Delivering personal branding

‘Brand You: Influencing with Integrity’

On the instigation of the CIM on 10th September 2008, I delivered a Master Class for smaller businesses in Inverness at the invitation of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in Scotland (CIM) and sponsored by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Other events are scheduled for Edinburgh at the Royal Scot Club on 2nd October and Glasgow on the 15th October.

Personal Branding 

I’d like to think I presented a unique view on personal branding and influencing with integrity. The session focused on working from the inside out with the focus on:  “Only by helping people change and master their potential can organisations make strategic leaps in improvement”.

The event took place at the Kingmills Hotel and 53 people attended.  Alistair Murray, CIM Scotland, was kind enough to say, “Philip usually concentrates his energies on helping large corporates implement strategic change and stresses that successful change is achieved by winning people over to consider other perspectives.”

Highlands & Islands Invest in Masterclass

Personally, I have an affinity with the Highlands and Islands and often take short breaks in the area.   I really was very happy running to be invited back to the region after running a entitled ‘Presenting Magically’ for 70 people. 

My belief is that only by understanding the authentic you, who you really are as an individual, can you really hope to influence others meaningfully.  This means dropping the work mask, celebrating and being your real self before attempting to influence others; essentially being ‘Brand You’. 

Personal Branding & Authenticity

When you understand what drives you and makes you unique, you are much more comfortable and confident in self and can go on to influence with ease and integrity. 

In pre publicity for the event John Mackenzie, senior development manager at HIE commented: “These Master Classes have a superb reputation for best practise knowledge sharing and networking. Phillip is a top drawer speaker and I’d advise all small businesses to catch him on 10 September.”

Thanks John, your contribution drove up the numbers and created a dynamic learning environment with much valuable Networking taking place.

Coming back to the content of the session, I believe that how we best promote our values and goals depends on our authenticity, that rare gift of ‘seeing ourself as others see us’.  At the Master Class attendees got the opportunity to start the process by running through a series of exercises to assess self and uniqueness; “to understand who we are and what we project to other people”.

Those attending the Brand You Master Class focused on:

• Exploring those personality types you find easy to influence, and those which are your ‘worst nightmare’
• Learning the behavioural characteristics that will enable us to take charge of situations of influence, even with the most difficult person
• Assess your own ‘authentic self’ and your most preferred style of working with others
• Examine the styles of influence you are most likely to employ and those you should use, but which you avoid
• Develop strategies to overcome, and deal with resistance to change
• Focusing on exploring and exploiting objections to your personal proposals
• Reducing personal stress levels by anticipating resistance and preparing for a variety of personality types

Attendees and others, who may be interested, here are some downloads that reflect the content and spirit of the session.

Inverness Powerpoint Presentation of ‘Brand You’››

Edinburgh Powerpoint Presentation of 'Brand You'››

Article – Selling Magically