Personal Branding, Public Speaking
In the world of personal branding, few tools are as potent and transformative as public speaking. It offers a unique opportunity to create and influence public perception, setting you apart from the competition and positioning you as an authoritative figure in your industry.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, business professional, or industry leader, harnessing the power of public speaking can be a game-changer for your personal brand. In this article, we’ll delve into the numerous benefits of public speaking engagements, and how they can elevate your professional image and establish you as an expert in your field.
Personal branding revolves around standing out, enhancing credibility, and becoming a recognized authority in your niche. By cultivating a distinctive personal brand, you unlock a world of opportunities, from advancing your career to increasing product sales and growing your social following. Public speaking is a unique platform that offers unparalleled exposure and visibility, connecting you with your audience on a deeper, more personal level.
However, many individuals shy away from speaking engagements due to fear and nervousness. They resort to alternatives like email marketing and blogging to promote their personal brand. But understanding the power of public speaking as a complementary tool to other brand-building efforts is essential.
This blog post will unveil compelling reasons to include speaking engagements in your brand-building strategies and provide valuable insights on overcoming your fear of public speaking.
Establishing Credibility:
When you step onto the stage as a speaker, you command attention and authority. The act of sharing your knowledge and insights positions you as a credible and knowledgeable figure in your industry. Audiences perceive speakers as experts and are more likely to trust and respect individuals who can deliver valuable information with confidence.
Showcasing Expertise:
Public speaking offers a platform to showcase your expertise in a way that few other mediums can match. As you share your experiences, ideas, and innovative approaches, you demonstrate your deep understanding of your field. This exposure not only reinforces your personal brand as an expert, but also distinguishes you from competitors.
Building Thought Leadership:
Thought leaders are individuals who inspire others with their ideas and vision. Through public speaking, you have the opportunity to shape discussions, influence opinions, and drive change within your industry. Being recognized as a thought leader enhances your personal brand and opens doors to new opportunities, including media features, collaborations, and invitations to exclusive events.
Expanding Network and Influence:
Speaking engagements provide a direct and impactful way to expand your network and connect with like-minded professionals, potential clients, and industry peers. The relationships forged during and after your presentations can lead to valuable partnerships, referrals, and collaborations that further strengthen your expert brand.
Enhancing Visibility and Reach:
Public speaking expands your reach beyond your immediate circle. Conferences, workshops, webinars, and panel discussions offer exposure to diverse audiences, both in-person and virtually. This heightened visibility can attract new followers to your personal brand, growing your influence and impact.
Improving Communication Skills:
Speaking in public hones your communication skills, making you a more effective and engaging communicator. These improved skills extend to various aspects of your personal brand, including interviews, networking, and media interactions.
Personal Growth and Confidence:
The journey of public speaking is not only professionally rewarding, but also personally transformative. Overcoming the fear of public speaking and mastering this art form builds self-assurance and confidence. As you embrace challenges and overcome them, you grow both as a professional and an individual.
In today’s competitive landscape, leveraging the power of public speaking can propel your personal brand to new heights. By establishing credibility, showcasing expertise, building thought leadership, expanding your network, and enhancing your visibility, you position yourself as a true authority in your field.
Embrace public speaking as a tool to elevate your professional image, solidify your expert brand, and leave a lasting impact on your audience. The rewards go beyond the stage; they lead to exciting opportunities, influential connections, and a personal brand that stands out in the crowd. So, step up to the podium, embrace the spotlight, and let your voice shape the future of your personal brand.
If you are interested in a coaching session to evaluate or improve your public speaking and presenting skills please contact me to schedule a meeting >>>
Master Presenter Workshop video
Personal Branding
Developing a powerful leadership brand is crucial for both established and emerging leaders. As a leader, your personal brand must align with your current and future leadership goals.
It goes beyond highlighting your work experience and skills; it should reflect your unique leadership style, core values, and the impact you’ve made.
In this article, we will delve into the key considerations for shaping your leadership brand and present a framework to guide you through the process.
If you are an established leader, examine and focus on the following:
Unifying Your Experiences:
If you’ve accumulated a diverse range of experiences, it’s essential to connect them cohesively. Paint a clear picture of the value of your work by identifying common themes and accomplishments that showcase your leadership abilities.
Balancing Roles and Responsibilities:
As a leader, you may wear multiple hats. Find a balance when communicating your brand and thought leadership. Highlight the strengths you possess in each role and demonstrate how they contribute to your overall leadership journey.
