A career coaching client of mine recently asked a valuable & pertinent question relating to word usage and executive presence.

Does the usage of words affect management’s perception of an employee and their capabilities?

The simple affirmative answer is Yes – to some extent.

You may be the most focused, motivated and goal-oriented employee in the workplace. You consistently deliver the goods and yet you get counselled to be more positive and confident during yearly appraisals. It baffles you and you feel misunderstood and demoralized.

Studies indicate that in a communication where both people are totally congruent at the time of communicating, some 55 per cent of their communication will be by body language, approximately 38 per cent will be based on tonality of voice and only 7 per cent will derive from the words themselves.

But what if the congruence is missing?

The words used would then definitely take on more importance.

Your choice of words can influence your work environment, your superiors and your colleagues both positively and negatively.

A simple example would be if your boss asks you to do something which may or may not be challenging. Your body language and tone of voice while accepting the task indicate excitement but you see the manager look apprehensive.

Have you checked the words you used?

Words communicate more than you think about your Executive Presence

Our communication skills reflect our professional brand and more importantly impact our Executive Presence.

In Want to be Successful? First Build Your Positive Reflex, I quoted the Center for Talent Innovation’s survey results that showed that 28% of the survey respondents felt communication was a critical criterion for bosses and co-workers when evaluating Executive Presence.

I’ll share a true story to validate the survey result from my corporate world years.

. .

I once had an efficient team member who always got the job done but did not get the desired career results. The general opinion among his managers was that he lacked confidence.

In the early days of working together, I reacted towards him with the same apprehension as other managers until I realized that his usage of language was the problem.

Unwittingly, this otherwise competent person was sending out the message of doubt, low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence.

Not good when you are working in a high-pressure environment and your manager has enough on his/her plate and not enough time to do in-depth analysis of the team member’s language skills.

I mean, how do you tell someone that “hey, you are good at your job, but stop saying words, ‘but’ won’t and ‘can’t’ as if they’re going out of fashion”? Or is sending out the wrong message and is not going to take your career places?

By the time appraisal time rolls by, the matter is often not on the agenda.

Having made my discovery, I decided to do something about it. My task in mentoring him started to revolve around the usage of words which were sending out the wrong negative message and showing him in a weak, defiant and diffident light.

Typical statements that needed correction included:

I’ll try my best

I won’t promise anything, but I’ll see what I can do.

Sure, but (followed by his questions to clarify the task which sounded more like defiance and a hint of resistance)

A few months of gently correcting him whenever he used the words But, Try, Can’t and Won’t by repeating back his sentences with more pleasing words like And, Will and Can made a world of difference, particularly while working with other managers.

The last I heard of him; he was in demand with promotions taking him where he should have been going in the first place. He was gearing up for a leadership role.

While body language and tone of voice will always be important, do check if you are using problematic words like “BUT, TRY, CAN’T, & WON’T“.

If you catch yourself doing it, take a step back, breathe deep and rephrase using more positive and constructive words such as:  AND, WILL or CAN.

While on the subject of words, please drop using ‘Just’ because it’s disempowering.

In an interesting LinkedIn post that I read a few years ago that was also published in Business Insider (India Edition), writer Ellen Petry Leanse pointed out that “Just” was a “permission” word, in a way — a warm-up to a request, an apology for interrupting, a shy knock on a door before asking “Can I get something I need from you?”

In her analysis, it is a “child” word, in the context of Transactional Analysis. It puts the “parent” position, granting them more authority and control.

It is a subtle message of subordination and self-effacing. She noted that striking it from a phrase almost always clarified and strengthened the message.

How many times do you use “Just” in your communications? Strike it out!

8 Vocabulary changes to enhance your professional branding & presence

My young colleague’s career benefited; by changing some words that presented him as a confident, articulate and diplomatic professional.

That is just the tip of the iceberg.

Your vocabulary plays an important part in how you articulate yourself and communicate with greater accuracy and clarity.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Develop a strong vocabulary by reading more books and adding to your knowledge of words as suggested in London School of Public Relations Article: Vocabulary & Executive Success by John Dalton

• Purchase a good dictionary or thesaurus or bookmark a good online definitions website and check out words that you can use. The more words you know, the broader your vocabulary and your ability to use the appropriate word in the right context for effective communication. (Embed your new learning by doing crosswords)

• Remove certain words and phrases from your vocabulary if you don’t want to ruin your executive presence. Wipe out all those qualifiers, fillers and jargon that send out the wrong message.

