Stay focused and empathise, it will help you see things from the sender’s point of view. If you do disagree with what’s being delivered hold your temper. Don’t let emotion affect your understanding. You risk putting the sender on the defensive. Instead, ask questions. Seek to clarify and understand. It also shows the sender you’re listening and encourages a more open dialogue.
As long as you show up as the same person whether online or in real life, you’ll create a personal brand that’s aligned with your values and is congruent with your personality. Don't try to be somebody you think you should be or use language that isn't yours. You’ll be certain to get caught out...
Better still if you can get on a stage and speak to an audience not only do you increase your reputation as the go-to person in your industry, but you build your Personal Brand. As my guest, keynote speaker and marketing master, Mark Schaefer says ‘Personal brand is Everything!’
I ended up fortuitously at the Royal Shakespeare Company as a dresser. Well, you could say I found my tribe. It was there in 1994, standing in the wings, a faint smell of grease paint in the air, that I had my penny drop moment...
So, you have an amazing product (idea or message) you want to share with the world. You know the world needs what you have to offer but you’re afraid that when you stand up to speak, you’ll hear sniggers, laughter or worse still, tumbleweed.
Once you have that talk under your belt it can be used again and again, refined, and adapted, to fill 10 minutes or 90 mins. To talk to an audience of 10 or 10,000.
