Fashion trends came and go, not that many of you will associate me with those. Until now.
Let’s face it, no one saw this coming. To re use the most overused word of 2020 – this is unprecedented.
I am talking about (maybe) the biggest “thing” of 2020 – Zoomshirts.
Those of you who had the pleasure of meeting me face to face in the old days (pre-March 22nd) will recall my precious collection of striped shirts. Not all were acquired in the sale at Marks & Spencer either.
No longer.
With the help of a number of my friends at the Professional Speaking Association, including a fascinating session by a speaker on Personal Brand – Emilie West. My work wardrobe is now transformed, not maybe for the better, but transformed.
You see stripes have a horrible effect when viewed onscreen on Gallery View on Zoom, or the Teams/WebEx/Skype equivalent. They become a distracting, eyeball damaging swirl.
Not so my lovely new plain coloured shirts. The dark blue is especially fetching.
BUT on no account wear green. Green is definitely NOT the colour of 2020 except in one respect – the shade of your virtual background green screen. With a green short you can spookily blend into the background becoming a talking head with no body.
Ladies – this is an equal opportunities arena – I am not just talking about guys. Remember you are transmitting a message with what you wear, and bold colours (I’ve already mentioned NOT green) will make you stand out -even more so if the others on your conference all are a hazy mix of wobbly stripes. I am told bold jewellery works well too.
While I’m on – Emilie West also highlights the importance (for business meetings anyway) of wearing a short with a collar – not a T shirt or Polo shirt. The slightly formal “made an effort” look works well online. But leave the tie to the BBC Newsreader.
In my training I often refer to the ABC of first impressions. It seems very lightweight to talk about the importance of Appearance, but it has an effect. Make sure you are giving the first impression you want to – and no giving the impression that your clothes have a mind of their own.
https://www.today.com/style/what-are-zoom-shirts-why-are-they-so-popular-t185763
http://www.alchemycoaching.co.uk/
Buzzwords of the Week – EBITDA
E – Earnings
B – Before
I – Interest
T – Taxes
D – Depreciation
A – Amortization
EBITDA is a measure of a company’s overall financial performance and is used as an alternative to net income in some circumstances. EBITDA, however, can be misleading because it strips out the cost of capital investments like property, plant, and equipment.
This metric also excludes expenses associated with debt by adding back interest expense and taxes to earnings. Nonetheless, it is a more precise measure of corporate performance since it is able to show earnings before the influence of accounting and financial deductions.
Alternate View – 1) a more sensible method of measuring the profit from operations which wisely includes the main managed costs and excludes depreciation and interest because most managers do not actively mange those things. Or 2) an accounting confidence trick devised by Investment Bankers who are looking for a larger number than the Operating Income (Profit) they would usually get by including all the relevant costs.
1) Or 2)? You Choose…
Note Warren Buffet’s comments: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjxz8CKkv_qAhXWh1wKHe7QAFkQFjADegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffinance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fcharlie-munger-warren-buffett-ebitda-205053585.html&usg=AOvVaw1NgYzU2QD9znNF-UnnSYw2