Some typical words that I recommend starting with are placeholder words like ‘Um’ that make you sound indecisive.

On an aside, I had a boss who used to Um a lot during her training presentations. While her content was good, the juniors spent their time marking how many Ums were used during the presentation – not good.

• Stop using social media jargon in your professional communications. Replace buzz words in your resume and social media profiles because it shows you really don’t know what you are trying to say and have jumped on the bandwagon instead of being unique.

• Refrain from using Honey, Darling, Sweetheart while talking or writing to colleagues. Keep those for the people in your life who deserve to be addressed with terms of endearment. I still remember the time a new connection wrote darling to me on LinkedIn. I disconnected immediately without thinking twice about a win-win business opportunity.

• Informal parlance phrases and words – ‘you know what I mean’ and ‘like’ or even etcetera. Do the heavy lifting in your communications. Don’t leave the other person wondering if YOU know what you are talking about.

• Sometimes our words send out a subtle message of our own anxiety or nervousness. If this is you, then practice using a Cue Word.

• Revisit your vocabulary. See which words or phrases need to be reframed to present you in the most confident and positive light possible.

Your turn.

Do your words empower or disempower you?  Do they add or subtract from your professional brand and executive presence?

Want to improve your Leadership Presence quickly?  Then you want to check out this short tutorial with exercises that help you use your voice to demonstrate Executive Presence here.  Click on the preceding link or image below to access the tutorial.

Selection of Karmic Ally Coaching Boards on Pinterest

Last night I sent Pinterest 2 copyright infringement notices on behalf of my mother, an awarded artist. Her painting had been pinned on Pinterest and then repinned by someone else without permission of the artist and from a site that does not allow pinning or sharing. Copyright infringement is a serious offence and I was relieved to see that the pins were in less than 2 hours of notification.

If you are active on Pinterest and have not seen the guidelines and policies yet, I suggest that you read up on them before pinning with gay abandon. If the objecting person asks for you to be given a strike, then you might land yourself in trouble because 5 strikes mean you are thrown out of Pinterest.

Here are the links for ready reference:

Pinterest Content Policies

Pinterest Acceptable Use Policy

Do Pinners know the finer points of using Pinterest?

When it comes to social media platforms, Pinterest is a completely different kind of animal.  People usually log onto Facebook and Twitter to socialize and check up on the activities of their friends and brands that they follow and while the primary purpose of having a Pinterest account is to park and share useful information that you find on the internet with other pinners, there is more to Pinterest.

It isn’t just a place where one pins and repins interesting items onto a board, it is a platform where one can connect and widen one’s network. There are rules of engagement and etiquette – Pintiquette.

In the last couple of weeks I’ve shared essential etiquette tips for Facebook and Twitter. Like with any other social media platform, there are guidelines to follow when you’re pinning, repinning, commenting, and “liking” on this engaging site.

Essentials of Pintiquette

Here is my compilation of basic etiquette while engaging on Pinterest.

Check the Pin Source before Pinning

Pinterest takes its guidelines seriously and I saw this in action not only yesterday, but also a few months back when I received an email telling me that one of the pins that I had innocently repined was a copyright infringement by the original pinner. I wasn’t penalized or anything but my confidence in a site that walks its talk amplified.

Now if I like a pin, I click the link to check for authenticity, broken links, spam link and potential copyright infringement before pinning or repinning

By acting on a pin, I am endorsing the content of the pin and reputation management is premium to me. The last thing I want is to be perceived as unprofessional and unfollowed.

Give Credit Where It is Due

It is one thing to add text to a pin that you are repinning to share your perspective or to encourage your followers to check out the pin. It is, however, a big no-no to delete another person’s source and add your own or to give the impression that the pin is your own.

In other words, give credit where it is due and link to sources or give credit to them.

In this context, please do not download images from the website and then repin them as your own. Apart from being bad manners, it can land you in a lot of hot water vis a vis the owner of the image and result in legal action. Remember the pins  that were removed for copyright infringement?

