Month: February 2014

Creating a Personal Brand Tool Kit

Tool Kit

You will need several tools to create your brand identity. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

How do you make yourself stand out from the crowd? The key is to have your own personal tool kit or brand identity. It’s a way to create personal elevation for yourself, says Jennifer Ransaw Smith, CEO and Chief Brand Strategist of Brand ID.What should your tool kit include?

Bio: Almost everyone has a bio that they can submit, but do you have both a long one and a short one? This is critical because a longer one may be needed to introduce you, but a shorter one will be used in marketing materials. You don’t want to leave your bio – think reputation – in the hands of someone who doesn’t know you. Be sure you have both written. The short one should be about 75 words. I recommend having a colleague review it because I’ve always found the short one the most challenging to write and invariably I leave out the one thing that my colleagues say should be included because it’s the differentiator.

Professional Headshot: It’s worth the money to get someone to take your photo. And you can write it off as a business expense. Then use the photo on your LinkedIn profile or anytime someone requests one of you.

Speaker’s Sheet: If you do any public speaking, keep a list of the organizations to which you have spoken. If you give a major presentation to the office include that on your list. If yours is a short list you may have it included on your resume, but when you are trying to secure additional speaking roles, organizers want to only see the list and not everything else on a resume. Include the organization, title of speech and location. If you have it, also note the audience size.

If you are looking to gain speaking experience, start with local professional associations, including business and civic groups. They often are seeking expert advice on topics and would be delighted to have you speak. While there is no speaker’s fee or honorarium, you will gain invaluable speaking experience for your portfolio and the group learns from your expertise.

Speaker’s Reel, Media Reel, Thought Leadership Reel: Have you been quoted by the media? Have your speaking engagements been captured on video and shared on a website or through YouTube? Create a sheet that includes links to media quoting or interviewing you. Create a video clip that demonstrates your speaking prowess. It’s no longer enough to say that you are an expert on a particular topic, you must demonstrate it. TED Talks, for example, require nominees to submit a short video to demonstrate their speaking style.

Because of my role as a spokesperson, I’ve been quoted in publications and been interviewed by the media more times than I can count. It’s part of my job and I don’t think twice about it. Nor have I kept track of the interviews. Then one day I was asked for examples. Fortunately, Google made it possible to find some of them, and I’ve now started a list with links.

Client Testimonials: When you speak somewhere and receive positive comments, ask the person if they would provide you with a written testimonial that you can use going forward. I used to do a lot of media training, and I always asked participants for feedback and permission to use their comments. It’s helpful to have several of these to share if asked by someone who is considering you as a speaker.

Do You Hear What I Hear? How to Be a Better Listener

I have a bad habit when I’m at networking functions of constantly scanning the room even when I’m speaking with someone. It comes from my days of reporting – always looking for the next story and being aware of my surroundings.

To the person with whom I am speaking, though, it’s rude. Through the years, I’ve become much better about staying engaged in the conversation I’m having with a person, and that means keeping my eyes focused on the person and not my surroundings.

At my desk, if I’m talking on the phone, I turn away from my computer because it’s all too easy to glance at emails and even reply to some. The person on the other end of the phone may not see me sending an email, but he will know that I am distracted.

Other ways I work to ensure that I am listening to the person include:

Asking questions. It’s a reporter’s trick and an easy way to learn more about the person. If I’m asking the questions, I’m going to listen to the answers. I try not to ask yes or no questions but rather open-ended ones so the person can elaborate.

Not interrupting. Again, as a reporter, we’re taught to shout out questions at press conferences, but when speaking with a person I need to allow her to finish her thoughts before I ask my question or respond to what she is saying. I often wait a second or two before saying anything to ensure my colleague has finished speaking.

Actively listening. I want whomever I am speaking with to know that I am interested in what he has to say so I nod at appropriate places and make eye contact. I’ll even repeat back what I think I heard so my colleague can clarify if I misunderstood.

These simple steps can go a long way in ensuring successful conversations.

Be Kind to Yourself

We’re a month into the new year. How are you doing with your resolutions? Or did you not make any?

I’m not a big fan of resolutions because they’re easy to break. You list a bunch of things you want to change but then you don’t make a plan. Failure is all but guaranteed.

When I wrote about my plan for my blog in 2014, a friend reminded me via Facebook to be kind to myself. In other words, I don’t always need to hold myself to the high standards that I do. Another friend said it would be okay if I only posted once a week.

Their comments were much appreciated and made me think about how I could be kinder to myself. I made a short list, and thought I’d share. If you’re already being kind to yourself, please do share your suggestions. And if you are not, or you need to be a bit more kind, then I hope some of these ideas inspire you.

Fruit and vegetable stand

Eating healthy is one way to be kind to yourself. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

Eat Healthy: Yes, we all know that. My challenge is actually doing it. Chocolate is so much more satisfying than an apple. Or is it?

I’ve been paying attention to my cravings after work, and discovered that I often really wanted the apple or cauliflower. I wanted crunch. So I’m stocking up on more fruits and veggies. I even keep them in a pretty bowl in the refrigerator to make them more appealing.

Go to a Farmer’s Market: This one is an offshoot from the prior one. It feels good to me to support local farmers and growers in my region so I try to go to the Farmer’s Market every weekend. Right now there is a bit of a lull, but I know it’s only a few more weeks until the markets running again. That’s where I stock up on my produce and usually fresh flowers. It’s also a great way to become more engaged with your community. Which leads me to the next kindness.

Get Social: I’m not talking about Facebook or Instagram or texting. I’m talking face to face. Go to lunch with a friend, meet for coffee, take in a museum exhibit. The conversation will do you good, as will the relaxation time.

Get Moving: You don’t need to join a gym. You do need to walk around your neighborhood or a park. You want to keep moving to burn calories, but more importantly to relieve stress. I also find the workout time relaxing for my mind. My workplace has been encouraging staff to take the stairs. I’ve resisted, but for this month, I’ve committed to always taking the stairs going down. It’s a start. Next month, I’ll take the stairs whenever I have to travel one floor. If you really want to get social, walk with a friend.

Be Still: I’m not good at doing nothing. Years ago, a friend of mine shared how he would come home from work, turn on his music (he had an impressive sound system) and sit on the couch and listen to the music for 20 minutes. “Didn’t you cook dinner or organize or something?” I asked him. “No, you’re supposed to simply sit and listen,” he responded. I tried it once. I didn’t make it through one song before I became fidgety. That experience has stayed with me, and through the years, I’ve practiced simply sitting and being still. I can now listen to music for about 15 minutes. Watching the birds feed also keeps me still, which ultimately makes me calmer.

Give Back: When the stress gets to be too much, it might be time to stop focusing on yourself and instead focus on others. In other words, help others out. You could volunteer at an animal shelter, read at a senior center or share your talents with a nonprofit. Your kindness to others will lead to kindness to yourself.

What are you doing to be kind to yourself?