Recently in First Impressions Category

  stellarStarter

"If a message doesn't have shelf-life, it's just noise.."

Enjoy!

 

  stellarStarter

"Leaders know that listening is a verb."

Enjoy!

 

Because 80% of first impressions are visual - I have long been an advocate of 'the power of the pin' - and all accessories that signal a message or clue to the eye. Ms. Albright's new book, Read My Pins, shares the power this deliberate accessory wields - in breaking the ice - and in breaking down a 'snake'. Finally, jewelry gets it's due in the boardroom! Hope this inspires you to go shopping!

Madeline Albright's Jewelry Box Diplomacy

In her new book, Read My Pins, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright reveals that she used jewelry as a diplomatic tool during her years with the Clinton administration.

"This all started when I was ambassador at the U.N. and Saddam Hussein called me a serpent," she tells Susan Stamberg. "I had this wonderful antique snake pin. So when we were dealing with Iraq, I wore the snake pin."

After that incident, Albright decided that it might be fun to speak through her pins. She went out and bought different costume jewelry.

"As it turned out, there were just a lot of occasions to either commemorate a particular event or to signal how I felt," she says.

There were balloons, butterflies and flowers to signify optimism and, when diplomatic talks were going slowly, crabs and turtles to indicate frustration.

After the Russians were caught tapping the State Department, Albright protested by wearing a pin with a giant bug on it. On days when Albright felt she had to do "a little stinging and deliver a tough message," she wore a wasp pin.

At one point, Russian leader Vladimir Putin told President Clinton that he knew what the mood of a meeting would be by looking at Albright's left shoulder. (Albright's pin with three monkeys, which she wore when discussing Chechnya, was meant to draw attention to the fact that Russia took a "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" stance toward the Chechen atrocities.)

The former secretary of state says that one of her own pins -- an antique eagle pin with a complicated clasp -- nearly sabotaged her at her swearing-in ceremony.

"I put it on, and there I was all of the sudden with one hand on the Bible and one hand in the air, and the pin was just swinging in the breeze. I had not fastened it properly," says Albright. "I was afraid that it would fall on the Bible."

Accidents aside, Albright says she loved expressing herself with her jewels. And, she adds, making fashion statements -- and commenting on each other's attire -- is not completely unheard of within a diplomatic setting:

"You think that the heads of state only have serious conversations, [but] they actually often begin really with the weather or, 'I really like your tie.' "

Copyright 2009 National Public Radio

To read the full article and excerpt, click here "Read My Pins"

The 'little black dress' of accessories is the broach or lapel pin. When placed on your lapel or just above your chest - they serve as a 'starting point' for the eye - especially for eyes that tend to wander. Men are more visually cued than women and tend to look at everything before they focus.

Wearing a pin provides a focal point that will move from your pin to your eye, once you speak.

If you want to be heard and taken seriously, a pin is a great way to establish eye contact - especially in one-on-one meetings. Whether it's from Tiffany's or Target - a pin is a definite MUST HAVE accessory for women who want to create Stellar Beginnings. 

One woman who has made pins her trademark is Madeleine Albright. In 1997, she became the 64th Secretary of State, and the first woman to serve in the position. In that role, she traveled the world sitting eye-to-eye with the most powerful - and the most ominous - leaders of our time - armed with her intellect - and some of the most fantastic pins I have ever seen.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of sharing a stage with her, and working with a member of her White House staff. My observance of her is that this is a woman who uniquely understands the nuances of diplomacy and influence-wielding. She is also a woman who never goes anywhere without a pin.

Isn't it interesting that the Secretary's of State that followed her, Condolessa Rice and Hillary Clinton - are also pin-wearing women? As far as I'm concerned, pin-shopping is a career - and world changing experience!

I created the stellarStarters Series to help you 'get started' easily and confidently -  one step at a time. Each Starter provides tools to help you focus on the 80% of what life success is all about - what people see and value about you -starting with first impressions.

Stellar first impressions are immediate and can change your life forever. Because first impressions take six times to change, this first CD focuses on making sure you don't get it wrong the first time and waste the next five times trying to fix it. To help you get it right the first time, I have loaded it with what need to know before you show up - from the accessories you wear to the language you use - so you can make every first impression a stellar one.

So what are you waiting for?

Get yours NOW!!