Customer Reviews

Professional Presence

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This book disappointed me greatly. The author's knowledge of English is sadly wanting at many points. On page 95, the author recommends "preprepared" memoranda. As the great English scholar and author Richard Miller has put it, "I can 'preprepare' something about as easily as I can 'preeat' my breakfast." On page 169, the author recommends that people wear "the same three pairs of shoes over and over again, black and brown for men..." As the "inside" joke says, "There are three kinds of mathematicians, those who can count and those who cannot." On page 198, the author refers to a "breech" of office etiquette. "Breach"? On page 216, the hideous solecism "themself" appears. Page 246: "You never know who you will meet on the plane." WHOM. Page 254: "build comradery". Surely she had "camaraderie" in mind, but couldn't quite reach it.
Even more disappointing, after I slogged through the barriers to understanding erected by the often faulty diction, is the inadequacy or invalidity of much of the author's advice. On page 186 (anecdote continued from previous page), she remarks "My first reaction was to be extremely thankful that I was not an innocent passenger in the car who might have been compelled into going along with the crowd." [The 'innocent passenger' made an obscene gesture to another driver.] Wrong -- people who do wrong to "go along with the crowd" are far from innocent. They are conceptually invertebrates -- animals without backbones.
On page 283, she recommends giving the boss a gift. More competent authors, such as Mary Mitchell [Class Acts] have the sense to call this "a bad idea: you could be labeled as an apple polisher." In my 18 years as a boss, I NEVER received a gift from a subordinate. If I had, I would have returned it with a stern lecture based on exactly this premise. The authoritative book [New Complete Guide to Executive Manners] (Letitia Baldrige, an internationally recognized authority) has a section heading "Exchanging Gifts in the Office Should Be Discouraged."
On page 253, the author tries, and fails conspicuously, to portray herself as moderately competent at chess. She explains that since her opponent made a poor move, she was able to check her opponent's king. The inference that checking the opponent's king ipso facto implies a poor move by said opponent is ludicrous, as any competent chess player (I achieved a USCF rating ceiling of 2033) will recognize.
The Bixler book sorely needs, but lacks, an index.
Ms. Bixler bills herself as a consultant to companies on etiquette.
This sales pitch is evident in the book -- much too much so. The valid material in the book is almost entirely common sense: for example, when walking down the crowded aisle in an airplane to your seat, don't whack others with your shoulder bag.

Professional Presence uncovers all the subtle secrets in business. Susan Bixler tells all, revealing the subtle non-verbal and verbal cues which convince people that we're confident and competent, or that we're clumsy and scared. This is a must-read for people at a career plateau, or people in a new situation with new people to impress.

Professional Presence uncovers all the subtle secrets in business. Susan Bixler tells all, revealing the subtle non-verbal and verbal cues which convince people that we're confident and competent, or that we're clumsy and scared. This is a must-read for people at a career plateau, or people in a new situation with new people to impress.