Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.life From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Going tieless not suitable for everyone Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 15:23:03 EST Message-ID: \SE E;LIFE;WAY OF LIFE;DRESS FOR SUCCESS \SS (WS) \HD Going tieless not suitable for everyone \BY John T. Molloy \CR LOS ANGELES TIMES SYNDICATE Dear Mr. Molloy: The other night when I went to dinner with a couple of friends, I wore a suit and white shirt without a tie. I read about this new style and I like to be stylish. Nobody said anything, the maitre d' gave us a good table, and I had a good time. On my way out of the restaurant I looked at myself in the mirror and I looked just terrible. I have seen a number of celebrities on television without ties, and they looked chic. I wonder why they looked so good and I looked so awful. It can't be the white shirt because two or three of the celebrities wore white shirts without ties. Can you tell me where I went wrong? - U.L., Tampa, Fla. Dear U.L.: Several weeks ago I ran a little survey because I have been getting a lot of questions about not wearing ties. Apparently one of the reasons this trend caught on is some men are looking for an excuse to shed their ties. When I showed pictures of men without ties in social settings and asked the public what they thought, their reaction was very positive. Almost half the men and almost two-thirds of the women questioned thought the wearers were chic, relaxed or both. The look was most popular on the West Coast, in the Southwest, Florida and New York. But don't wear a dress shirt without a tie to work. When we tested going tieless in a business setting, almost everyone said it was inappropriate. The survey uncovered other factors that affected the popularity of the no-tie look. A fancier shirt works better. If you wear a plain shirt, make sure the collar has been designed to be worn without a tie, which means the points come closer together. This look works better on younger and thinner men. When we showed pictures of older or heavier men without ties, the reaction was almost universally negative. For now, anyway, no-tie tests positively mostly for the young and the beautiful. Dear Mr. Molloy: I work for a computer company that specializes in systems for large offices. After the computers have been installed I train the customer's employees to use these systems. Usually I conduct four training sessions a day. In a typical day I spend two hours with an executive, the next two hours with two or three secretaries and so on. I have been in this business now for almost seven years, and my new boss has dress rules that make no sense to me. He claims they are based on your research and I'm wondering if you could explain them to me. He insists I wear solid blue and gray suits and carry a blazer. When I am working with the secretaries and the people without authority, he insists I wear the blazer. He believes it relaxes them. When I am training executives, he wants me to wear my suit jacket. He claims that they won't listen as carefully to me if I wear a blazer. I have done training in other companies, and I just don't think that is true. Could you please tell me how you came to such ridiculous conclusions? - Name and address withheld Dear Trainer: Anyone who institutes a dress code without explaining it is making a mistake. In my experience, if employees are forced to dress in a way that makes no sense to them they invariably find ways of defeating such a dress code. Even an explanation they do not agree with is better than none. While your boss was wrong in not explaining his rules, they are effective. Research shows that consultants in any field are more easily accepted if they are on equal footing with the people they are training. The majority of workers are threatened and/or alienated by instructors who dress like executives, while the majority of executives pay little attention to trainers who dress casually. For most executives the suit is the uniform of competence, and wearing anything else will make you less effective. My trainers are instructed to dress for their students and they commonly change clothes from one training session to another. The need to dress to please your students is more important in your case because your sessions are short. Studies indicate that short training periods are effective only if the students see the instructor as friendly or attractive. Students who like their instructor learn more quickly and retain information better. I believe your boss has hit the nail right on the head, and that your job will be easier if you follow his instructions. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM