Have you ever wondered who Coca Cola is? Or, thought what is a McDonalds? Probably not. Their brand identity is strong. They know who they are, they carefully create and articulate that information, and we come to know them by the information that is communicated.

At the same time, have you considered you have a brand identity as well? Your brand identity is how you want to be perceived and should reflect the value of what you bring to the audience. Here’s the great thing…you are in control of your brand identity!

I have one of those fancy fitness trackers and I love it. It prompts me to take the stairs or go the long way to a meeting. But, plenty of times I still choose to take the elevator and chances are good I’m going to run into someone on that elevator who introduces themselves and asks me who I am or what I do. Being able to articulate who I am in that 30 seconds is crucial. It will certainly be the only first impression opportunity I have to do so. By preparing for this in advance I am more likely to accurately communicate my brand identity and have more control over how I am perceived in that first impression.

As an adult learner, perhaps you are in the process of seeking a new job. Maybe you just want to position yourself a bit better at your current place of employment. In each regard, you would benefit from having your own personal elevator speech prepared. You never know who you are going to be standing beside in the elevator, or the coffee line, or at the dry cleaners. Use that opportunity to share your brand identity. Besides, you never know where it might lead you!

I recently read an article in Journal of Interactive Marketing in which the authors shared “the premise for personal branding is that everyone has the power to be their own brand and a person’s main job is to be their own marketer” (Labrecque, Markos & Milne, 2011, para. 11). Wow, what an opportunity!

I believe a few intentional steps in planning can help you be prepared to present your personal brand identity:

1. Who are you? – You would think this is obvious, but sometimes being tongue tied gets the best of us! Clearly state your name – are you Robert, Bob, Rob…? Decide this in advance.
2. What can you offer/what do you do? – This is not your job title. Try framing your job title in terms of what you do. My job title may be Director of Admissions, but I prefer to say “I help adult students realize their dreams”.
3. Provide a hook to learn more – what is unique about you or what you do that someone may like to learn more about?
4. Practice makes perfect – you want your speech to be concise, interesting, and memorable. Practice it over and over and don’t be afraid to make changes. You will find you are more likely to remember it and less likely to stumble over words like “um” or “uh” with practice.
5. Ask for a takeaway – “Could I give you my business card”? Or perhaps, “Could we connect on LinkedIn?” are great ways to share your information and gain information for further networking with your audience.

Labrecque, L.I., Markos, E., & Milne, G.R. (2011). Online personal branding: Processes, challenges, and implications. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 25(1), 37-50. doi:10.1016/j.intmar.2010.09.002

Amanda Young is Director of Admissions at Belhaven University, Atlanta