Shelley-Ann.com | Living On Creative Juice » self promotion

Poll: What’s your favorite form of self-promotion?

Shelley — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:30:37 +0000

A lot of people hate self promotion. Many mistake it for bragging. Bragging IS a huge turn off. There is a difference between the two.

Self promotion is a conversation.

It is not about someone tell anyone in earshot how great you are but never listening to the other person. My favorite forms of self promotion are teaching, blogging & microblogging, email newsletters and the occasional networking event.

[polldaddy poll=4403215]

Hate networking?

Shelley — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:30:22 +0000

I used to absolutely HATE networking. I would avoid it like the plague. But back in 2004 I changed my mind about networking. I changed the way I thought about networking so it changed the way I behaved when I decided to go to an event. I was working exclusively at home at the time.

I decided to figure out what about networking I didn’t like. I hated the small talk. The attempt to talk to a large amount of people and get a bunch of business cards. 90% of whom I never reached out to after the event. Pointless right? The whole reason to go to a networking event is to MEET people. So why wasn’t I following up? Or meeting people with whom I had any chemistry?

Well for starters I wasn’t honoring the fact that I’m an introvert and I was attending too many events. Which guaranteed I’d fail. Why? Well I was brain dead by the time I got to my third event of the week. Who can focus much less carry on a conversation when just being in the room is driving you nuts because you need some quiet.

I started to be more picky about which events I attended. I also gave myself permission to leave early if I felt like it. Why force myself to stay when I’m not enjoying myself? I’d be irritable and quiet – not exactly the way to be if you are looking to connect with people.

So I set myself a goal, I’d aim to connect one on one with at least five people and after that I was free to leave. I wasn’t in the business of collecting business cards just to prove I met a ton of people. I am in the business of creating relationships. Networking is about creating relationships not about numbers. Until you have the relationship thing down the numbers don’t matter.

Nothing is more irritating than someone you barely know trying to sell you something. There is no trust yet. Why would you buy what they are selling? Or how about not talking to someone for months and then asking them for job leads. Annoying right?

Whether networking online/in-person being authentic is important.

What I’ve learned over the years:

Give without expecting anything in return
Stay in touch. Sure email is great but a quick phone call or handwritten note are great too
Be genuinely interested in the other person’s goals
Ask how you can help
Go early to events
It’s not about quantity of connections but the quality of them
Eat before you go so you aren’t hovering over the buffet table
Bring business cards. Sounds crazy to put that on the list but you’d be surprised at how many times I’ve been with people at an event who didn’t have business cards on them. Even if you are unemployed you still need them. There is the old standby Vistaprint but also consider Moo or Expressionery
Forward jobs that aren’t a good fit for you to others even if they aren’t actively looking. You never know it might be their dream job
Know when to move on. Relationships are a two street. If the other person isn’t interested don’t keep trying. It is best to move on to someone who is interested in making a connection. Yes, the rejection will sting but dragging it out is pointless
Go to events that are outside of your industry. It’s easy to stick with groups and organizations that are about your field.
Online networking is a good place to start but try to take the connection offline too

Lessons Learned: Self Promotion for Introverts

Shelley — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:30:31 +0000

In May, I took the two week course taught by Nancy Ancowitz on Self-Promotion for Introverts at New York University. I had heard Nancy speak on the topic in March as well which is why I decided to take her course. Seminars are great but I like taking longer classes as they give me the opportunity to spend more time on a topic, do more research and ask more questions after I’ve had time to think about the material.
Success is something most of us hope to achieve but without self-promotion we will most likely not achieve our true potential. As an introvert I know there is nothing I hate more than listening to someone brag about their accomplishments. It’s boring and obnoxious which is probably why most introverts hate self-promotion. We are under the misguided notion that self-promotion equals bragging.

It doesn’t.

Self-promotion is a dialogue not a monologue. Most bragging tends to be a monologue of one person trying to impress the other with his/her accomplishments. In most cases they aren’t interested in the other person at all and are dominating the conversation. Trying to sell themselves by any means necessary. Most people hate bragging.

Self-promotion is about being authentic, creating a dialogue, stating the facts without embellishment and creating connections. To do it well you must know what is holding you back from effective self-promotion. You must understand what makes you unique – your strengths and weakness, even your quirks.

It’s not about selling your soul to the highest bidder. It is about figuring out what you offer the world and letting the world know that you exist. Most people right or wrong prefer to work with people they like. Find out why people have hired you in the past or why they did for your current position. You can use that information in promoting yourself. Figure out what makes you great at your job.

