Be Yourself – Be Someone Else

“Just be yourself”.

It’s advice we hear a lot, and I think a lot of people get worried because they think their imperfections will somehow let them down by making them seem unprofessional, and in business you want to come across as credible, authoritative and reliable. You’re worried that possible clients might be put off from using you if they discover that your family life is hectic, you enjoy heavy metal and have a slight obsession with new stationery. So we leave all that behind, put on our game face and act all serious. However…

…Did you know that by doing so you actually come across as generic and a bit uninspiring? No, of course not, because no-one’s going to tell you. They may not even think it, instead simply deciding not to do business with you.

The purchasing decision is an emotional one – we buy from people we like. We want to know all that stuff about people: your hopes, fears, strengths, and favourite flavour of ice cream (which should be coffee, obviously).

 

Reveal Your Weaknesses

Bring your secrets, your flaws, your addiction to ‘House of Cards’ and your ability to samba. Be human, fallible, likeable, because then you become someone that people will warm to, listen to, and want to interact with because they enjoy it. They may not even want to business with you there and then, but they’ll bear you in mind for future work or for colleagues who need what you offer. A recommendation from someone who actually likes you is incredibly valuable.

 

Who Are You, Anyway?

Tricky one, this. How do you know what to show? What’s the characteristic that’ll have people laughing at your jokes, loving your style and generally flocking to your like business like bees to your unique, er… honey? Well, here’s a strategy for you:

 

Be Someone Else

Try on someone else’s persona. Who’s your favourite character from a film or book? (I like to think of myself as Bruce Wayne, Jason Bourne or James Bond.) See what qualities you admire and try being someone with those qualities. The people in the image for this article are ‘cosplayers’; they dress up as their favourite character from films, comics or videogames and go to conventions where lots of other people have done the same. They get to feel what it’s like to be that character (here’s my recent PechaKucha on the subject). Surely it can’t be that simple, though, right? I mean, you can’t just become confident by thinking you are? Well, yes you can. Confidence is a state of mind, and in much the same way that a drink can help people lose their inhibitions, so playing the role of the confident you can help you attain that charismatic quality that people enjoy.

 

To Be Continued…

Now it’s up to you: get out there and have adventures as your alter ego. Find one that fits, then enjoy communicating without inhibitions.

 

Related Posts

Super-Ego! (or Play a Role to Be Yourself)

Reveal Yourself

How to Look Confident

Building Character