I’d spent eight years in the Army before co-blogger Dave B. gave me this advice before a job interview. “Bring your personality.”
This resonated, I guess because the military conditions us to favor the “safe” and rehearsed choice; to read from a script rather than engage with our brains. It feels easier to give the canned answer than it is to tell a story, especially in front of a new or hostile high-stakes audience.
The good news — the good news — is that there’s a way out of the vicious circle. While on one hand…
- New audiences + canned answers = we’re still strangers.
- Hostile audiences + canned answers = more hostility.
But on the other…
- New audiences + stories with personality = familiarity.
- Hostile audiences + stories with personality = trust and partnership.
It’s not just applicable to job interviews and internal conversations, either. This is pure communication advice for life.
Unanticipated instances of personality and color are a big part of the reason people liked Secretary Mattis, or retired COL Steve Warren at DOD and OIR spokesman. People admire leaders and spokespeople who can apply their personal experiences and perspectives to the day’s news. You know, folks who are comfortable taking risks and doubling down in real time. We trust them, and remember their words.
You don’t have a be a full-throttle cowboy to effectively engage with personality. Isn’t this the beauty of personality? It’s your own. If you’re ballsy, that’s great–go ahead and be ballsy. If you’re confident and quiet, that’s great too–own it. Whatever it is: optimistic, pessimistic, technical, meticulous, big-picture, clever, mad, humble, rushed.
Communicate like the human you happen to be. You might just find your audiences are human, too.
(Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Andrew Schneider, DVIDS)