Crafting Your Business Story:
Go beyond a simple timeline of work history. Tell a compelling story about your business experiences, approach, and values. Emphasize the impact you’ve had, as this will resonate with your audience.
Synthesizing Key Messages:
For impactful keynote presentations, distil the messages behind your stories into powerful takeaways. Your ability to deliver concise and meaningful insights will leave a lasting impression.
If you are an emerging leader, here are a few tips for you.
Expanding Your Network:
Build influential connections to advance your leadership journey. Seek out introductions to key individuals who can help you reach the next level in your career.
Developing Your Voice:
Position yourself as an authority in your field by developing a strong voice. Share valuable insights through content creation, speaking engagements, and thought leadership platforms.Addressing Weaknesses:Identify any weaknesses in your resume and work on addressing them to enhance your credibility and build trust as a next-level leader.Non-Verbal Communication:Pay attention to your personal appearance, body language, and communication style. These elements greatly influence how others perceive your leadership abilities.
The Strategic Framework:
To build your leadership brand effectively, follow this strategic framework:
– Self-analysis: Evaluate where you are currently standing in relation to your leadership goals. Identify your target audience and the specific goals you want to achieve.
– Value Proposition Messaging: Develop clear and compelling value propositions that communicate your unique leadership qualities, core values, and vision.
– Communication Plan: Create a plan to communicate your leadership brand to your target audience. Utilize various platforms, such as social media (LinkedIN), speaking engagements (forums and conferences) and networking events.
– Execution: Break down the steps needed to execute your communication plan. Consistency and perseverance are key to increasing your visibility and engagement over time.
To summarize, building a robust leadership brand requires a strategic approach that goes beyond surface-level improvements. By understanding your goals, identifying your audience, and crafting a compelling narrative, you can elevate your leadership brand and make a lasting impact as a leader. Embrace the journey of self-discovery and intentional communication, and you will pave the way for a successful and influential leadership brand.
Self-Confidence Workshop video
Personal Branding
Embarking on a career change, transitioning to a new role, or stepping into a leadership position requires a well-thought-out personal brand relaunch strategy. Before making any public announcements, it’s crucial to lay the groundwork behind-the-scenes.
There are proactive steps you can take to prepare for your brand’s impactful relaunch. In this article, we’ll delve into the key strategies that will help you authentically and successfully relaunch your personal brand and positioning yourself for future success.
Conduct a SWOT Analysis:
Begin by performing a SWOT analysis, assessing your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This evaluation will provide a clear understanding of your current standing versus your desired goals. Identifying gaps and areas for improvement will help you build a robust foundation for your future personal brand.
Define Your Value Proposition:
Craft a compelling value proposition that sets you apart and communicates the unique value you bring to your target audience. Beyond merely listing skills and expertise, delve deeper into how your strengths, address the needs and desires of your stakeholders. If you find articulating your value challenging, contact me to schedule a coaching session to refine your brand messaging effectively.
Create a Personal Brand Communication Plan:
Develop a comprehensive communication plan to ensure your brand messages reach your intended audience effectively. Focus on a few key channels that align with your goals and audience, rather than spreading yourself thin across various platforms. Learn to use online tools that can help you plan and schedule publications of content or social media posts and monitor audience engagement. Cultivate a long-term approach that strengthens your brand’s visibility and engagement consistently over time.
Prepare Content for Launch:
Gather all the content necessary to go live with your updated personal brand. This may include one of the following: website content, capturing personal imagery through photos or videos, social media banners, business cards, and other online collateral. Prepare blog posts, articles, and a content plan for future posting to keep your brand relevant and engaging.
While you can find resources online to guide you through these steps, consider seeking professional support to expedite the process and ensure a polished and impactful brand launch. Working with experts can save you time and guarantee a professional outcome, setting you up for success from the start.
In summary, relaunching your personal brand requires thoughtful planning and execution. By conducting a SWOT analysis, defining your value proposition, developing a communication plan, and preparing content in advance, you’ll be poised for a successful and authentic brand launch when the time is right. Get ready to hit the ground running and set yourself up for future success with a revitalized and strategic personal brand.
Ready to relaunch your personal brand with impact? Join my coaching session to strategize and craft a powerful brand that aligns with your goals. Contact me to book your session now >>
Personal Branding
Every single public presentation or private consultation I start with explaining 2 things: what personal branding is about and what are the similarities and differences between personal and product branding.
First one, my approach to personal branding is about applying marketing strategies to personal branding. Personal Branding is about marketing and branding strategy for You and NOT about personal development. I am not your coach, I do not want to improve you or influence a change. For me, you are a “product”. You are completed. My job is to find the best way to promote you, to market you, to sell you, but most importantly to find the unique value that you represent and communicate it to the world as a Brand.
