When Words *Really* Matter
Last Friday, I gave a talk for CreativeMornings, a free event series dedicated to creativity and community. In a 90-minute workshop, we delved into language and story structure, the elements of a great bio, and how to share about ourselves on social media. It was a fun session and I got positive feedback afterwards: a truly gratifying way to end the week.
What I love most about leading these bio workshops is the stories that come out of it: people sharing of themselves, what their career path has looked like, and how they talk about themselves in professional venues. When I explain the core tenets of a great bio to audiences, things start to click.
Before I can expect anyone else to open up and share their story, I share my own. I’m open about the fact that a total breakdown in 2017 forced me to get honest with myself about work. The experience was awful and I’d never wish it on anyone, but I’m grateful for it because it led me to my “why”: helping people find exactly the right words to get to where they want to go.
When it comes to our bio, headline, and/or social media profile, these are three key questions to consider when choosing your words:
Who’s the hero of the story? When writing our bio, it’s easy to assume that, because we’re the subject of the story, we must be the hero. Wrong: your reader is the hero, because they’re the ones we need to educate, entertain, and elicit a response from.
What’s your goal? Everyone has a different professional goal. Whether it’s to get a promotion, make a lateral move, switch from corporate to freelance (or vice versa) or change careers entirely, knowing exactly what you want to accomplish will help you home in on the words and phrases that will get you there.
What action do you want the reader to take? The last of Jess Hagemann’s ‘3 Es’ of an impactful bio—elicit a response—asks us to create a call to action for our reader. After reading about us, what do we want them to do? Hire us? Contact us? It’s crucial to tell the reader what we want them to do—and make it easy for them to do it.
The words we choose for ourselves define us and shape the course of our lives. As I share in my bio workshops, LinkedIn gives us 120 characters to use in our profile headline, so it’s critical to make every word count. Our own internal messaging affects how we feel about ourselves and how we show up in the world.
What words are you using for yourself? Reach out and let’s find just the right words for you.
(The image for this post is my brand colors, cooked up by the immensely creative and talented Corey Carbo. What I do with words, she does with visuals: she’s a good friend and a great collaborator to boot!)