Pin to Relevant Content

This is something that I have see time and again. There is a beautiful pin and I want to read the linked post only to find that I am taken to a blog or website home page and not the actual post from where I can read the content. If that is the case, then I don’t repin or share further.

Making your followers or audience go hunting for the content is not a good idea. Our attention spans are short on social media and we may just walk away – forever.

Here is an example. I posted on Slideshare and shared the attributing link directly there even though I could have linked to my website AND I provided some information on the pin. Here’s the presentation if you are interested – The Karmic Ally Coaching’s 7 Days of Inspirational Quotes

Inspirational quotes pin on Pinterest Board

Optimize Your Pin

This point follows from the one before it. Here is what I suggest:

Add a proper description to the image that you are pinning. It helps save a prospective repinner the hassle and time of having to provide a description. Otherwise, they might decide not to repin no matter how beautiful the pin.

Check if your pin is showing up properly. In other words, is it of a proper resolution? If not, then consider redoing it or creating a separate optimized pin and linking it to your content. I even suggest creating a different size image especially for Pinterest to match the long vertical style that is popular with pinners.

Don’t hog the home feed

Consider the fact that about 80% of the pins on Pinterest are repins and nobody likes a pinner who goes crazy pinning away each and everything. It gives the impression of spam and can lead to unfollows. Put in plain English, avoid over-pinning.

Remember that Pinterest is about discovery and sharing things of value. If in doubt, use the Litmus Test – will a viewer find this useful?

A better technique is to pin fewer times and spread it over the course of the day. This improves the chances of more people seeing your pins. I’ve tried both to test this premise and found more repins when I pinned or repinned in a spread out manner.

Share to Show You Care

If you have a website, don’t just post pins from it. Instead find a balance with your own pins and curated pins.

You’ll increase your followers and the chances of repins for your pins. The Litmus Test I described in the previous point is a good guide.

You can always set up a special board for your website pins the way I have below.

Karmic Ally Coaching Website Board on Pinterest

Be Social not Self-Serving

Even if you are using Pinterest as a scrap book or third party storage system for articles and posts that you like, remember, this is a social network and the rules of social etiquette or Pintiquette still apply.

Here are a few tips to make sure you show up in a positive manner:

Don’t just Like or Repin. Consider leaving an encouraging comment to the original pinner. You might find more in common than just a pin.

By the same token, if a pinner has left a comment on one of your pins, do reply! Engage with the other person. You do it on Twitter; you can do it on Pinterest.

This may sound cumbersome, especially if you have a pin that has been repinned many times but why not thank the repinner for pinning your image and engage?

The simple solution is to look at the Pinterest analytics, find your top repinners and say Thank You. It will result in more repins and even the start of a new online friendship.

There is a lot more to Pinterest than just a bunch of pretty images and infographs. There is a golden opportunity to build your professional brand, even if you are not a business person and make connections with a viable network. Keep your daily life updates limited to your Wall on Facebook and use Pinterest to articulate yourself as a person curating value adding content.

Are you active on Pinterest? How do you maintain essential Pintiquette? Or did the above points raise your eyebrows? Tell me about it in the comments box below.

PS. Here are the links to the other 2 posts mentioned in this post

How to make a great first impression on Twittersphere

10 ways to get unfriended on Facebook in a minute

Written by: Vatsala Shukla

One of the best examples of a brand gone bad is the Suarez Bite that launched thousands of jokes and Memes.

World Cup fans would remember the day they saw Luis Suarez, Uruguay’s best offensive player make history… but for all the wrong reasons – he went and bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during the Italy versus Uruguay match.

Suarez has been officially charged on this account by FIFA and while the matter was being investigated, the media as well as football fans had a field day and the jokes got better and better.

For example, the ABC News Headline innocently reads “FIFA Charges Luis Suarez for Biting in World Cup”. The fun starts with the byline “Hungry for a Win?”. Luis Suarez Appears to Bite Opponent followed with an image of Suarez biting – a good reason to apply for the Right to be Forgotten.  That day I found the above meme on Suarez which has played on the zombie apocalypse and famous star Keanu Reeves.

Brazil’s 2014 World Cup was a high-scoring tournament featuring late goals, comebacks, full stadiums and winning goals made by substitutes at the 11^th hour or in extra time but the bite took the cake in that day’s play.

