Hey there!

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to answer one of the easiest questions anyone can ask you?

“So, what do you do?”

We know too much about ourselves.

So we start explaining.

Our job. Our background. The company. The side project. The thing we used to do. The thing we’re trying to do next.

Before long, we’ve given someone the highlight reel.

But I’ve been thinking lately that maybe a better introduction isn’t a highlight reel.

It’s a movie trailer.

Three Things This Week

One Idea. One Inspiration. One Inquiry.

ONE IDEA

Don’t give people the highlight reel. Give them the movie trailer.

A highlight reel tries to show you all the best stuff. A movie trailer has a different job. It gives you just enough information to make you want the next piece of information. That’s an important distinction when we’re communicating who we are. Whether it’s an introduction, a LinkedIn bio, a speaker bio, an About page, or even a first meeting, our instinct is often to prove ourselves by including more. More accomplishments. More credentials. More things we do. But more information isn’t always more interesting. Sometimes the better strategy is to give people one clear, interesting idea about you—and give them a reason to ask the next question.

The goal isn’t: “Now you know everything about me.” It’s: “Tell me more.”

ONE INSPIRATION

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

ONE INQUIRY

What’s the movie trailer version of what you do?

Try this experiment. Imagine you aren’t allowed to explain your entire career. You only get one or two sentences. What would you say that is: Clear enough to understand. Interesting enough to remember. Incomplete enough that someone might ask another question. That’s probably a much better introduction than your highlight reel.

P.S. I’m putting together the next Personal Brand Visibility Lab. The Lab is a 6-week experience where we’ll choose an idea you want to be known for, build a visibility experiment around it, and put it out into the world. Interested? Learn more here → [LINK]

Talk soon,

Brandon "the director" Birkmeyer

Author of Front & Center Leadership​

Founder of Brands on Brands Consulting​

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