Practical Tips: Manage Perceptions

Every contact provides an opportunity for you to establish or reinforce your “brand.” Impressions are more important than ever now that much of our communication is virtual and everyone is stretched to capacity. There is limited time for face-to-face contact with anyone, including influencers. Vigilantly managing your interactions with others can help you establish strong, authentic connections regardless of your proximity.

Define Your Audience
Everyone is your audience. You never know who is connected to whom regardless of title or current job responsibilities. Consistency in how you interact with others is important and helps people understand what you’re all about.

Know Your Audience
Every interaction with others is an opportunity to learn about them. Pay attention to their preferences and try to understand what they mean. For instance, if someone likes to have a lot of meetings it may mean that they learn through hearing information and talking it through with others. Or, they may like to hear themselves talk. Next time you have a project that involves that person, don’t waste your time writing memos. Set up a meeting. It will ultimately be more efficient—and they’ll view you much more favorably even if the information you’re delivering is exactly the same as the information you would write in a memo.

Customize Your Information
Leverage the information you’ve gathered regarding preferences. If you believe your audience is visually oriented, deliver your communication in a visually appealing way. If structure and control are important to them, manage expectations by telling them about the steps that will be taken along the way.

Strong relationships combined with your abilities and work ethic are key to being successful. Being conscious of and responding to others ensures that you not only give appropriate cues, you also receive them.

You are welcome to reprint this article as long as you include the following in its entirety: Reprinted from “Our Corporate Life®,” a biweekly ezine featuring practical tips and tools for navigating the corporate world. © MMXI Amanda Mitchell, Our Corporate Life, LLC. Subscribe at www.ourcorporatelife.com