Imperfection Connection

Your communication needs to be interesting – and for that to happen, you need to be interesting. But you’re not particularly, are you? Well, if you put on your ‘game face’, that will certainly be true. Here a few things that I think can generate the magic ‘i’ factor.

Unconventionality
Surprises
Flaws

They all come down to being your weird, human, relatable self. The last one’s brilliant because it’s wonderfully, counter-intuitively simple to use. The others are related but I think they can take a little development and work rather than just pure honesty.

Character Adjectives

‘Evil heroes’ and ‘kind villains’ may seem like oxymorons, but they’re precisely what each of those character types needs to be in order to be interesting. A flat-out evil villain or perfect hero are boring because they’re predictable. However, the villain who saves someone is as juicy and engaging as the hero who allows someone to die – we are drawn into their motivation because it’s not clear. How can the Joker beat Batman? Because he’s unpredictable; the Joker doesn’t want money or power, he just wants to watch the world burn. He certainly isn’t a kind villain, but he’s not a conventional one either. Ooh, intrigue.

Your Mission (and It’s a Tough One)

In your next presentation, meeting, email or phone call, try showing your flaws, weaknesses, shortcomings, embarrassing moments (everyone loves those) and dreadful lack of judgement. Obviously, you have to do this in moderation (too much could be a bad idea in an important situation such as that interview or presentation), but done correctly, you will reveal just enough of your vulnerable side to gain that all-important connection. And that’s what good communication is all about.

Authenticity – Scary But Useful

Kitchen You vs. Front of House You

Get Your Freak On

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

Presentation Fails and How to Fix Them #13: Personality

Rogue Qualities