Учебное пособие: English in business

6 Write down 10 words and expressions from the first part of the text, which you think are the most suitable to speak about personal branding.

! Home assignment:

1-write down your personal brand vision, using no more than three sentences,(see the survival guide section)

2-wrte down your own personal brand statement, using no more than three sentences, use a list of useful personality adjectives from the survival guide section.

7 Read the second part of the article

PART II

IY Communicating your brand

There are various channels you can use to promote your unique personal brand in the workplace.

a) The work channel. Effective personal brand promotion is more than telling everyone how wonderful you are. The best way to showcase your talent to others is to find opportunities to work with them. Look for new projects where you could play a role. Volunteer informal support and advice to those who might benefit from your experience. Don't expect opportunities to fall into your lap; you need to look actively. And don't get impatient if benefits don't appear immediately. Allow your reputation to grow slowly but surely. As a way of getting started, commit yourself to one extra task for the coming four weeks that will enhance your reputation with a significant decision maker.

b) The people channel. One of the best forms of marketing is personal recommendation or "word of mouth ". It is essential to cultivate a strong network of carefully selected people who like and respect you. Such people can act as multipliers for your brand in conversations with other decision makers. Some people like to join professional networking sites : others increase the number of strategic lunches they take part in. Whatever method you use, it is important always to think about whether you are spending the right amount of time with the right people talking about the right things. Your aim is to ensure that your "stakeholder network" understands your values and talks about you in the right way.

c) The emotional channel. Corporate brands use emotions to connect strongly to customer desires, such as the wish to be successful or attractive. Your personal brand also needs to manage emotions. In their book Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate , Fisher and Shapiro identify four areas of emotion that need to be managed in business contexts. Think about these four areas for your personal brand:

Appreciation . People feel good when they see that they are liked. When people meet you, do they feel liked and appreciated by you?

Affiliation . We usually have more positive feelings towards people with whom we have something in common. When people meet you, how clearly do you communicate that you are similar?

Autonomy . We need to feel a sense of control over our own destiny . Do people feel empowered and autonomous when they are with you, or do you threaten their independence and expertise?

Status . People need to feel respected. How does your personal brand communicate respect for others? How does talking to you confer status on others?

To gain their customers' trust and loyalty, companies try to make the experience of their brand an enjoyable one. Effective personal brands work in the same way. Do people find it enjoyable and rewarding to be around you?

d) The visual channel. When people see you, they should experience credibility , authority and openness. For example, when you are making a presentation, an open posture with strong and controlled gestures normally helps to build your brand better than shifting from foot to foot or waving your arms around wildly. Choice of clothing, hairstyle and portables , such as a briefcase and laptop, also communicate your values. And think also about your written communication, including e-mails, presentation slides and even your handwriting on a flip chart . What do the information load , format and design say about you?

e) The auditory channel. What do people think when they hear you? Are they inspired, or do they have mixed feelings towards you and your approach to business? Does your voice persuade with warm and friendly tones, or does it create discomfort with dull intonation or shrill tones? Do people "hear" you smiling on the telephone? If you don't know what people really think of you when they hear you, start asking!

Y The culture question

Creating and communicating a personal brand is not easy. For example, what should you do if you feel that the key people in your professional network don't like your personal brand? What if they respect alternative values and behaviours? Should you change yourself and risk becoming inauthentic?

There is no easy answer here, but it can help to think about this problem in two parts. If you believe that key stakeholders have the wrong perception of your talents, then you need to work on improving the promotion of your brand. If on the other hand, your brand values genuinely offer little to your stakeholders, think about whether you can adapt your brand, or whether you need to find another place to work.

Culture can play a key role in brand communication. Whatever values or information we try to transmit , the receivers of our message will see or hear us and interpret the message according to their own mental model and filters. For example, you may wish to promote a brand that says you are direct and honest, bu