Perceptions Matter

How are you perceived❓

In my various #impact, #influence and #mediatraining courses/sessions, I often ask attendees to reflect on their credibility – their #ethos. Part of that is around how others perceive you; that is professionally, your values and your motivations.

How many of you endeavour to find out about how others perceive you❓

Indeed, what others think of you, might be totally different to how you think you come across. Always you must be authentic but if you know what people think about you, then maybe you can start to think about adapting your behaviour so that their perception of you is what you want it to be. That is not to change being authentic but rather to nuance, accentuate or make more obvious the values that motivate you.

At the start of a training session, I always ask people to introduce themselves and to talk about what gets them out of bed in the morning and their expectations. That reveals a lot about the person and it will perhaps create an immediate impression amongst the other attendees.

Later I run this fun exercise:

1️⃣ List three things about yourself – it can be anything you experienced, anything you like/dislike, whatever you want as long as it’s about yourself

2️⃣ Two of your statements should be true, one should be a lie

3️⃣ Ask others to guess which one is the lie 

Start with yourself – so I’ll go first:

1️⃣ I have parachuted into the sea off Portsmouth

2️⃣ I was once lead singer in a ska band

3️⃣ I have a distinction in tap dance.

So what’s not true?

There are always stories as to what individuals have revealed and what is the lie.

When I work with groups who know each other pretty well and run perception exercises, including the one above, it is often surprising but always positive and affirming. Like the Chief Accountant who described himself as measured, calm and structured – and yet everyone else said he was the one they would go to with a problem. He was a great listener, compassionate and supportive but didn’t see himself as that. It was quite moving and affirming for that to be revealed.

So, how you are perceived❓