With the subsequent 4 month ban on Suarez, I wonder how long it will take for him to recover his reputation.

Beware of Red Cards – Oops, Red Flags

We all know that we have to be careful with what we say or do in front of others – didn’t our parents tell us that when we were growing up?  Once the deed is done, it cannot be taken back no matter how many clarifications and apologies are offered.

In a similar vein, what we post on social media stays forever and even if you do delete a post, photograph or comment, it would already have circulated to others at the speed of lightening and the damage done.

I addressed this in my post Are you ruining your brand with red flag posts?  where we looked at what, where and how to say and do on social media.

I offered tips on what to post on the Big Four social media platforms to help you get your brand across in the best positive light and a few red flags to avoid. Even if you personally think it is funny.

Each social media platform has its own set of rules and manner of engagement but there are certain common rules which you need to follow.

No racist or gender comments

No swearing or cussing

Be careful with your humor

Is my post appropriate?

Would I feel uncomfortable if my parents or kids saw my post?

Your personality is a key part of your brand. Just as in the offline world, you need to be careful how you present yourself in the on-line world. The basic rule is to pay attention to what you are saying, or writing.

Post relevant content that builds your professional brand putting in some humor with a message.

What if you are tired of re-sharing other peoples’ posts, quotes and jokes? You want to do something original?

For that I suggest creating Memes.

Make Your Brand memorable with a Great Meme

I love good memes because they are funny and show the clever use of words -a good branding point.

Meme pronounced ‘meem’ is a concept, behavior or idea that spreads usually via the internet. It is usually a visual like a picture but it can also be a video, phrase, word, story, quote, or a hash tag.

The word “meme” comes from the 1976 book The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins,. The term meant a unit of cultural knowledge that is passed between people. On the Internet, the term has come to be synonymous with funny images with clever (or not so clever) captions.

The best parts about memes are that if they are good, they stand the chance of going viral. Most memes are humorous. Given the short attention span of viewers, they are quick and easy to consume and share.

It’s like the good old days when we used to share jokes over emails and often still do. With online memes, you can reach a wider audience of like-minded individuals who would catch the joke. So, if a football fan sees the meme on Suarez, they would catch the joke and share onward.

Marketers use it all the time and you as a professional can do it too.

Here’s an example, from my auditor days, when clients treated us as demi-gods.

Memes are easy to create. I did my example on Power point, but you can create them using free online software such as memegenerator.net.

I go into more detail on memes in my program Crack the Code to Your Professional Brand & Create an Awesome Online Presence.

For now, know that the only real essentials are to have a sense of humor and know who you want to get the joke.  Done the right way, you can look forward to likes, shares, pins repins, tweets, comments – the works!

Do you use memes for enhancing your professional brand online?

How well does your intended audience respond? 

Written by: Vatsala Shukla

Update: This post was written in June 2014 following the Suarez Bite incident and has been updated for relevance.

We all know that we have to be careful with what we say or do in front of others. Once the deed is done, it cannot be taken back no matter how many clarifications and apologies are offered to make amends.

In a similar vein, what we post on social media stays forever and even if you do delete a post or comment, it would have circulated to others reading the post or comment at the speed of lightening and damage done.

This week’s video post looks at the what, where and how to say and do on social media and offers tips on what to post on the Big Four social media platforms to help you get your brand across in the best positive light as well as a few red flags to avoid, even if you personally think it is funny and security issues.

Hope you enjoy it and please do share your own tips in the comments box below.

Enjoy!

Update 27 June 2018

When I wrote this blog post and created this video in April 2014, Cambridge Analytica and the Facebook Data Breach had not occurred. CANSPAM Regulations existed even then and now we also have GDPR.

The basics of this blog post are still valid as good practice but I also have another post on online privacy on social networking sites (click here to read it) which is relevant.

I’ve added the transcript of the video tip for ease of use.

3 branding tips for careerists part 3 transcript added on 27^th June 2018

Hi, this is Vatsala Shukla from Karmic Ally Coaching, bringing you the 3^rd part of my 3 branding tips for Careerists.