Now here comes the second thing. There is a key difference between Product Branding and Personal Branding. Product brand can be created because a product can be created. And behind the process of product creation, there is an idea about who it should serve and what it should do. Therefore a product is created to have specific features and offer specific benefits. A product is developed, improved, customized. This is NOT a case when it comes to a personal branding. You are not designed in such a way. You just come with a set of skills, strengths and weaknesses, education, experience, personality traits, even cultural and religious background etc. I always encourage people to develop and grow as persons and professionals, but my job as personal branding consultant is not to change you to create a new person. Therefore I do not believe in creating a personal brand. If your goal is to ‘create a personal brand’, you are doomed to fail. Because if your creation doesn’t reflect the reality, sooner or later you will not be able to maintain it.
STOP CREATING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND AND START BEING ONE
It is like using a fake photo on a dating portal. You may attract some interest, but once you show up at the real-life date, the other side will be disappointed. This takes me back to the line I always use that ‘marketing is about making a promise, but branding delivers on experience’.
You may keep a poker face, but when someone call to check, you better have a strong hand.
Read other related articles to find out more about PERSONAL BRANDING >>>
Personal Branding, Uncategorized
Understanding that client’s perception of you impacts your relationship and your business is a first step to look into your personal brand.
If you do not have yet a strategy for developing and maintaining your personal branding, here are 5 elements you need to consider.
1. Positioning – start with thinking how you are positioned in the minds of your clients, how you are perceived and how would you like to be perceived. Then evaluate your appearance, behavior and communication to support the message you want to pass. With every action you take, consider how it will be received, what emotions will trigger and how will it reflect on your personal brand. If your behavior will be perceived in a negative way, it will surely influence the way you are perceived and it will become an obstacle to achieving your business goals.
2. Consistency – keep in mind that your image and brand is constantly evaluated and every action is assessed and judged. Therefore, you should work hard on achieving consistency in all three areas – appearance, behavior, communication – to strengthen your brand. If it is perceived as consistent, it gives your clients reassurance on what to expect from you in any given situation. If you consistently deliver on targets, meets deadlines, have a professional look, you are considered reliable and trustworthy.
3. Authority – your personal brand of expert or leader has to command authority. While authority can be imposed by seniority, higher rank, longer service, it is equally important to be earned. And all elements of the image have to support it. If you look good, appear comfortable and confident then the focus is on the conversation and your appearance doesn’t distract from your message. There are many experts in the field, but not all of them are authorities. The difference is, the experts have the knowledge, authorities have the knowledge and the audience because they earned their trust.
4. Branding– your professional image reflects your products and services. You are the business card of your business and very often you are the first point of contact for your clients. Ensure that your appearance is consistent with your message and your image is consistent with your brand. Always strive to be the best possible representation of your company.
5. Timing – timing can make or break everything. Think strategically on introduction of various aspects of your image. Make sure that is not overwhelming. If it is too perfect, too well planned and executed, as it might be perceived as staged or fake. It has to come naturally from within and you have to consistently deliver the same values and qualities. If you are starting with building your personal brand, best take one step at the time and embrace the change. Let it become you first, before you show it to the world. You have to own it and control it, and it has to be an immanent part of you.
- Do you feel like you are not fulfilling your business and personal potential?
- Do you feel like you have more to offer than people see?
- Do you feel your outer presentation doesn’t endorse you in a way you would like it?
Probably it is time to look at your image and see if it you can take charge of the message you truly want to deliver. If you came to the conclusion that your client’s perception of you and your business is not as you would like it to be, it is time to make the decision to focus and invest in areas that impact the way you are perceived.
Personal Branding
When thinking about Personal Branding you can’t forget about 3 elements – Unique, Reliable, Consistent
Unique
You need to stand out from the rest. If you, as an executive or entrepreneur, are like the others, why anyone would choose you, how would they know you deliver better value than anyone else. How would you differentiate yourself and make yourself and the business you represent special, remarkable and irresistible?
Be different, do not be afraid to stand out, find your uniqueness and market it. Present yourself in a personal way and put emphasis on authenticity and qualities that make you stand out from competitors and colleagues.
Reliable
People need to be able to build relationship with you – whether it is business or private life and it all starts with trust. Your personal brand’s most powerful feature is reliability, and it is built on belief that you are credible, solid and honest in your relationship with business partners, co-workers and friends.
