In the past four weeks, we have been discussing the concept of  perception and how it impinges on individual and corporate reputation.    Before we wrap it up on that subject,  please permit me to  close with this one more important factor that has serious implications on how people or organisations are perceived.   How  people present themselves or organisations package their image, is critical to how they are perceived.  This covers the a whole range of areas especially-

 i.  What we wear and how we wear it- our dress sense, choice and combination of colours,  appropriateness and so on. 

 ii. How groomed we are from our hair, finger/toe nails,  beard,  make-up to how we smell and our personal hygiene. For an organisation, this is  about its environment ( interior and exterior)

 iii. How we communicate- articulation of thoughts in an understandable and sensible way, listening skills.  

 The above issues speak volumes of us and lead people who we deal with to certain conclusions that inform our relationships. From a distance,  people are usually quick in determining who we are by how we look. Even our level of intelligence is sometimes derived from our dress and dressing. If only people knew what havoc their unpolished shoes have wreaked on their reputation!  

 In the same way, the cultured environment and ambience provided by an organisation in its operational space is a bold statement on how much it places on its reputation.    

Thanks for your time. We've just concluded the series on perception. I hope you've enjoyed it.  Next week, we shall start another series. This time, we shall be dealing with gifts.   Dr. Andee Ihemeh, Fellow,  Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and Author of "PR TOOLBOX- Practical Insights into Public Relations Challenges and Solutions "

a blog post: https://uncleandee.wordpress.com/2021/07/09/perception-pt-5/