As the business world adapts to remote, and now hybrid, work arrangements, it’s essential to develop your ability to influence and persuade in virtual settings.

There's no doubt that the last few months have been difficult on many levels.

Many of us have had to deliver difficult news at work, or we've been on the receiving end of difficult news.

The day is here! You’ve researched, prepped and put your heart and soul into this presentation. You walk in excited and ready to share your ideas! However, not even halfway through you begin to notice your audience isn’t quite as engaged as you’d hoped for, or have maybe even tuned out entirely.

You may be asking, what are soft skills and do I have them? Well, in a sense, everyone does! But like all talents, some skills are going to be stronger than others. Soft skills can include things like negotiating ability, networking, being able to resolve conflicts or even being able to work well in a team. You might even call them ‘people skills.’ These skills are difficult to measure and often times, it’s up to you as an individual to improve upon these qualities.

1) Tell us a little about your business.

I help creative professionals and entrepreneurs articulate their vision and speak like experts. My job is a lot like cooking. I give people a recipe to take all the ideas in their head and put them together in a way that makes sense and tastes good to other people.

Many people assume that image refers solely to our personal appearance — to our fashion sense, grooming habits and physical fitness. Thanks to this assumption, fueled by various TV makeover shows, people tend to equate image management with fashion consulting, with the makeovers seen on programs such What Not to Wear.

In reality, physical appearance is only one component of our image. It is one of a myriad ways that we express who we are (or think we are) to the world.