How people perceive your message or you
Readers, thank you for your questions and suggestions. Your sharing helps direct the Communication Culture Column so that I can serve you better with the answers that might help you in the social, business and written situations that interest you.
When we get ready to communicate with others, we now have a lot of choices on the “medium.”
Is it going to be a pen and paper, a text, a phone call, an email, a public social media post or a private in-mail to get your individual message across?
Technology can certainly determine the length and nature of your “conversation” with another person. And, it is a conversation, even if it is just you pecking away at your message on a keyboard, or phone pad. You are always talking to only ONE person at a time, even if you are sending a mass mailing out to a list or posting or tweeting.
When your message is received, it is always read or heard and interpreted by one person at a time, each and every time.
What is consistent is YOU.
How people perceive your message or you, is not under your control. You can, however, control how you present yourself in the message you create and then send out into the world.
Be the message
The impression you make can affect people in person, in print or online. Just as you spend time assembling the pieces when you “dress” yourself, you are smart to take responsibility for the elements that make up your messages.
To be successful you’ll have to define who you are clearly, to start, to yourself. What drives you? What result do you want to attain? How do you want to be perceived? What lasting impression do you want to make on people?
Fortified by your meaningful direction, present yourself in a credible and consistent way across all media.
When you speak, write or post, pay attention to your word choice – do they paint an accurate and clear picture of what you have decided above?
Are you confident that the words that will describe you 24/7 when you are not there will influence, attract your intended audience and represent you well?
Be authentic so that people can rely on you and see you as distinct from others. People want to recognize and relate to you, your values and your personal story. You want them to remember you.
Be real yet refined
Living in Vancouver and experiencing anonymity after a lifetime of a public work life in my home town, I noticed the casual style that exists here. The preference to casual is certainly evident in many North American business and social communities. The good news is that people are free to express their individuality through personal style. People can dress for their physical comfort and they can just “let it all hang out.”
The bad news is that this image choice in messaging isn’t always good for your social or financial benefit.
“The take me as I am” approach applies to communication as well as clothing. In Canada’s mix of cultures and economies, much will be tolerated, even forgiven; however, do you want to risk being misunderstood? Or worse, overlooked?
Be purposeful in how you represent yourself. You will profit from a great first impression and clear follow up message.
Consider each of the tips above and decide how you will ‘embody’ your message, consistently and clearly so you are identifiable and memorable and benefit from any context.
VIP Very important presentation point is that people will perceive you as you have designed in your message. We’ll look more at your message and their context. Today, pay attention to the words you like to use and how they impact your intended readers and listeners. You will affect how they hear, see or think about you!
