Class of 2024 of Management Study Program at SBM ITB began the Business Communication and Negotiation course with a guest lecture at the SBM ITB Auditorium on Monday (28/11/2022). The guest lecture was delivered by a psychologist, the Head of the Partnership Development Division of the West Java Indonesian Psychologists Association (HIMPSI), Sukmayanti Rafisukmawan.
Sukmayanti conveyed that as a businessman, appearance and ethics are crucial in business communication. Appearance and ethics are the first impressions that potential business partners see.
Maybe appearance is considered normal for some people. However, appearance and ethics are separate assessments for business partners regarding the feasibility and ability of business cooperation.
“In communicating, someone’s eyes will immediately pay attention to our appearance. Whether it is cleanliness, tidiness, or the harmony of our clothes,” said Anti (Sukmayanti’s nickname).
According to Anti, the appearance in question starts from the hair tidiness, body cleanliness, the neatness and harmony of the clothes, and the accessories. For hair, the style used should be kept neat and adapted to the shape of the face.
Meanwhile, cleanliness of the body, such as the face, mouth, teeth, or nails, must also be considered because it can give an immediate wrong impression if ignored. A smelly mouth will be disturbing in communicating.
“You can’t dress carelessly; you must also pay attention to harmony. The model and the color must be adapted to the current trend,” added Anti.
It is better to wear formal clothes, such as a suit with a tie and a matching shirt for formal communication. Loafers can be used to add a formal impression. This formal communication is intended if you are in an important meeting, such as a business negotiation with investors.
As for non-formal communication, you can wear a collared shirt but still neat with a few casual touches. This can be done if you are introducing a product that is tailored to the target market.
“In addition to appearance, our ethics or behavior also really need attention to avoid giving a bad impression to partners. In principle, in communicating, we have to adjust to our goals and position,” explained Anti.
An example of communication according to purpose and position is a salesperson offering his product to potential customers. Things to be considered are body gestures, voice tone, and eye contact to properly convey the purpose of the communication.
Eye contact must indicate confidence and provide a warm feeling so that the other person can communicate comfortably. In addition, the body language should also be flexible and beautiful while being confidence and convincing.
Anti reminded us that humans must be able to continue to develop. This can be started by developing ethics and how to dress. To develop, humans must be able to know themselves with their various abilities, accept what is in them, and manage it so that it can benefit them and those around them.
