News

  • Examiner writer gives some love to IDI!

    What’s the difference between a licensed esthetician and a professional skin therapist? Kathleen at the examiner explains. Read the full write up.

  • Getting to Know You: INTRODUCTIONS

    OH, BEHAVE! Keeping Manners In Mind
    by Annet King

    Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m Annet King, Director of Global Education for the Dermalogica brand, and for The International Dermal Institute.

    I’ve been a professional skin care educator for 20 years, and I’ve worked with students and professional skin therapists around the world. One thing I know for certain is that first impressions are indeed lasting impressions, and being introduced properly to someone else is the best way to start things off on the right foot, both professionally and personally.

    A proper and courteous introduction is the foundation to a comfortable social relationship. And that’s exactly what this new blog is all about: forming and maintaining mutually beneficial social relationships.

    As a professional skin therapist, you are in the service industry. I believe that by definition, therefore, we must continually make a “first” impression upon our clients. In other words, you must treat every meeting as if it is the first.

    The most essential part of doing so is to always remember that your client is a person, not a number, and not just a name in the appointment book. Do not ever gaze over at the human being sitting in the reception area, waiting for your services and ask, “Are you my 4 o’clock?”

    If you don’t know the person’s name, or don’t remember it, it’s okay. Just step up, extend your hand, squeeze warmly, smile. It’s perfectly alright to say, “Gosh, I am so sorry, but I’ve been so busy, I’ve actually forgotten your name!” As long as you exude humanity, courtesy and genuine interest, clients are really quite forgiving.

    Yes, I am English, but that’s hardly the point. Do British people have better manners than Americans? In general, perhaps. But trust me, this is a learned skill. In more formal times, people in polite society literally did not speak to one another socially until they had been properly introduced by a trusted associate. No need to go quite that far. But with so much talk these days of technology eroding our language and communication, I do feel that the very humanity of human interaction itself may be restored if we make more of an effort to be simply courteous to one another.

    We cannot exactly demand good manners from others. We can only lead by example. Starting today.

    Try out a “please” or a “thank you” where none has gone before. Instead of grunting the usual monosyllabic responses “Yup”, or “Nope”, try answering a question with a complete sentence, as in, “Yes, it is”, or “No, it is not.” This becomes habit-forming, and the next thing you know, you’re no longer a rude person.

    In which case, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

  • The Place for Professionals

    IDI’s all new educational site got the nod from Beauty LaunchPad magazine editors who exclaimed, “who knew education could be so entertaining?”

    Check out the coverage here, then start exploring some of Beauty LaunchPad’s favorite features including “lightening fast class registration… a ‘Career Mapping’ feature…an industry job board” and more!