DIScOvER yOUR BRAND
Speakers often create a clev-
er brand that has nothing
to do with them personally.
It might look good, but un-
less it relates to them as in-
dividuals, it is not authen-
tic. Think about your brand
messages and tag lines. Do
they align with your values and be-
liefs? Do you project these values hon-
estly and consistently? Don’t fall into
the trap of creating marketing jargon
to impress or do the hard sell. Be the
best version of yourself.
Some speakers make passionate
presentations about customer service,
and then display appalling, unresponsive skills offstage. Other speakers advocate flexibility, but are rigid when
conducting business. Do these examples apply to you? Your presentational
brand, your reputation brand and
your personal brand must align. I
don’t mean to be provocative for the
sake of it. You can live your brand
by identifying your true core values,
skills, drivers and motivators. Author
and pioneering aviatrix Anne Morrow
Lindbergh once said, “The most
exhausting thing you can do is to be
unauthentic,” so why try to be something you’re not?
Think back on your life. When faced
with decisions, identify the common
threads, thoughts and words that keep
repeating themselves. This information
reveals your brand’s key elements. Your
core authenticity is a unique combination of values, strengths and drivers that
can be packaged and projected effectively and consistently. People can copy
your products and messages, but they
cannot copy you. Your uniqueness is the
brand you need to focus on presenting.
You can further identify
your brand by asking au-
diences and clients the
following questions: Can
they describe what you
speak about? How do
you inspire them? What
do you make them think
about? Listen carefully—their responses
may surprise you. My audiences, for ex-
ample, used to say I talk about image. I
didn’t want to be perceived as an image
consultant, so I had to focus on convey-
ing my real personal branding messages—
the stuff I really believe in and try to live
every day.
Try this helpful exercise: Ask colleagues, clients and friends to describe you
in four words—perhaps three strengths
and one weakness. Find out what they really say behind your back! Mark Le Blanc,
NSA President 2007–2008, will attest to
the effectiveness of this exercise. He used
this advice following my keynote presentation at CAPS in December 2007 and received some amazing email feedback.