Now in the previous 2 sessions, I had actually talked about how you want to appear to the world and also know the kind of email address you’re going to use, and today we’re now going to get into some REAL action where I’m going to be discussing with you, the where, the what, the how to say and do on social media.

This is actually quite important because you’re trying to build a personal brand.

SO my question for you is,

Are you online to brand build and network or are you out to vent your spleen?

Now you all have read various posts and articles on the internet about how people have posted comments about their jobs, their bosses, lost their jobs or photographs they shouldn’t have and then lived to have regretted it.

Each one of us is different and the very fact you are trying to build a brand, your own personal brand and you’re trying to network with people to help you achieve your objectives offline means that you must always think twice before you’re posting.

Your posts must represent your personal brand.

You have to give a consistent view about you and most importantly, you want to make people want to know you.

Depending upon which social media site you’re using, you also have to use your discretion, about what you’re posting.

What I’ve done on this slide, (it’s not an exhaustive one), is I’ve basically picked up the Big Four social media platforms, namely LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook as well as put down some reasons to use them.

So, if you’re trying to build your brand for professional networking or for finding a job, then LinkedIn is the place you want to be. And here, the kinds of posts you’re going to do are those that make you known as an expert, in your field.

You can also like, share and comment on other people’s status updates. Anf you can invite people to connect, accept connections, publish your own content, or share information that adds value to your Connections (network).

And I do suggest that you participate in your Group conversations.

I’d also like to point out to be very professional when posting on LinkedIn. A joke here or a joke there may work, it may not. Be very careful, think twice.

If you’re trying to communicate with friends and family, then Twitter, Google Plus or Facebook are better places for you to hang out on.

You can post photos, videos, updates and funny things but then again, if you’re going to be inviting your colleagues or boss or professional headhunters in case you’re looking for a job, then again, I would exercise some discretion.

Likewise, if you’re trying to communicate with a Brand, then Twitter, Google Plus or Facebook are the best places to do it.

If you’re trying to do some Celebrity Engagement, then Twitter is the best.

I have connected with 1 or 2 Indian celebrities there and we’ve had great chats and it’s been fun.

In case of Google Plus, depending upon whether you’re trying to build your brand on Google Plus, I must tell you that this is the place where people share information.

So one thing you can do is find pages, people you wish to connect or network with whether to get business or get a job, follow them and engage with them sharing interesting information.

Essentially, be yourself but don’t be obnoxious.

Now I’d like to point out some red flag areas.

Each social media platform has its own set of rules and manner of engagement and I suggest you observe and follow them.

This essentially also means, there should be no racist or gender comments on any of these social media platforms.

There should be no swearing or cussing and be very careful with your humour. What may seem funny when you’re using your body language may not look so funny when written down.

And always ask yourself, is my post appropriate?

The reason for this is that you’re on platforms where you don’t actually see whose seen your posts, so what I do before posting and suggest you do is:

Before posting, just ask yourself

If my parents or children saw what I have posted, would I feel uncomfortable?

Another one could be, before posting, ask yourself

SO what?

If your question is, would your post be of any use to anyone?

Then say so what, and if your answer is yes, then go ahead and post it.

I would like to complete this session with you with just a few tips about your security.

What I mean by security is regularly check your security settings on all your profiles on each of the social media platforms that you use.

You may want to use your discretion about your location and other things because, think about your personal security and your status updates because people who may not know you can also see your connections or open audiences and you may not wish to share certain information on a public platform.

So exercise a bit of discretion, regularly check up on all your profiles and see if anything needs to be updated, does anything have to be deleted, and you know the best part is that you can actually include all of your social media profiles in your email signature before sending it out so that different people can connect depending upon their various interests and where they like to hang out, they can connect with you there.

If you need more tips on how to get noticed in the workplace, then please do download my ebook and drop me a line to let me know how it goes for you.

Bye for now.

Picture this. You are looking for a new job and have found one on LinkedIn or the local papers for which your profile is a perfect match. Or to make the picture better, a Head Hunter has found you on LinkedIn, fallen in love with your profile and writes asking you to send your updated CV for a position that will take your career to a new level.

So you update your CV, write a smashing cover letter but because you don’t want your current employers to get wind of this, you give your private email address as GodzillaFries@hotmail.com.

