Express Yourself Better and Become More Approachable

By Lois Tuffin

In April, I spent an energizing hour online with Strategic Brand Advisor Jennifer Kem and honed my understanding of the fine art of building your personal brand. She reminded me how vital it is to be yourself and to project that image out into the world.

Being authentic is so important to earn clients’ trust.

However, in our efforts to appear smart or accomplished, we sometimes overdo our introductions, which can put others off. Being humble yet sharing your expertise is a tough balancing act. Yet, it can be done when you use the right words.

What you’re seeking is a chance to find common ground with other people to open up a conversation and see what else you share. To begin, think about the topics that have led to enriching chats in the past and tap into those topics to get people comfortable with engaging with you.

In my case, some of my go-to themes are:

• Working as a journalist who has interviewed people and covered various topics

• Growing up as one of seven kids

• Putting myself through school with a lot of work and no student loans

• Converting two convents into community hubs

• Volunteering to rebuild and rebrand organizations

• Training my dogs with various games

• Traveling the world to non-touristy destinations

Those ice breakers just start the conversation

Invariably, this opens up questions about other individuals’ lives and how they see the world. The topics are non-political and not personal enough to make people feel they need to change the topic.

If you’re shy, or if English is your second language, it can be intimidating to reach out to others. I understand. When I moved to the small city where I live, it took a while to understand the shorthand between people who were born and raised here. Subjects that were door-openers in my hometown didn’t always fly here.

For people to get to know you, you need to start with a good introduction. You can do this with a warm online biography or other communication pieces that tell your story.

Let’s find out what begins the conversation you want to have. I’d love to get to know you better.

Photo by Gino Crescoli / Pixabay.com