Learning to Toot Your Own Horn

Problem:
As a rule most professionals stumble over their accomplishments, feeling more comfortable talking about what they do for a living, instead of pointing to the results their contributions have provided. Whether the employee is under-employed, fully employed or wanting to move ahead in his/her career, not feeling competent or confident to present his/her assets to others will limit his/her effectiveness during interviews, networking situations or any public presentation. I have one client, in particular, who wants a senior management position, but whose resume does not communicate how his problem solving skills have benefited his organization. Plus he is too long winded when he speaks, and he risks the chance that his listener will stop listening. He can point to his accomplishments but he cannot link his accomplishments to the organization's bottom line or strategic goals.

Solution:
By having the client re-write his resume using my three step marketing tool, he was better able to see how the work he did benefited others. Writing a winning resume is the first step; learning how to talk about your results is the second step. In this part of the process, I used a variety of somatic exercises, including teaching the client how to focus his attention on his breath, how to extend his energy to the listener instead of retreating back into his own head. People are always more enjoyable to be around when they can move intuitively or with a relaxed stance rather than trying to second guess what other people are thinking or are going to do next. The grounded feedback allowed him to understand and accept how his posture, attitude and language might adversely or positively impact his marketing experiences. As he become more adept centering his energy and keeping his focus on the purpose of the "marketing mission" he became more credible as a speaker, more confident as a participant in a conversation and he was, over time, better able to relax and enjoy the conversation. New ideas and alternative suggestions came his way without him trying to force the conversation. And, he got his promotion!