I came across an article called “How Not to Work a Room” and that is the partial inspiration for this post. It doesn’t matter whether you are a celebrity or not, you are most definitely creating impressions on every single person that you meet.
Is that a reason for fear and concern? Probably not, but it does mean an opportunity to enhance your personal brand, the brand of your company every time you get a chance to speak in front of someone, (without being absolutely fake.)
The key to doing this is speaking with conviction and knowing your subject well. Whatever message you communicate will be felt if you truly believe what you are saying, and of course, don’t forget the power of compelling stories. Sometimes a story from childhood can be “compelling” if it helps you relate to your audience better. Typically, you want to emphasize a message that can be related on a human level, and the perceptions of your brand come out not only in simple advertising, but also in other forms, such as when you interact with others, how you interact with them, what kind of information about you is out there on the World Wide Web.
And that’s why communicating your brand is practically a 24 hour job (minus the time you’re asleep!), because each action on your part translates into perception for your customers, peers, and partners.
Hmm…so that means we have to be 100 times more self aware than a decade or two ago? The reason is, we are now in a culture that has blocked out pure advertising, and are thus more quick to judge based on your actions rather than your words.
