may also like: A Man of Few Words (Story) 10 Ways you should Not Describe Yourself Picture this: You meet someone new. What do you do? he asks. Im an architect, you say. Oh, really? he answers. Have you designed any buildings Ive seen? Maybe, you reply. We did the new library at the university... Oh wow, he says. Ive seen it. Thats a beautiful building... And youre off. Maybe hes a potential client, maybe not... but either way youve made a great impression. You sound awesome. Now picture this: You meet someone new. What do you do? he asks. Im a passionate, innovative, dynamic provider of architectural services who uses a collaborative approach to create and deliver outstanding customer experiences. And hes off, never to be seen again... because you sound like a pompous ass. Do you--whether on your website, or more likely on social media accounts--describe yourself differently than you do in person? Do you use hacky clichés and overblown superlatives and breathless adjectives? Do you write things about yourself you would never have the nerve to actually say? If so, its time for a change. Here are some words that are great when used by other people to describe you, but you should never use to describe yourself: Motivated. Check out Chris Rocks response (not safe for work or the politically correct) to people who say they take care of their kids. Then substitute the word motivated. Never take credit for things you are supposed to do--or be. Authority. If you have to say youre an authority, you arent. Show your expertise instead. Presenter at SXSW or Delivered TED Talk at Long Beach 2010 indicates a level of authority. Unless you can prove it, social media marketing authority just means you spend a ton of time on Twitter. Global provider. The vast majority of businesses can sell goods or services worldwide; the ones that cant--like restaurants--are obvious. (See?) Only use global provider if that capability is not assumed or obvious; otherwise you just sound like a really small company trying to appear really big. Innovative. Most companies claim to be innovative. Most people claim to be innovative. Most are not. (Im not.) Thats okay, because innovation isnt a requirement for success. If you are innovative, dont say it. Prove it. Describe the products youve developed. Describe the processes youve modified. Give us something real so your innovation is unspoken but evident... which is always the best kind of evident to be. Creative. See particular words often enough and they no longer make an impact. Creative is one of them. (Go to LinkedIn and check out some profiles; creative will appear in the majority.) Creative is just one example. Others include extensive, effective, proven, dynamic, influential, team player, collaborative... some of those terms truly may describe you, but since theyre also being used to describe everyone else theyve lost their impact. Curator. Museums have curators. Libraries have curators. Tweeting links to stuff you find interesting doesnt make you a curator... or an authority or a guru. Passionate. Say youre incredibly passionate about incorporating an elegant design aesthetic in everyday objects and--to me at least--you sound a little scary. Same if youre passionate about developing long-term customer solutions. Try focus, concentration, or specialization instead. Save the passion for your loved one. Unique. Fingerprints are unique. Snowflakes are unique. You are unique--but your business probably isnt. Dont pretend to be, because customers dont care about unique; they care about better. Show how youre better than the competition and in the minds of customers you will be unique. Guru. People who try to be clever for the sake of being clever are anything but. Dont be a self-proclaimed ninja, sage, connoisseur, guerilla, wonk, egghead... its awesome when your customers affectionately describe you in that way, but when you do it its apparent youre trying way too hard. Incredibly... Check out some random bios and youll find plenty of further-modified descriptors: Incredibly passionate, profoundly insightful, extremely captivating... isnt it enough to be insightful or captivating? Do you have to be incredibly passionate? If you must use over-the-top adjectives to describe yourself, at least spare us the further modification. Trust us; we already get it
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 04:31:49 +0000
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