Ever wondered what impact it would make on the other person? Not very favorable, I can assure you, unless of course your name is Godzilla Fries or the other person knows the story behind Godzilla Fries from school!

Why Godzilla Fries (at) Hotmail (dot) com won’t work for your personal brand

Believe it or not but your email address provides a great opportunity for your to build your personal brand.

And how is that?

The answer to that question with some more tips and ideas are the focus of the second video on 3 Branding Tips for Careerists with slides.

Update 12 May 2018 – I’ve added the transcript at the bottom for ease of use. 

Do check it out and please remember to leave a comment on what you discovered!

Till next time, enjoy!

3 branding tips for careerists’ transcript added on 12 May 2018

Hi, this is Vatsala Shukla from Karmic Ally Coaching and I’m back again with part 2 of my series, 3 Branding Tips for Careerists.

Now if you remember from the first part when I was talking about creating your profiles using different social media tools and the requirement to think about brand, we’ve already looked at how we want people to see you.

Today I’m going to pick up another point and that is, how people contact you or what email address you’re leaving when you want to be contacted.

So here we go!

My question to you is – what email address are you using?

You wouldn’t believe it but that also makes a big difference as to your brand.

Now if your email address is catnip@hotmail.com, would you actually connect with a professional on LinkedIn?

I mean, what kind of an impression does it give you by saying dog bone or say Hot Mama at Hotmail dot com?

Not a very good impression I can assure you. Especially if you don’t have a photograph or you have a very unprofessional photograph. The same holds for Twitter or Facebook or any other social media platform that you are planning to use.

And my question to you is – How about Gmail?

Just take a second to think about it. If you’re answer was, yes, why not to Gmail, then I’d say you’re absolutely correct because Gmail in general gives a more positive reputation than Hotmail or any other internet service provider and at the same time you also have the added advantage of being linked to other Google tools which also helps to build your online relationships like, you have access to Google Plus.

That is one area or social media platform where you can share information with others and you can actually increase your circle or improve your networking and in general email address gives a very good opportunity for you to build your brand.

In an ideal world, if you could afford it, I’d say you must have a domain email address like mine is vatsala(at)karmicallycoaching(dot)com. But if you don’t have a domain name email address, then Gmail is still the better option. As I mentioned earlier, it gives you a more positive reputation than Hotmail or other internet service providers.

It has the added advantage of being linked to other Google tools that help to build online relationships and find other people and actually increase your network.

It’s not just limited to LinkedIn where people might not accept your invitation but in Google Plus you can actually circle people and hopefully they will like your profile and circle you back.

Update February 2024

 Google Plus was discontinued on 2 April 2019 and all users were transitioned to Google Currents. On February 10, 2022, Google announced that it would be planning to “wind down” Currents and transition its users to Google Chat in 2023.

Now when it comes to Gmail, I just wanted to raise a point as to what kind of an address should you have again. Not (again) catnip@gmail.com or hotmama@gmail.com or TwinkyToes@gmail.com .

Instead, make sure it is still professional. Now some schools of thought say you should have it as first name dot last name at gmail.com and my own personal view is that it is a personal choice and you really must consider security and are certain about what kind of an email address you are planning to set up.

So choose your email address wisely.

And as a bonus tip, if you wish to network, I would even suggest your email signature which is another opportunity to create brand name impression and you can ask yourself what we really need.

For example, should you give your phone number? Do you have a blog? You can add that also as well as other links to your social media profiles.

So think about your email address and next time I’ll tell you more about a third tip that’s quite important as well as share another bonus tip.

You can connect with me at my website. All my connectivity details are available on this page.

Take care and bye for now!

What email do you use? Does it enhance your Professional Brand?

Share with me in the comments box below.

Want to learn more about networking and raising your executive presence?

Check out my Kindle book Get Noticed!: 15 Insider Tips guaranteed to raise your Executive Presence

Written By: Vatsala Shukla

The answer to my question is a big Yes. Looks do matter when brand building on social media sites.

Brand building isn’t just a corporate world thing, when you engage on social media sites, you are creating your own brand and this means that you need to pay attention to the profiles that you are creating. It’s your make or break visiting card.

I’m not just talking about LinkedIn, but also other sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus and Tumblr to name a few biggies.

