Yep, it’s
that time of year again when Mother Nature blossoms, temperatures escalate and
closets burst with stuff that needs sorted, routed and tended to. It’s so tempting to get outside and enjoy
spring, it’s torture to survey what needs to be done inside to spring
clean.
Let’s put
your “stuff” aside for a moment (collective sigh of relief) and focus on
freshening up your communication. Never
thought about it? It’s called your
“personal brand”. And you carry your
personal brand around with you wherever you go.
It’s your calling card, your resume, your reputation. It’s what you’re known for. Here’s the impact you have in the
marketplace. Researchers have found that
we receive on the average of 250 emails a week; 100 phone calls a week. If you
boil that down and cook up some annual numbers (take out two weeks for
vacation) that is 17,500 impressions your personal brand has with colleagues,
clients, referral partners, etc. To
carry your message in an impactful way is key.
How do you freshen up your communication?
1. Change the channel – Has your communication
become a broken record of chatting about the same old things? Remember back in 1999 when you won a
marathon? Old news. Keep the quality of your brand fresh by
incorporating new things such as; new goals, new interests, travel, new app or
website source for ______.
2. Plan of attack – Are you headed out
for that networking event? What’s your
headline for this event? What’s your
open? Speak words to attract
engagement. It’s rather like waking up
and deciding 5 minutes before you bolt out the door what you will wear. We’ve all been there at times; it’s just not
healthy on a consistent basis.
3. Stay engaged – Awareness is the first
step in taking action. When you are
fully engaged in listening to the other person, the other person leans in more,
shares more and your personal brand is freshened up and elevated thanks to your
gift of active listening.
Your
personal brand is your identity. Don’t
let it get covered by months (or years) of useless, ineffective communication
habits.
