How to Be Taken Seriously in Business

By Editor1SYS | October 23, 2021 0 Comments

Being taken seriously at work revolves around many small actions. If you’re looking for a better job or you are planning on starting your own business, it’s critical to be seen as responsible. Also, it’s important to not make amateur mistakes through inattention. Here are five tips for being taken more seriously in business. 

Look the Part

People still judge on appearances. Even if you work from home, you’ll still interview over Zoom or Skype, or talk to clients online. Appearance matters whether you’re present in person or meeting virtually. So, dress professionally for all business-facing situations whether you are at home during work hours or in the office. 

If you feel like your smile lets you down every time, see if a dentist in Worcester can help you out. There are many approaches to fixing crooked teeth, a smile with a gap, or other concerns. Not all of them involve heavy dental work either. There are even teeth straightening systems that don’t require braces for small misalignments too.

Exhibit Positivity and Knowledge

Being positive and expressing yourself well goes a long way to convincing other people. You want them to come away from a discussion thinking, “Well, she really knew her stuff.” Someone cannot help but be impressed when you’re both positive and knowledgeable. Just nodding along and being agreeable isn’t enough. Arm yourself with the knowledge to answer any questions fully when asked to respond. This reflects well on the business too. 

Master Communication

Make it a point to master your communication with both colleagues and business contacts. Appreciate that other points of view are valid, even if you adamantly disagree with them. Other people wish to be heard and understood too. Find a balance between getting your point across and letting others contribute, even if you’re the manager.

Be adaptable to how people communicate. Everyone has their preferences – including verbal, text, or over email. They also have certain styles of communication. If you can adapt the way you discuss business matters to a format they prefer, they’re likely to be more receptive to different ideas. 

Understand Body Language Better

Learning to read body language is an excellent way to further improve communication skills. People may show reluctance or disagreement without verbalising it. Similarly, in a negotiation, someone shifting in their seat or not being willing to meet your eye contact provides subtle indications too.

By being intuitive to these types of visual cues, better-negotiated results, sales agreements, or employee discussions can be arrived upon. When doing so, other people will take you more seriously as someone who gets strong outcomes where others may not. 

Stay Current on Business News

While colleagues may only look at the ‘funny papers,’ be sure to read industry news and periodicals instead. Management, especially those in the most senior positions, appreciate people who read what they do and keep up with industry changes. Because of this, they can make faster decisions that reflect the reality within the industry. If you are able to make suggestions that reflect a deeper understanding of an evolving situation, all for the better. 

Being taken seriously in business is critical to land top roles or to move up the ranks. While looking good matters, it needs to be backed by substantive knowledge to be convincing on multiple levels.