Each of these sites has its own rules and engagement practices but the onus to come out looking good rests with you. That is how the world sees you.

Your friends and colleagues who know you will ‘get your jokes’ but others whom you may wish to connect with may not.

Here in my first video on 3 Tips for Brand Building, we’re looking at your look and how it can be impacting your ability to connect and engage on social media as well as your personal brand. The slides can also be viewed on SlideShare.

Enjoy!

Update 26 June 2018 – I’ve added the transcript of the video tip for ease of use.

Video, Slides and post written by Vatsala Shukla

3 branding tips for careerists part 1 transcript added on 26^th June 2018

Hi, this is Vatsala Shukla here. Today I’m going to start on a series of my 3 Branding Tips for Careerists and the first part that we are going to be actually talking about your photograph and how you look.

Before that, I was just wondering, are you curious to know why I’ve got this cow on the cover with those clips on her ears?

Well, this is a bit of trivia that might interest you – that the word Branding actually comes from the time when cowboys used to brand their cows with hot pokes so that if the cow disappeared, and they found it, they would be able to say ‘this is my cow – this is my brand’.

Right? So by the same token you too are branded and when you create profiles using social media tools, you need to think about your personal brand.

When I mean that you have to think about your social media brand and how you look, basically I’m talking about what kind of a photograph are you going to be using because what happens is that the photo that you use, actually reflects upon your personal brand.

Now it all comes down to how you want the world to view you because if you are on social media, it means you want to be social, whether it’s LinkedIn where you want to engage your network or its on Facebook or any other place.

So let’s think about it.

If you are actually looking out for a job or to promote yourself professionally, I can assure you that you would certainly not want to look like my little dog Coco or an egg head or even Mr Roger Rabbit, even though 25 years ago, he was very famous!

You would also not want to leave your profile picture blank because different social media have different default images – like Twitter has the egghead, shadow images on Facebook and even on LinkedIn.

Now who would want to network & socialize with somebody whom we don’t even recognize?

One point I would make is that your photo is as important even if you are in business and my 1 suggestion to you is please do not hide behind pictures of your pets, children or even funny images.

It’s okay if it’s on your personal Facebook Wall but that also depends if you connect with professionals on your private page.

DO you really want them to see that your image is making fun of yourself?

When people are searching for you on LinkedIn, they would want to see a face. They would also like to see a clear picture of you so my branding tips for how you look are to firstly get a professional photograph taken which doesn’t cost a lot of money and use your passport size photograph.

You should always show your face and shoulder upwards and we’re not talking about a small image of yourself.

Please don’t leave the photo area blank otherwise a default image is used (also in case you comment on blogs) I would suggest you set up a Gravatar image also otherwise its left to the blog owner and his programmer.

I don’t think anybody would want to appear like a dinosaur or a monster and my piece of advice when you’re trying to build your professional brand is; please don’t hide behind the images of your pets or children.

When you go to my Facebook personal wall, you can see me and my pet dog but when you go to my business page, you’re going to see a very professional photograph.

One point that I have not written on this page (slide) is that be consistent in your branding. So use the same picture on the various social media sites that you use so that when people see your name, they start recognizing your face.

Always ask yourself, the photograph that you are using on social media – how does that reflect your personal brand?

Is that how you want people to remember you or an egghead?

Until then when I upload the second part of this series, if you are interested, you can always connect with me at the Karmic Ally Coaching Experience Blog or via Facebook, Google Plus or Pinterest.

You can even download my tips to get noticed on Amazon –   GET NOTICED!: 15 Insider Tips guaranteed to improve your Executive Presence.

Bye for now!

Does your social media profile image do justice to your brand?

PS. Remember to check out my Kindle Book Get Noticed!: 15 Insider Tips guaranteed to improve your Executive Presence and download the complimentary Executive Presence Checklist inside.

Face The Monster

Sometime back I ran into a photographer friend and his 2 young guests at an art show. They were introduced as models. One of them was an outright exhibitionist who insisted on showing his bare- chest photographs to every lady present whether she wanted to see it or not. Ladies were running in every direction to avoid him.

The other was an aspiring model with a day job at a multinational firm and for all intents and purposes appeared decent.

So, when I was invited to become friends on Facebook, I accepted.

