Speaks volumes about you, originally uploaded by chilcott.

We live in a digital world where we text, IM, DM, blog, and email, but at some point you will have to come from behind the laptop, cell phone, or monitor and face the real world. Technology is nothing more than a tool it doesn’t solve problems by itself it takes the human interaction of your personal brand to communicate and connect real people and great ideas.

As wonderful as you are you are you are not the first person to think about the idea you have. Trust me. Branding is about packaging an idea in a way that is digestible and engaging. Everyone wants their audience to consume their thoughts and ideas and leave them clamoring for more while passionately spreading them to others.

At the end of the day you have the responsibility of bringing your idea to light and communicating it in the real world. Becoming comfortable speaking in front of people is something that I recommend all personal brands, but he only way to get better is practice, sorry you can’t outsource this function.

Growing up I stuttered. I could hardly talk, but one day I made a decision that I wanted to be a better speaker so I took every opportunity to get in front of people speaking for free to improve my speaking ability. At first I had to type out 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper and memorize every word, then I converted to note cards, and now key ideas on a screen. It has been a long journey but has paid great benefits. Simply put you will have to turn up the volume of your brand and speak there is a world waiting to hear you.

“All brands speak it is not an option but a responsibility.”
Hajj E. Flemings

Keys to Presenting your Personal Brand

o Be Creative. Add visuals, stories, case studies, and interesting points.
o Study other great speakers or presenters.
o Be a Story Teller. People are more engaged when you are telling a story versus reading bullet points. (Hint: Most people can read the worlds on the screen.)
o Be You. Your personality is crucial in bringing your idea to life.
o Be Visual. Whenever it is appropriate or feasible work to incorporate and communicate your thoughts visually.
o Think like a Tweeter. Less is more, keep it simple.
o Be interesting. There are too many copies, please be an original.
o Be Accurate. Your credibility is at state.

Thoughts from the Experts:
o Nancy Duarte (@nancyduarte): “Creating great ideas is what we were born to do: getting people to feel like they have a stake in what we believe is the hard part.”
o Chip & Dan Heath: Six Principles of SUCCESs: Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Stories. (The SUCCESs checklist, is a tool for dealing with communication problems.)
o Guy Kawasaki (@GuyKawasaki): 10/20/30 Rule (10- Slides/20- Minutes/30- Point Font)
Tips for Creativity:

o Istock Photo
o Flickr
o Slideshare.net: Great resource for ideas

Resources
o Great Speakers:

•TED (Technology Entertainment Design) www.TED.com
•Kevin Carroll
•Mitch Joel
•Seth Godin

Brand Gap

My Favorite Tools

• Keynotes Software
• Apple Laptop
• Kensington Wireless Presenter

Must Reads

Slideology: Nancy Durate has created a masterpiece on slide presentation.
Reality Check: Guy Kawasaki has some great incite on presenting.