Mary Dawne Arden: translation of Brutus Article

Title: Can guidance from a charismatic female instructor turn an executive into a suave, savvy New York gentleman?

Sub title: The ability to control one's image is the first condition for being considered a gentleman

Text: A symbol of top New York executive coaches, Mary Dawne Arden helps many men become gentlemen. Follow her instructions and from the inside out, she will have you postured and dressed like a gentleman with the communication skills, speech, table manners and total self-presentation required to be one. "Even for those with the professional skills, no matter how skilled a corporate warrior you are, if you cannot control your image, you will never be a top class CEO. That's because from your body language to your manner of speech, people are watching you with a critical eye."

Recently, firms are making hiring decisions using techniques such as organizing a party and testing out candidates' table manners, evaluating their conversational ability over the phone and shifting their focus from a narrow one on a candidates professional skills to a wider one looking at a candidate's total image.

When she was younger, Mary Dawne Arden was an actress before moving on to using her skills in a career in marketing and communications. She uses a variety of methods to resolve each client's needs, a point that distinguishes her, such as using a spoon to resolve clients' English speaking habits, filming them giving speeches, and even taking clients shopping who need to be sharper dressers.

Says Arden, "Producing a gentleman is like art. You take the material to produce an image."

Photo Captions: Mary Dawne Arden. Executive Coach. An actress in her younger days, she traveled the world before gaining her experience in marketing and management in the corporate world. Since going independent, she has done executive coaching work for such famous American names as Citibank and GE. http://www.ardenassociates.com

Photo Captions: Table Manner Lesson: "Recently, I have begun taking clients to restaurants to evaluate their table manners. Table manners are of great importance for a gentleman in business."

Photo Captions: Speech Lesson: Using a spoon to eliminate pronunciation errors when speaking English is one technique. It is particularly recommended for non-native speakers.

Photo Captions: Styling Lesson: No man is a gentleman without style. Taking her clients shopping is another big part of her coaching