The beginning of my first and last Facebook Wall invasion

The young executive started to post his ‘model’ pictures on my Wall. He was posting faster than I could delete. A chat with my friend revealed the wannabe model had tagged along with the exhibitionist. He did not know him from Adam.

My time is a valued commodity and I spend only 15 minutes on Facebook in a day.

I started having concerns about the impression that a semi-nude guy with chains and whips would make on friends. Some of these friends go back to elementary school and they know me offline as well.

Tired of hitting the delete button, I Unfriended him in what had to be the shortest friendship ever. Friend had turned into Fiend. I was not having my Wall subjected to a narcissist invasion.

Thank God Facebook allows such safety measures!

Now Facebook does not inform people when they have been Unfriended.

I guess Fiend in the disguise of Friend found out when he tried to load the next batch of portfolio photographs. There were a few sheepish text messages which I ignored. I was furious and counting to 100 did not help.

One’s social network page is similar to your living room; it is your sacred space. Visitors are allowed in only by invitation. I was not taking on stress when I had power to control and be rid of the ill-mannered guest!

I thought I was a one-off case but recently learned of much worse invasions of Facebook Walls of friends with posts that really should not have been there, third party friends passing rude comments on their Walls and even marketing their products without the friend’s permission.

In some cases, people were being added to Groups that they didn’t even know about, and which were not relevant to them.

We are all in control mode now and reviewing and revising our privacy settings as a precautionary measure. There is enough going on in the world to create stress and social networking is meant to make us happy, not create angst.

There is something called Internet Etiquette and while one might forgive spammers, one does not forgive friends or connections.

For Facebook, in addition to the privacy, terms and conditions sections, I highly recommend going through the details in their Help Center. There used to be an Official Facebook Etiquette page which has now been changed.

It is quite easy to block people and forget about the nuisance but here are 2 tips that can help avoid getting to the point, where blocking and reporting SPAM become the only way out.

First things first, remember that it is your Wall

The bottom line is that your Facebook Wall is YOUR WALL which means that you control the content.

It means that you have the right to delete messages, pictures and anything else that you find inappropriate or offensive.  It is your sacred space, keep it that way.

Try simple deletes and a private message/phone call to the poster explaining your position. If the poster does not understand what you are saying, go ahead and block them or at least put in controls where your approval is required before a post is loaded on your Wall. Check your account settings and establish necessary controls.

You may not want to go to the extreme of Unfriend someone or blocking the Fiend invasion but yet want to control the content on your Wall.

In this case, you can block the person from posting on your Wall. Here is a great how –to –do-it link:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/block-person-posting-facebook-wall-unfriending-28404.html.

Think twice before accepting Friend Requests from strangers

The second tip is a no-brainer but yes, it happens and then what?

You might have inappropriate photographs on your Wall, you may find posts that are really not you and again, what would your friends think?

It is a sad fact that there are people out there that have the idea that their status and popularity depend upon how many friends they have on Facebook.  They may not necessarily know many of their friends in real life. That is their self-esteem issue, not yours.

While it is possible to make new friends on Facebook especially if you belong to a group, try to find some common ground.  I have done that with great success and yes, we all took time to get to know each other and learn about our new friend’s boundaries.  We use the Inbox when required and do not air private matters on Walls.

Some people have this idea that the number of ‘friends’ you have in Facebook is a status indicator of your popularity in real-life. That may be true if these ‘friends’ are people whom one knows offline, and not strangers whom one randomly adds while browsing through the Facebook network.

Treat Facebook for what it is

It’s a social networking site with a purpose, not a mail order catalog where if you like a photograph, you befriend.

You can also accept requests through introductions from existing and real friends.

The Facebook experience should be fun and engaging but not in a manner that can upset or embarrass others.

Be aware at all times of the public nature of Facebook, take appropriate measures to protect your privacy and engage with friends to be a valuable part of their Facebook experience and yours too!

Which means, you too should not engage in any activity that can lead to being unfriended.

Instead use Facebook as a platform to network in a more casual environment.

Remember, if you take the ‘r’ out of Friend, you get a Fiend.

Do you have a Facebook Invasion story that you would like to share?

Do tell us about it and how you solved the problem.

Written By: Vatsala Shukla