You should have strong business ethics and show high level of professionalism on every occasion. If people know they can rely on you, they put their trust and hope in you. You are then destined to become recognized as an expert and leader.
Consistent
All parts of your brand must be congruent, they must match each other and they need to pass the same message. Elements of your appearance, your behavior and your manners, as well as business ethics have to contribute to a clear picture. If you are a creative person, you may want to emphasize your originality and boldness, but find a way your uniqueness supports your business goals.
Personal Branding
Your personal brand audience is all the people you have contact with and every interaction you have with them, whether random or frequent, has an impact on your image and your brand as an individual.
Now that you have assessed your personal brand, it is time to look into relationship other people have with You. Take into the consideration the following:
- Who is your audience?
- Where is your audience?
- How do you communicate with your audience?
- Who would you like your audience to be?
Who is your audience?
Your audience is all the people you have contact with – whether face to face, over the phone, digitally via email, social media networks or website. People you are in regular contact – your family, friends, co-workers, business partners and clients – but also random people you meet in various places and during various occasions – taxi driver, waiter in the restaurant, your doctor’s assistant. All of them are your audience, although you remain in different relationships with them and you most probably communicate with them in different ways.
- Private zone – people with whom you have a personal relationship: family members, friends, colleagues, sport club members, your child’s school teachers
- Business zone – people with whom you have work-related relationship: co-workers, clients, business partners, board members, suppliers, contractors etc.
- Random contacts – people you meet, but do not establish long term relationship: taxi driver, shop assistant, flight attendant, waiter in the restaurant
Where is your audience?
For personal branding this question may be tricky, because everyone everywhere is your audience. But you need to understand that depending on their physical location, your contact with them is of a different nature. Personal contact with people is different than contact over the internet and they way you speak with someone on the phone differs from the way you communicate over social media or personal hobby blog.
How do you communicate with your audience?
Once you know where your audiences are, you need to consider the way you talk with them. As sender of a message you take responsibility for being understood. You need to speak the language that will be easily understood by your audience. You need to adjust your vocabulary and tone of voice to the receiver of the message. The way you describe your job is different if you speak to the business partner and the way you explain it to a 10-year old nephew.
The tone of voice you use when you speak during the board meeting is different than when you talk with family members, or when you write a post on your hobby blog. You are in different roles and your messaging needs to be adjusted to the situation.
Personal Branding
Branding is a term associated with products and services, but when we talk about personal branding, you need to understand it is all about You. And by all I mean every single detail that is associated with you. From your business attire, the look of your office to a small detail like your business card.
If you think about branding yourself, you need to start thinking strategically about your image by creating it and managing to achieve success. And by success I mean to achieve goals you set for yourself.
Building personal brand is a process, which starts with the evaluation of your current image and the way you are perceived by other people. You need to remember that you can control the way you dress, behave, communicate, but you cannot control the way people perceive it, because each person add a different meaning to your image. It is simply the matter of interpretation. That interpretation is based on a person’s experience, beliefs and values. Your image cannot be good or bad, it simply can be helpful or distracting tool to achieve your goals.
Brand and Image are sometimes used interchangeably, but I like to differentiate those two, as they relate to two different areas. Image is more visual representation of a person, while the brand has broadened meaning and is related to values and exists in the heart and the mind of your audience.
To be successful you need to be in control of your total image and every single element of it. This cannot be created against your own nature, against your values. This has to come from within and needs to be constructed on fundaments that are immanent part of you. You can work on certain elements by focusing on developing your strengths and controlling your weaknesses and unsupportive behaviors to increase professional effectiveness and better your social life.
When planning your brand identity, you need to ask yourself; ‘what I want to tell my audience about myself, how I want to be perceived. What is my message?
Whether you are meeting business partners, new clients or going for a job interview, you need to answer those questions. The deal will be closed, new clients acquired and you get your new job if your image perceives the positive values those people are looking for. As I said, it cannot be good or bad, it simply matches your audience expectations of a perfect business partner or executive or not. So you need to realize your image and the way you are perceived is a matter of establishing trust in business relationships.
People do business with people they know, like and trust. And sometimes you have very little time to convince someone. Visual impressions are important and are part of the process of communication. You need more time to present yourself and show your value, so you need to buy yourself time.
Dave van Hose from Speaking Empire, with whom I organized a couple of events in Europe, says; ‘Show up like no other’. This is exactly the point. The first impression has to be remarkable and memorable. Be positive, confident, decisive, honest and pleasant. Gain people’s heart before you talk to their mind. If they experience you positively on an emotional level, they will be more open on intellectual level. And if you control your identity, you can control your career and your personal life.
