Category: Presence & Presentation

Charisma and the power of great fiction writing

Some people “never read fiction”. Life, it seems, is too short for its frivolity when there remain Great Books to be read.

Yet, well-written fiction has the power to bring emotion and experience to life, accelerating (vicariously) the individual experience. And, as psychologists know, a deeply imagined experience has the same effect as one directly experienced. Hence, the power of visualisation in sport (and life) coaching.

Here’s a fantastic, case study, example from the Art of Manliness’s Brett McKay.

Continue reading “Charisma and the power of great fiction writing”

Coping with conferences as an #introvert sovereign professional

Here’s an interesting post from Hunter Walk on how he, as an introvert, copes with large events.

The most important aspect of introversion isn’t “shyness”, it’s that being around other people drains your energy. By definition, extroverts need social interaction in order to gain energy. They come alive in social gatherings. They find it draining to study alone.

Introverts are the opposite. Simply attending large events is physically and mentally exhausting, but sometimes, as a sovereign professional, you just need to do it. You need to attend and learn, to see and be seen. The answer is to be measured in your selection and to pace yourself:

Over time, and in the interest of self-care, here’s how I’ve approached my own expectations and behaviors at events, especially day-long or multi-day conferences:

A. Depth Not Breadth When Meeting New People at Conferences: … So I changed my definition of success. It’s fine if I end up seeing a bunch of people but, really, if I can have meaningful conversations with just five, 10, 15 people over the course of a day, that’s a win.

Read the rest, here.

 

Photo by Ezra Jeffrey on Unsplash

A 3d CV to stand out from the crowd – Andy Morris, @dezeen #Lego

Design graduate Andy Morris stands out from the CV (resume) crowd. Dezeen has the story:

Instead of a typical paper CV, graduate designer Andy Morris has created a Lego Minifigure in his own likeness to send out to potential employers.

Morris, 34, recently completed an interior design degree at the University of South Wales, and is now looking for a full-time design role. He decided to create an unconventional CV to help him stand in a competitive jobs market.

What a cool idea.

Command the room – @artofmanliness

As a sovereign professional, you spend an inordinate amount of time entering unfamiliar rooms, full of strangers. It’s unavoidable. You need to meet new clients and potential clients. You need to attend conferences, training and those semi-social-semi-business occasions.

You may even feel that life is a little too long, so you burn some surplus life-energy at “Networking Events”.

The Art of Manliness blog has some top tips on commanding the room. It’s practical, simple stuff we should all do, but forget in the anxiety of the moment, such as:

  • Walk in boldly
  • Stand up straight!
  • Make eye contact

The rest, with background detail, here.

 

Image: AP Photo / Sony Pictures