If you wish to generate a more powerful impact on those around you, there are many things you can adjust. Some refer to this as Personal Branding, others call it Executive Presence. Whatever you call it, this is all about impression management — i.e. making a more deliberate impression in the minds of those you meet, rather than leaving it to chance. Let’s face it, corporates spend billions doing just that, so why don’t you invest a little time in this area?
I’ve been working on this for a while now, and have come up with what I think is a great analogy — the graphic equalizer. The purpose of a graphic equalizer is to balance the relative strengths of the different frequencies within a signal. The different frequencies can be likened to the different attributes which can make an impression on your audience.
In impression management, there are three key frequency ranges which matter…
- Content/Substance. This comprises your technical knowledge, experience, and skills — the tools of your trade.
- Vision/Direction. These frequencies provide the energy and focus for your content. What key values drive your work?
- Communication/Style. This is the way you express yourself, in all its forms. How do you look, sound and move? What words and expressions do you choose? How do you structure your communication?
Many people I meet are rich on Content, have some good ideas about their Vision, but have paid little attention to their Communication. We’ve all met people who are all talk and no substance! And some just need to adjust the frequencies in the middle and give some energy to their vision to increase their impact.
Within each range, there are many different frequencies which you can adjust to suit your audience. And just like music, a different mix of frequencies is appropriate for different types of music and the particular preferences of different audiences will vary too!
Which frequencies can you adjust to maximise your impact?