change

Erik Tyler | October 8, 2015 | 4 Comments

Jailbreak (FROM) Your Phone

Today’s COMMUNICATION post – by Erik Tyler

You’re in a meeting and, once again, you feel the all-too-familiar :: buzz-buzz :: of your phone in your pocket. You’re not really paying attention to whomever is speaking, and it’s not entirely due to the fact that the presenter is as dry as last month’s bread.

You leave said meeting and look down at your phone: 8 new calls and voicemails, 11 text messages. That’s all not to mention new incoming e-mails.

You take a deep breath. It just never seems to end. And to make it worse, as you look down your list of new voicemails, you see that three of them are from people who are notorious for saying things during conversations like “So, anyway, to make a long story short…” after what should only have taken one minute to say has already taken twenty. One actually left a message that went too long, then called back to continue the message, starting in with, “Sorry, I got cut off there, but as I was saying …,” apparently oblivious to the fact that your phone’s recording limit per message is a full five minutes.

:: buzz-buzz ::

Make that 12 new text messages. It’s the guy who just left the two long voice messages, texting to make sure you got the messages and reminding you to call him back, because “it’s urgent.” It always is with him.

You check your e-mail. One is from a new client: “Give me a ring. I want to talk about possibly getting [insert some miniscule number] of your products and I’m just too busy to check your website: (555) 123-4567.” There goes another hour of your time, which may or may not end in a sale that, at best, will turn a profit of a few bucks.

Erik Tyler | September 24, 2015 | 4 Comments

Maximizing Your Personal Brand Part 4: Health

Today’s COMMUNICATION post – by Erik Tyler

This is the fourth and final installment (at least for now) in the series “Maximizing Your Personal Brand.” I trust that you have benefited from the previous posts in the series, and that if you have not yet read all of them, you’ll find some time to do so. It will complete the picture where personal brand is concerned. Here are those links, for your convenience:

Maximizing Your Personal Brand Part 1: Attire

Maximizing Your Personal Brand Part 2: Hair

Maximizing Your Personal Brand Part 3: Hygiene

Don’t skip over those too quickly. While the topics may sound simple, there is something for everyone in each of them (even those who are proudly sporting a bald head or who consider yourself squeaky clean).

In the event that you’re pressed for time, but have missed previous posts, let me quickly summarize one last time two key foundational concepts where personal brand is concerned:

Nonverbal communication extends beyond expressions and gestures.

The first impressions that you make happen before you even get a chance to speak; yet those impressions will often dictate how – or even if – people will receive your message.

First impressions can dictate how – or even IF – people will receive your message. Share on X

You are your own personal brand.

This means devoting adequate time and resources to making sure that your identity remains unique, positive and memorable.

Make sure your personal brand remains unique, positive and memorable. Share on X

With that, let’s look at one final area that significantly impacts personal brand. And in keeping with the other posts in this series, this isn’t just about the obvious stuff like workouts. So even if you hit the gym six days a week, keep reading. There’s something here for you.

Erik Tyler | September 17, 2015 | 4 Comments

Maximizing Your Personal Brand Part 3: Hygiene – Erik Tyler

This is the third installment in the series “Maximizing Your Personal Brand.” While I suppose today’s post could stand alone to some degree, I do highly recommend that you check out Part 1 and Part 2 first. Not only do they lay important groundwork regarding the significance of your personal brand, they contain key components of a whole. To miss out on them might be compared with trying to write a symphony with just the woodwind section, or painting a masterpiece with only one color.

What’s more, if you don’t read the build-up regarding how your clothing, eyewear and hair affect your personal brand, you’ll be jumping in at a particularly strange part of the story (as you may have guessed by the header image).

As I did at the beginning of the previous post, I’ll summarize two key concepts before we continue, in even more condensed form:

1. Nonverbal communication includes more than expressions and hand gestures.

The first impressions that you make happen before you even get a chance to speak; yet those impressions will often dictate how – or even if – people will receive your message.

First impressions can dictate how – or even IF – people will receive your message. Share on X

2. You are your own personal brand.

We as individuals must treat our personal brand just as seriously as any successful company approaches its own branding and public image, which means devoting adequate time and resources to making sure our personal brand remains unique, positive and memorable.

Make sure your personal brand remains unique, positive and memorable. Share on X