving this Brooks Brothers fitted non-iron wide strip dress shirt. The material is stretch cotton poplin, which is comfortable and breathable. The silhouette is shaped with room through the shoulders and chest, which is great for large-busted girls like myself.
And speaking of flattering, the vertical darts allow for a slimming effect and feminine look; while the white collar, cuffs and placket with pickstitch give a nice contrasting effect. It’s also available in pink and blue.
And did I mention that it is virtually wrinkle-free…It is $98.50 at Brooks Brothers, or 2 for $159 (which brings the price of the individual shirt to $79.50), and is well worth the price for the use and polish you can get out of it!
Seen a great, work-appropriate fashion piece you’d like to recommend? Please email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 30, 2014 | Career
Talk a big game at work – madamenoire.com
As corporate sisters, and as professional women in general, we tend to downplay our achievements and successes, and credit the team for the work we achieve. We had discussed months ago about silence being one of the biggest corporate sins for corporate sisters. As much as I don’t believe in endlessly bragging and boasting at work, I also think that one of the many reasons why women are undervalued at work is that many times, we fail to talk a big game in order to further our careers. While we may not be conditioned as women to speak out loud for ourselves, there are some things we can say and ways to say it that can help us further our careers:
- Toot your own horn, especially around men! According to a recent Catalyst report, women tend to think that “doing all the right things” at work are enough to get them the recognition they deserve. However, it’s been proven that those who advance in their careers and get the most promotions, mostly males, are also great at tooting their own horn. Additionally, it appears that women’s tendency to undervalue our own professional contributions is increased around male co-workers. according to a Personal and Psychology Bulletin. So, what are we to do as accomplished, competent corporate sisters? Keep a tally of your contributions at work, especially when working on group projects when your contribution can be more easily minimized. In meetings, speak out loud and praise yourself for your contributions, achievements and successes. I admit not being comfortable with tooting my own horn, and most times, not even being given the space and time to do so. In those cases, I have found that written communication can be just as effective, by summarizing your contributions and achievements in an email to your superior(s), while also (and if it makes you more comfortable), also outline the contributions of the rest of your team.
- Be more direct! When presenting your accomplishments and achievements, beating around the bush is not only ineffective, it also gives off the wrong impression. Be direct about your accomplishments and contributions and speak on your own behalf. And when speaking about yourself, be also specific enough to use concrete examples, numbers and figures to illustrate what you actually did.
- Last but not least, let others do the talking for you! Remember how you feel when a third party compliments you, and how convincing the praise of a third-party effectively is! Truth is, compliments from others give off a great impression! Yet here as well, for others to praise you, you have to give them something to praise you about. So do not hide your wonderful successes and achievements, and watch others do the talking for you!
Are you talking a big game to further your career?
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 29, 2014 | Career
Packing-Pro app – iflynonstop.com
Whether it’s your first or hump-teenth business trip, packing always feels like a chore. At least it does to me…And frankly, there are better alternatives than the Post-its with scratches of items you are to pack…while you still manage to forget your toothbrush at home.
Well, it’s with much relief that I discovered the Packing Pro app.
For a mere $2.99 for Iphones and Ipads, this app allows you to use a digital packing list. Talk about getting the stress out of traveling! And what’s really great about it, is that you can customize your packing list based on your trip’s duration and other needs…
Check it out, and let us know what you think!
The Corporate Sister.
The Corporate Sister
by Solange Lopes | Jan 29, 2014 | Career
Anne Klein Asymmetrical Jacket – $59.99 – macys.com
For our lunch break today, we are loving this Anne Klein asymmetrical zip-front tweed jacket. Gotta love the pairing of the classic, timeless tweed with the biker silhouette in a modern-meets-edgy combo.
The notched collar and zipped pockets at the waist give this tweed jacket a nice polish, that can be paired with nice dress pants or a stylish pencil skirt.
And even better, it’s on sale for $59.99 at Macys, down from $139. Can you say deal?
Seen a great, work-appropriate piece you’d like to recommend? Please email us at corporate@the corporatesister.com!
The Corporate Sister
by Solange Lopes | Jan 29, 2014 | Career |
woman making Power Point presentation – cimaglobal.com
So you have this great idea to pitch to your manager? Or better yet, it’s time for the annual sales presentation, and you’re in charge of making the Powerpoint presentation. Or you’ve been assigned the task to create a slide deck for the boss, and while you may know the basics, you need the extra “oomph”…
I like Power Point presentations because they are to the point, they don’t need to be extra elaborate, and they give you a chance to showcase this amazing corporate sister, that is YOU! Here are a few points and tricks that I learnt over the years, that turned my Power Point presentations from elaborate, convoluted, and frankly overwhelming displays, to targeted, organized and to-the-point presentations that sparked long-term interest and commitment…
- Remember YOU are the show! It’s not the presentation, the elaborate slides, or the assortment of rainbow colors you’ve used that make the show. It’s YOU! So as invested as you may be in building the most memorable slide deck ever, keep in mind that your job is to speak to the content of the presentation and convey the message yourself..
- NEVER, EVER ( did I say EVER?) read your slides! The absolute worst you can do when making a Power Point presentation is to read your slides…unless, of course, you want to put your audience to sleep! As complex as your presentation may be, you need to know your material and topic to the T if you are to present it. If you are not able to memorize the entire presentation, memorize at least the first 2 and the last 2 slides! You can also certainly use Power Point’s Notes features to consult your notes on your computer as you are delivering the presentation. However, keeping your eyes on the screen for one second longer than necessary will definitely give out the impression that you’re reading, and not only bore your audience, but also tempt them to believe that you are not the expert you really are….which leads me to my next point…
- Build Trust! Along with mastering your presentation, you also have to build a rapport with your audience. What you show is one thing, but what you say is MOST important! This is a case of what you show vs. what you say! I’ll always remember a presentation I attended during my first years in corporate by a very talented corporate sister, who described places she visited in her career so vividly as she was making her presentation that I could literally smell the air there. Years later, I still remember her, and most importantly I still remember what she said!
- Combine Visual with Audio! To ensure optimal retention by your audience, give them both the visual and the audio aspects. Instead of just using endless sentences and words, or tons of boring bullet points in your presentation, use pictures and audio! Make it fun, inspiring, and captivating. Remember, YOU are the show, so you can always talk to the material being presented. Use your audio and pictures as a hook to reel in your audience, and then use your words to sell them on your ideas!
- Last but not least, do NOT say Thank You…just yet! What? Am I suggesting that you should be rude and omit to thank your great audience? No, that’s not what I am suggesting at all. However, in order to get your audience hooked until the end, avoid the big last “Thank You” slide. All it’s going to do is send the message that the presentation is over and they can disconnect now. Same thing for the big “Questions?” slide! After you are done making your presentation, you want your audience to still be engaged enough to keep asking questions or make additional suggestions. You want the momentum to keep on going, even as you wrap up your main topics. How do you achieve this? Present a blank slide at the end of the presentation. Awkward? Weird? Maybe, but it’ll keep the momentum going and your audience engaged, as they wonder what just happened. And after you’ve dug into their last questions and comments, now you can say…Thank You!
Any additional tips on making great Power Point presentations?
The Corporate Sister.