I know there are parts of my job I love and there are others I hate so much I’d rather go to the dentist.

Being a visual learner I created a mindmap of the “Self-Promotion for Introverts” class recently. It contains what I felt were some important take aways. If you want to learn more you can take Nancy’s class in October, read her book – Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead or checkout her blog.

Download Self-promotion for Introverts Class Mindmap

What I learned during “Presentation Skills for Introverts”

Shelley — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:00:53 +0000

In April I took “Presentation Skills for Introverts” taught by Nancy Ancowitz the author of Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead. Click on the mind map image above to enlarge the image. The map highlights the key points that I took away from the course. Presenting is a skill that we all need but requires practice to master. During the course I got to practice not only the verbals but the non-verbals skills of presenting.

The instructor, Nancy Ancowitz has a section in her book that covers presentation skills but she also recommends the following books – The Exceptional Presenter: A Proven Formula to Open Up and Own the Room and How to Write and Give a Speech, Second Revised Edition.

There is another session of the class starting Thursdays, 6/10 and 6/17 at 6:30-9:30 p.m.
at New York University’s Washington Square campus. The cost is $110. To register – http://bit.ly/czeJFy

Dowload Presentation Skills for Introverts Mind Map

Self Promotion for Introverts as presented by Nancy Ancowitz

Shelley — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:39:36 +0000

Today I attended a talk by Nancy Ancowitz entitled Self Promotion for Introverts at In Good Company. Nancy has written a book by the same name which was published last year. It has lots of great tips and suggestions that can work for both introverts and extroverts. Check out the PDF of my mindmap of the presentation.

Mindmap of Nancy Ancowitz’s presentation

How to embrace being an Introvert

Shelley — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:41:00 +0000

There are lots of myths out there about what being an introvert means. Introversion simply means that an introvert recharges his/her batteries alone.

Myths about Introverts

Introverts don’t like to talk
Introverts are shy
Introverts are rude
Introverts don’t like people
Introverts always want to be alone

Introverts’ Strengths

Think before speaking or acting
Listen more
Know a lot about a few topics
Are reflective and appear calm
Are more detail oriented

Shyness and introversion are not the same. Introversion may appear to be shyness because introverts are more self contained.

Shyness is a social anxiety, an extreme self-consciousness when one is around people… Shy people may feel uncomfortable with one-on-one situations or in group situations. It is not an energy issue; it is a lack of confidence in social situations. It is a fear of what others think of you. It produces sweating, shaking, red face or neck, racing heart, self-criticism, and a belief that people are laughing at you.
– The Introvert Advantage, Marti Olsen Laney Psy.D

Famous Introverts
Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president
Sir Alfred Hitchcock, film director
Michael Jordon, basketball player and celebrity
Thomas Edison, inventor
Grace Kelly, actress
Gwyneth Paltrow, actress
Laura Bush, former 1st lady
Bill Gates, software pioneer
Candice Bergen, actress
Clint Eastwood, actor/director
Charles Schulz, Peanuts cartoonist
Steve Martin, comedian/actor/writer
Harrison Ford, actor
Michele Pfeiffer, actress
Katherine Graham, late owner of the Washington Post, author

Embracing being an introvert
Being an introvert means accepting introversion unique traits. According to the Myer Briggs test I’m an INFP. Taking the test just confirmed what I already knew about myself. But it is a great starting point for personal development since it helps highlight your strengths.

Introverts get more of their stimulation internally, whereas extroverts seek outside sources – Debra L. Johnson, PhD.

There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. It’s just a different way of experiencing the world.

How to talk about what you do

Shelley — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:07:00 +0000

Also known as your elevator pitch. I read in Michael Port’s book titled, Book Yourself Solid, that the reason most entrepreneurs fail is that they cannot explain what they do to potential clients. Your job title isn’t what you do either. Telling people I’m a user experience designer results in “huh?! what is that?” even using the more widely used term “information architect” or “ interaction designer” means nothing to people outside the industry.

So how do you talk about what you do without confusing people?

There is a simple formula to start with “I help…” and what ever it is you do for your target market. Another way according to IIise Benun, author of Self Promotion Online, is to come up with a 10 word blurb in various ways. First by asking the questions “What do you do”, then “For whom” and finally “What do they get”. You then write the blurb from the problem-solving perspective.

Your “who and do what” is an important part of your marketing strategy. If you can’t explain what you do to someone they won’t see any value in your services.

Spending time crafting different ways of explaining what you do to others is important. It helps you focus on who you really want to work with and what your target audience needs to hear in order to trust you.