Blogging for t5m.com

I am now running a channel for t5m - the fabulous digital and broadcast site. Apart from my blog :-), you can also find coverage from the BRITs, documentaries, sporting events, and in-depth profiles of actors, musicians, writers and designers...

You can read all about it here: t5m.com

Louise

Web 2.0 Expo NY: Gary Vaynerchuk - Building personal brand...

Gary Vaynerchuk talks about building personal brand within the social media landscape.

His PP message - patience and passion ring true. So many are questioning what they are doing, whether they have a true passion for it. Gary's message: if you are not doing what you do with passion, stop doing it!

There are a few seminal moments in life when we get to take a step back from the day to day and really ask ourselves if what we do with most of our time is something that we are truly passionate about. More often than not, those seminal moments come with change. And usually, we are not in the driving seat. It comes out of the blue - often it seems harsh, unfair, difficult. The rug is pulled from under our feet and we are left floundering, gasping for air like a fish out of water.

I see this day to day with my clients, and have experienced it myself on too many occasions. If we don't live our passions, if we are not prepared to take the risk and change what we are doing, then life comes along and changes it for us. And all too often, its downright uncomfortable to say the least.

I'll leave the expletives for Gary - suffice to say that its a little like a spring clean - grab the opportunity, claim the space that loss presents and take a stance. Work out what you love to do and then begin. And don't stop until you find the flow, are in the groove, totally in the zone. You will know when you get there. The feeling is awesome.

Public Speaking & Presenting

Does the thought of presenting or speaking in public rock your very core? So many are paralysed - reduced to a hyperventilating, sweaty fight or flight muddle by the very thought of getting up in front of a group. And yet, having the presence to deliver your intended message in an impactful way is a vital foundation skill that we can all learn. I think that they should teach this stuff in school. And not only in the debating society. The ability to perform with passion and conviction is all about a simple change in focus - from ourselves to our audience.

So as a start, with a focus on your audience, you need to apply the power of PIE. That is Persuading, Informing, Entertaining or Educating. I'm not too keen on yet another acronym, however, we all like the power of PIE/Pi/pie.

This particular PIE is all about the purpose or objective of your talk - whether you are delivering to the members of the board or at a conference of thousands. What are you trying to achieve? Do you need to persuade; are you simply informing; does it need to be entertaining or is the purpose to educate? Once you are clear in your own mind, you have the flavour or tone of your presentation. The secret here is to keep the focus, don't waiver.

The charismatic Steve Jobs does it best:



Seven personal branding essentials for 09

Whilst many are focused on a dry January, nil-per-mouth and a gym membership to shift the holiday pounds, I thought I'd add to the mix with seven personal branding essentials for what promises to be an interesting year...

1. Perception is reality - spend some time discovering how you are actually perceived by your audience or markets - what you learn will give you invaluable clues as to anything that might be creating obstacles for you.
2. Really focus on what is distinct, different, memorable, unique, and ultimately compelling about who you are and what you do and find ways to demonstrate this to those who can influence your success.
3. Turn the tables and examine each market or audience that has an influence on your success from their perspective, and ask yourself what they want from someone like you – adapt how you deal with them accordingly.
4. Ensure that all of this is authentic and consistent – anything less will be perceived as untrustworthy and unreliable.
5. Take the lead in a variety of ways appropriate to your role and markets to demonstrate your brand - from initiatives to focus groups to keynote speaking or new endeavours – you will be associated with the topic and perceived as the person to go to in that field.
6. Relationships are key… ultimately we tend to go with those that we feel that we have some sort of emotional connection with – let your personality shine through in order to give others something to buy into.
7. Make sure that your image is not standing in your way… first and foremost it needs to be appropriate, which will communicate how you value yourself, leading others to value you in the same way.

Above all, don’t attempt to be anything other than yourself - just do it better.

Personal Branding Tips

I have recently added a Q&A section to my site... feel free to ask if you have any burning Image or Personal Branding queries and I will get back to you as soon as.

On that note, I thought that I would share my 'top tips' for Personal Branding.

Here we go:

1. Find out how you are actually perceived or what your reputation is – ask a variety of people;
2. Spend some time exploring what it is about you that is or will be memorable, different, distinct and deeply compelling to your market or audience;
3. Ask yourself if what you are offering is authentic, if not it will only breed mistrust;
4. Make sure that your message or what you deliver is consistent, if it is erratic, it will lose value and undermine your efforts;
5. Create a Personal Brand statement outlining who you are, what you do, how you do it and why it is compelling… and use abridged versions of it consistently wherever appropriate;
6. Explore how you can make your Personal Brand known to your market or audience and act on it.
   

Personal Image Tips

Creating positive first impressions is all about our Personal Image, which is made up of three things; how we look, how we sound and our body language. We form opinions about others in a matter of seconds and then spend the rest of our time justifying our decisions to ourselves.

Our Image communicates so much about us. It has a powerful effect on how other people approach and respond to us, personally and professionally. A positive, appropriate Image instantly puts our audience at ease. Adversely, a negative, inappropriate Image creates hard to shift obstacles and barriers to success.

Top Tips:

1. Ensure that your clothing is appropriate for the occasion
2. What you wear and your grooming communicate how you feel about yourself… ask yourself what it is that you are conveying to others?
3. Keep accessories, jewellery, make-up, perfume and aftershave subtle and appropriate
4. Practice the art of introducing yourself and of making small talk
5. Smile, make eye contact, shake hands, relax, don’t fidget
6. Be conscious of the appropriate etiquette in the circumstances that you find yourself
7. Remember other peoples names and use them
8. Listen, pay attention to what the other person is saying in order to show interest and find common ground… don’t chatter