I am looking for a synonym for the adjective "professional" as it is sometimes used to mean "of high quality" or "projecting confidence & skill" when describing the perception of a group of people by the public.
I'm in a musical group that strives to put forth a "professional" image in terms of musical quality, visual appearance, and interaction with the public during and after a performance. But, since our members are not paid, we are not professionals in the strict sense. I sometimes have to advise our members how to conduct themselves, so I'm looking for a good word to use in place of saying "be professional" or "that looks professional". Obviously I don't want to say "look amateurish", even though we are, in fact, amateurs.
I appreciate the answers suggested below which might be useful. We're not a grunge band; the group is a Japanese taiko drumming group which is supposed to operate with a measure of self-discipline, so 'classy' might be suitable. To give some specific examples of where I would normally use "professional": 1. "Chewing gum in public makes us look unprofessional." and 2. "Having a dedicated email address with our group name looks more professional than @hotmail.com or @gmail.com". The reason I'm looking for alternatives is that I once made a suggestion that the group do something "professionally" only to have one member (who has a contrary and difficult personality) snarkily reply, "We're not a professional group."
Best Answer
The figurative sense of professional that you describe is perfectly fine, as long as you're careful how you use it--for example, you can describe yourselves as "projecting a professional appearance."
If that's not a satisfactory answer, consider using different words in different contexts: you have a refined appearance, give a polished performance, are classy in your interactions with the public, and responsible in your dealings with booking agents.