Many people find it challenging when they are faced with the critical question of telling people a bit about themselves. Below is a speech model which I have found to be useful when I find myself in a situation where I have to speak so that I can get access to a key meeting with a key person.
1) Branding your name
There is something extraordinary about how people will remember you because of your name, nickname or surname. It may be because of the way it is pronounced, spelt, origins or its meaning. Use it to your advantage to ensure that it enables people to think of you when associated matters arise because of your name, nickname or surname.
For example: My name is Walter Chimene and I am an internationally accredited professional speaker. Walter is a name of German origin and it means ruler of the army, or commander. Chimene is a Shona surname and it means town crier. People (introducing my nickname) call me “Mr Speaker Sir”.
2) Branding your personal value
In this case you clearly share the name of your organisation, its core business, the title that you hold, the roles that are assigned to you and the responsibilities that your portfolio carries.
For example: I am the speaker in chief of a brand called Eloquent Solutions. It’s a phenomenal speaking consultancy. Its focus is to enable people who are geniuses to put their brilliance into words and dazzle.
3) Branding your career trajectory
This is where you talk about what you are by different but aligned dimensions. You mention what you are by training, by experience, by calling, by faith, by passsion and by destiny.
The training dimension will cover what you have gone through in terms of academic exposure in terms of programmes, institutions and accredited platforms that you have had a romance with. The experience dimension allows you to mention the key lesson that you have learned about yourself from organisations that you have been involved with either as a founder, advisor, board member, investor, team leader or employee.
The calling dimension allows you to share where your passion is anchored in in terms of personal development,personal energy and leadership philosophy. The destiny dimension allows you to explore your bigger picture in life, ultimate vision and legacy model that you wish to leave for future generations. The faith dimension allows you to signify what you believe is possible or impossible in your life.
For example: By training I am a professional speaker, by experience I am a fire brand consultant, by calling I am a thought leader, by faith I am a global mover and shaker, by passion I am an entrepreneurial zealot and by destiny I am a pioneering history maker.
4) Branding your milestones of networks
This is where you mention the awards, recognitions and honourarisms that you have received in terms of their number, scope, criteria,
There are instances where the key way for you to be taken seriously is for you to name drop. This may include dropping names of high profile people, organisations or families that have already endorsed the vision, potential, talents or skills that you posses.
For example: I am an internationally accredited professional speaker, a graduate of a 10 year mentorship programme on world class performance, currently the only african on a mentorship programme on thought leadership being facilitated by a prominent globally recognised billionaire and recently I completed a 10 000 hour prgramme (5 years into it) to secure a prestigious place among some global fire brands in public speaking. I have also been acknowledged by several local, continental and global platforms, forums and summits as a rising trendsetting thought leader.
5) Branding your unique value or selling proposition
This is where you preempt and answer the tough questions associated with personal branding that people ask when they don’t know you or are not too sure what is it exactly you do for a living, e.g. what makes you special, why should we care who the heck you are or, so what?
You must give practical examples of how you can help your audience to solve their problems, ease their worries, soothe their troubles or enable their agendas to move forward by becoming bigger, better or best.
For example: I help geniuses put their brilliance into words and dazzle. For instance, with visionaries I help them to craft their messages in a moderate futuristic model so that they may not be mistaken with prophets, fortune tellers or hypnotists. With creative entrepreneurs I help them define their natural speaking styles so that when they sharpen their business concepts they embrace the language of financial literacy and it can make sense to potential investors; and with revolutionaries I help them to define their disregard of the status quo, help them to shape their propaganda manifestos and help them to pitch the alternative new order or paradigm in a sensational bias of pragmatic words, themes, phrases, qoutations and pay off lines. This enables them to become the faces of the revolutions they are pursuing.