When you encounter people in day-to-day life, you are usually judged on how you act, what you dress, how you communicate, your body language, and how you present yourself. This is why you’ve probably seen that when people go to a business meeting or a job interview, they dress up in suits and sharp formal attire. It acts as a lens through which people often perceive us. “Cultivating good etiquette and a sophisticated style will enhance your self-confidence and also help create a power-packed impression on others” believes, Radhika Bali, an Image Consultant, and Soft Skills Instructor.
Trained by the Image Consulting Business Institute (ICBI), Radhika aids in helping one enhance their image and polish their soft skills by coaching on maintaining body language, social etiquette, communication skills, and much more. An optimist, she believes in calling spade a spade and will help you achieve what you are looking for!
Find Radhika Bali talk about her views on creating lasting impressions, her journey, and struggles of being an Image Consultant, and how you can work on yourself to grow as an individual-
RADHIKA BALI- CONSTRUCTING POWERFUL FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Interview
Questions and answers
How were the experiences of your initial days when you dipped your feet into this world of fashion, grooming, and styling?
It definitely wasn’t a cakewalk, it still isn’t. Especially, breaking my stereotypes and understanding the sciences behind everything was something that included a lot of hard work, learning, unlearning, and relearning. There is a lot of competition in the market and I’m still in the process of establishing a name, place, and credibility for my brand.
What are your strategies to motivate a client to develop their personality and image?
My belief and strategy to motivate a client has been only one and it’s a simple one- “Walk the talk.” Do as you preach, if you don’t follow and believe in what you preach, the conviction will be missing. People will find it difficult to follow you or believe in you. They should be able to locate the change in you first. There should be honesty, integrity, clarity, and dedication along with passion in what you do and want others to do.
What were some of the stumbling blocks you faced in the initial days of your journey and how did you manage them?
I believe there were many. The biggest one was the marketing strategy and getting clients. Making a place in the market and letting people know about ‘Aks by Radhika’. There were technical challenges such as developing my website and social media posts. Also, it was extremely difficult balancing between my work as it has been ‘Work from Home’ for the past two years now, my startup, children, household- all together single-handedly!
Share with us a story of your client where you were able to bring a noticeable change in them?
My first client was an IT company and when the offices resumed physically, getting them to maintain a code of conduct was a big challenge. I conducted a workshop with them based on office etiquettes. They loved it so much that the employees started implementing them not just in the office but in daily life too and requested more such sessions on a retainer basis. They also called me to hold a three-day workshop in their office on TA.
As you choose to think more from the heart than from the head, do you think it challenges rationality at some point? And if so, how do you manage to keep a balance?
Yes, it sure does! There have been times when keeping a balance has been the most challenging task to do. Thinking rationally and keeping a balance, journaling, and decluttering helped a lot. I try to analyze the situation and work accordingly.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years and what are the biggest goals you desire to achieve?
I definitely see myself as a well-established name and a trainer with a lot of credibilities. The biggest goal I desire to achieve is when people talk about Etiquette Coaches, my name is the one that comes to their minds first. One of my biggest goals is to help women and young girls enhance the quality of their lives and feel empowered.
What are some of the soft skills training one can expect under your guidance?
I motivate clients and groom them to develop their etiquettes, body language, communication skills, and emotional intelligence. I emphasize the importance of making a strong first impression.
Elucidate us the ways through which our readers can reach to you to seek your guidance.
I believe the biggest struggle we deal with today, is our self-esteem. Hence, I help people overcome this issue and understand the science behind it by helping them enhance their personalities with the help of image management, communication i.e the art of small talk and body language, and behavior management.
How do you arrange your sessions with clients and how does the customization take place?
To begin with, I conduct a session of 20 minutes with my clients to understand and analyze their needs by asking them to fill out certain forms and getting their friends and family to fill them too. Based on this, I do my analysis and customize their training sessions.
What message do you want to leave for our readers?
Our first impression or how we are perceived is not in our DNA. We acquire these skills and need to work upon ourselves through learning and our life experiences. As time passes, we keep enhancing our traits and evolve into a better version of ourselves. We are our only competitor and a reflection of ourselves, therefore, we must continue improving ourselves!
Quick 5
1. The person who has been a motivation to you – My father
2. Your mantra in life – There is nothing impossible in life. It is I’m Possible!
3. Importance of image and impression to you in one line– Self-image and first impression make or break you, you will never get a second chance to create your impactful first impression.
4. A book that you would like to recommend – Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
5. Your go-to place when stressed – Close to nature, could be a park, mountains or a stream/river/sea.