New book: business profiling on visual image language

“Business Profiling” is out! The new book on non-verbal communication published by Accademia di Comunicazione Strategica.

I contributed to the writing, specifically authoring the entire Chapter 11: “The Language of Visual Image.”

In this chapter, I describe how to use visual elements to identify useful information about the person we are facing during a first meeting and in subsequent occasions.

My considerations are based on concepts from clothing psychology and recent neuroscientific findings.

It is interesting to know that what we choose to wear—and therefore how we prefer to present ourselves—is connected to our self-image, our perception of others, and reflects our awareness of the situation and context we are in.

So, when can we say that a person’s appearance “works,” meaning it brings a benefit to their communication?

A person’s appearance serves a social and communicative function. When it reflects a positive self-image (we can gather information about one’s ego or self-esteem through clothing) and aligns with the context and situation, it shows that:
• The person is self-aware (visible also through personal grooming, i.e., their ability to take care of themselves and their clothes and accessories);
• The person is present in their role, appropriately aligned in their social contact style based on role, context, and situation;
• The person is observant and notices details—an attitude fundamental to generating trust because it communicates attentiveness.

Through appearance, we can demonstrate credibility in our role and show awareness and respect for ourselves and others.

This creates a solid foundation for building a collaborative relationship and provides an important tool to feel suited to the situation, reinforcing feelings of security.

Are the benefits exhausted? Not yet. Recent studies have shown that the perception of what we wear can activate corresponding personality traits due to the specific meaning clothes hold for us. For example, wearing a shirt during a math test can make us feel more focused and perform better compared to wearing a swimsuit. The meaning we attribute to clothing influences attention levels, personal comfort, and even mood. We can therefore choose what to wear based on how we want to feel, how we want to see ourselves, and with the goal of being effective and present in what we do.

Clothing thus becomes a powerful tool to improve our work performance and to display and activate qualities and skills we deem useful in a given situation. Consequently, it changes the image we have of ourselves.

I will frequently discuss these topics in more detail within the scope of Professional Presence and Executive Presence.