The saints and sinners have emerged from New Zealand’s experience of managing COVID-19.  I salute the superhero of science,  microbiologist, Dr Siouxsie Wiles who became an integral part of our daily diet of Coronavirus through our screens, in print and on air.

That ‘science lady with the pink hair’ helped us to understand the impact of the pandemic with her super-powers in  simplifying complex information so that we all got it. Loud and clear.  

Every day consistently, Siouxsie Wiles spoke in empathetic, conversational language that gave us, not only the reassurance but the real guts of what was going on in a hugely volatile and dynamic situation. 

Sadly, we don’t have enough communicators like her in New Zealand. Too many think that thought leadership requires jargon, obfuscation and verbose language that only confuses and frustrates us. This is especially counter-productive when journalists are trying to make sense of the content to build a story.

And yet for the consistent contribution and massive personal sacrifice Super-Siouxsie provided, she was vilified and ridiculed on social media and in emails. Why? Because she has pink hair. 

Check out  this short documentary.

In the documentary, Dr Wiles  talks of her role in getting messages out to Kiwis during the pandemic and explains why so many focus on her appearance.

We’ve been conditioned to believe a credible speaker needs a suit, a deep voice and a serious demeanour.

The reality is, credibility can have many colours and styles. It’s about making your personal and professional impression work for you and your audience. 

There’s no doubt, we very quickly arrive at an ‘impression’ of a communicator but that’s not the same as being judgmental.

In my years career as a TV current affairs reporter, there were many instances of people who  thought just because I was on the telly, that I was up for receiving personal attacks. The sad reality was the insults were not due to my stories but because of what I wore or how I looked. I definitely know my male colleagues never encountered that level of scrutiny on their appearance. 

It’s all  about being confident and consistent about who you are and what your messages are.

Here are am&co’s tips on what you need to consider to make an impactful impression.

1. Get them from the start. It takes only 3” for people to determine if we like you, trust you and if we want to keep listening to you.

2. Keep your content real. Be YOU. 

3. If your personal appearance makes a strong statement,  back it up with matching delivery & content. It’s your ‘brand’. Be memorable. Be proud and confident. 

4. You can’t gain a profile without attracting ‘haters’. People who are envious of your success will always try to get at you or shut you down. 

5. Rise above the criticism. Show dignity and empathy. Understand  that the people who are being judgmental have a moral rating system that is skewed in their own favour.  They’re getting a kick out of  making negative comments about you. 

And remember,  if you’ve got haters, you’re definitely doing something right. 

I say we need lots more Siouxsies!