Personal Branding - Inspired by the Greats

Personal Branding - Inspired by the Greats

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  Personal Branding Presented by MelissaSassi Chief Penguin, IBM Z Entrepreneur & Student Experience @mentorafrika How to control your own narrative in 5 easy steps. *Inspired & adapted from content by by Dux Raymond Sy, Dona Sarkar & Miri Rodriguez*
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  If you followthese 5 Steps... you will create your own Personal Brand and control how others see and describe you when you're not in the room.
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  STEP 1 FIND YOURSUPERPOWER & OWN YOUR (NOT SO SECRET) WEAPON! Google yourself. What are you known for? What's unique about you? What's the one thing you're known for? Focus on your strength. Be authentic, credible & transparent. Google yourself! Know yourself! Be you!
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  STEP 2 ALWAYS KNOWYOUR AUDIENCE. WHO'S LISTENING? Don't apply the same language everywhere you go & with everyone. Be your authentic self. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable. Tell relevant stories. Always act with empathy & be prepared to teach & inspire others. Speak! Share & Write! Just Be!
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  STEP 3 BE THERE& CONSISTENT. JUST SHOW UP! Take part in social media, create content & take part in events. Build useful messaging & stick with that message. Create your own website. Manage it. Control your message with your own mediums. Be Present! Be useful! Build your Brand!
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  STEP 4 WHO AREYOUR INDUSTRY PEERS? ENAGE WITH THEM! Set goals to expand your network & actually do it. Don't just talk about it. Be proactive when meeting someone new. Follow-up right away. Be prepared to learn from others & share. Help others. Be a friend. Network! Follow up! Lend a helping hand!
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  STEP 5 BUILD UNIQUE,EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS! Empower others to share their story. Listen & speak with empathy. Find what connects you & enable them to shine. Encourage others to be authentic...it's contageous. Own your vulunerable side & thoughts. Empower with empathy! Emotionally connect! Enable vulnerabilities to shine!
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  I turned myworst nightmare into my superpower. When I discovered my children did not have access to tech in their classroom, I began to devote my life to digital inclusion & making meaningful use of the internet. STEP 1 Find your superpower. Own it!
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  I work withHeads of State, Ministers, UN officials, students, academia, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, devs, CEOs, CTOs, peers & IBMers. I adjust my message & style each time; however, the lens is always the same. I'm authentic, transparent, approachable & I tell emotionally relevant stories, I show my vulnerabilities while being strong & confident. I share my skills forward & volunteer to help. And, empathy is always key for me.STEP 2 Know your audience & who's listening.
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  I spoke at52 events in 10 countries last year & impact at least 20K people per year with my talks. I am active in Twitter, Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn. I talk about digital inclusion, entrepreneurship, startups, youth empowerment, gender inclusion, while also showing my personal side. I blog; however, I need to build my personal website. This is something I am planning to do next year. STEP 3 Be there & consistent. Always show up.
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  I strive formeaningful & lasting connections with industry peers. I set goals to meet new people, I follow up as best as I can & establish common ground of learning, advocating, sponsoring, mentoring, reverse mentoring as colleagues, friends, and leaders. STEP 4 Find your industry peers & engage with them.
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  I build unique& special relationships with everyone I meet & do my best to find an emotional connection between us by showing empathy, empowering others to tell their stories, finding common ground, inspiring others to shine in their own way, encouraging everyone to be authentic. I give people space to feel comfortable being vulnerable & encourage everyone to share their thoughts openly. STEP 5 Build unique, emotionally connected relationships.
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  Let's stay connected! @mentorafrika