A few tips on personal branding, business etiquette and communication

1. Be Your
BrandJoan Oben
Communication/ Personal Branding

2. “Personal brand is what
people say about you
when you leave the
room.”
Founder, Amazon.com
Jeff Bezos

3. Session Objectives
Define
Professional
Brand
The importance of a
personal professional
Brand
The impact of dressing,
posture, attitude &
disposition on a
professional brand
Appreciate professional
communication –
written & verbal
Importance of
continuous
improvement to
professional brand
The existence of
professional brand
expectation gap & how
to close them
How to correct bad
reputations & wrong
impressions

4. What Words Come To Your Mind?

5. Therefore:
A brand is UNIQUE, VALUABLE and RECOGNIZABLE
What is a Brand?
1. A particular identity or image
regarded as an asset
2. A particular type or kind of
something

6. Professional Brand : DEFINITION
The skill, good judgment, and polite behavior
that is expected from a person who is trained to
do a job well (source: www.merriam-webster.com)
Your professional brand is what your are
known for or how you are perceived in
relation to your work

7. Gen 39:2-4,10,22-23.
“ The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man;
and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And
his master SAW that the LORD was with him …….. 4 So
Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he
made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he
put under his authority.”
10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day,
that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be
with her.
Joseph, The Dreamer
22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s
hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever
they did there, it was his doing. 23 The keeper of the
prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s
authority,[a] because the LORD was with him; and
whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.

8. Why You Need A Professional Brand
Communicates who you areC
Differentiates youD
M
M
Makes you memorable
Matters to your current or potential employer

9. Professional
BrandCharacterValues
• Strong personal
qualities
• Your value system
builds your character
• Your brand reflects your
character
• Principles or standards
of behaviour
• Belief about what is
right and wrong & what
is important in life
Value, Character & Professional Brand

10. Other Key Factors
Impacting Your Brand

11. Dressing
Important to note:
• Never show too much flesh
• Pay attention to the details of
your dressing
• Take into account the dress
code of your work place
• Dress the way you want to be
addressed
Your dressing gives an impression to
your employer, superiors, co-workers
and clients
Did you know:
• “Women in high-level
positions who dress in what
is seen as sexy attire are
viewed as less competent–
regardless of their skill sets”
- Peter Glick, a professor of
psychology
• The way you dress reflects
your attention to details

12. Attitude
Your attitude is everything!
Your Attitude:
• The way you behave towards
someone or something
• It shows how you feel or think
towards that person or thing
• Your attitude impacts your
work performance,
relationships and everyone
around you

13. Communication
Good communication means good
business!
Written :
Remember the 5 ‘Cs’
• Completeness
• Clarity
• Correctness
• Conciseness
• Courtesy
Verbal :
• Confidence
• Contact (eye)
• Consistency
• To ne & frequency
• Body language
• Speed & Volume control
• Choice of words

14. Your Brand
Building Your Professional Brand
•SPECIFICS
•MEASURABLEM
• ACHIEVABLEA
• RELEVANTR
• TIME BOUNDT
• Who are you?
• What do you want to be known for?
• Set SMART Objectives
• Evaluate your present state
• Define steps to get you to your desired state
• Go for it!

15. Be receptive to feedback
Accept criticism with a positive attitude
Avoid being argumentative
Be disciplined
Promptly attend to identified areas of improvement
Be consistent
Dealing With Expectation Gaps/Correcting
Brand Reputation

16. In reputation we trust
•Seek regular feedback from colleagues and
superiors
•Read relevant literature
•Subscribe to relevant professional blogs (e.g. HBR
http://blogs.hbr.org)
•Attend workshops
•Join Toastmasters (http://reports.toastmasters.org/findaclub/)
•Be proactive, google it!
.
Continuous Improvement

17. “We are what we
repeatedly do. Excellence
then is not an act but a
habit.”
Philosopher & scientist
Aristotle

18. Follow me on Twitter
twitter.com/jobibobijobiJOAN OBEN