Many of us may feel neglected. Our presence often goes unnoticed by others. They only acknowledge us when we’re right in front of them, but once we leave, they quickly forget about us.
Few people are aware of our existence. In a work or organizational setting, this hampers our career advancement. It’s logical to assume that our career won’t flourish if not many people are aware of our presence or consider us as ordinary.
We’ve all heard someone share their experiences and achievements without sounding boastful. Their words have the power to captivate listeners and even inspire them. Every detail they speak remains ingrained in our minds and becomes a source of motivation. People with such abilities naturally attract attention. In a work or organizational environment, they undoubtedly enjoy successful careers. But how can we achieve that?
Our ability to tell our own story is one way to create personal branding for ourselves. Branding holds significant meaning for individuals as it sets them apart from others. Many people share similarities with us. They graduated from the same university, pursued the same major, and even graduated with the same GPA. Moreover, there are countless individuals doing the same job as us. So what sets us apart from them? What gives us the competitive edge?
Bragologue is an art that combines bragging (the art of showcasing oneself) and monologue (the art of speaking and conveying ideas). Through bragologue, we learn how to make a compelling impression about ourselves in a concise and assertive manner. For example, if you find yourself in an elevator with your boss, and you have 15 seconds to introduce yourself to your new boss, what would you say? Bragologue is also crucial when meeting important individuals, where limited time restricts our conversation. We must convince them that we are memorable individuals.
We can engage in bragologue once we become aware of our own achievements and what we take pride in and believe is worth sharing with others. Only after summarizing that can we effectively deliver our bragologue to others. Try following these steps:
- Identify three core values about yourself, such as trust, honesty, etc.
- Determine five key talents and characteristics that best reflect your professional expertise, such as being skilled in training, financial planning, etc.
- Identify five communication or personality traits that are your strengths.
- Seek feedback from people who have recognized who you are and learn how they describe you.
- Now, how do you want people to perceive you?
These five effective steps will help you create an engaging and memorable bragologue. Additionally, to strengthen your branding, it’s important to build positive relationships with the people around you. Maintain good communication with your colleagues, both superiors and subordinates.
We must be proactive so that others can truly know us and not easily forget our names after a meeting. We are responsible for how our coworkers assess and perceive us.
