A Perspective On The New Age Of Interaction

Connor Broshar

As we can see around us the world is evolving. Conflict and mistrust can create new opportunity. How we interact with each other in the future will change our personal brands for the better. It is time we start saying “Lets have a conversation” and minimize conversation roadblocks.

Interacting with others on a personal level has become a challenge for many of us during the past decade. We have discovered fascinating new ways of being able to grow our own personal brands through technology, however the link between this and having a personal conversation with humility and gratitude has been eroded over the last decade and personal branding is needing a makeover.

When we think of personal branding today we think of social media and how others see you from an outside perspective. While this can be extremely helpful it is clouding our ability to communicate effectively with each other. In this potential new age of interaction our personal brands can be shifted in order to stop pleasing others and being more connected to the real world by taking advantage of living in the now and in the progress making us more grateful and positive individuals.

When it comes to editing our personal brands we need to take a step back and look at the current climate. There is an erosion of trust within media, government and social media information. Credibility is something that is becoming harder to come by on a daily basis. There shouldn’t be this disconnect between our work and our personal lives because we are still living the same life wherever we go. Communication of our personal brands should be whole and our work-life balance should be interconnected and no longer separated by “This is my brand at work” and “This is my brand at home”. Why? Because it simply creates a disconnect in communication and changes how we interact. It’s time to tell your one true story and build your network.

Brands back in the day used to be thought of as just for businesses. Then the internet happened. I believe this is put into perspective best by Michael Brenner who is the author of the bestselling book The Content Formula, in addition, Michael’s work has been featured by The Economist, The Guardian, and Entrepreneur Magazine. He says, “All kinds of information started moving around the world. Companies and governments and institutions became less important. Social media allowed us to connect with anyone with an internet connection, and later anyone with a smart phone. Part of the reason the importance of personal branding has increased so much in the past decade or so is because suddenly, everyone has access to some degree of information about everyone else”. The negative consequences of this creates conversation roadblocks. By reshaping our personal branding we can be successful at holding ourselves accountable and actually starting a conversation with others.

Dialogue is action! It’s time we look at dialogue playing a bigger role in our brand. You may be uncomfortable at first or make mistakes in the process, but keep climbing that latter. You are human and don’t need to have all the answers to make an impact. This in turn can add more humility and gratitude to your “brand arsenal”.

I am going to end by offering a few tips on what I believe can help update your personal brand. These are just some observations that I have made throughout my studies at school and experiences I have encountered.

• A way to expand your brand without social media is finding someone you know the least in your class or at work. Maybe a professor you haven’t connected with or a manager in another department. Schedule a time to connect about their experiences both at work and at home. This will make your brand seen more real and authentic and in addition develop trust and understanding.
• Hone in on your voice. When changing the direction of your personal brand think to yourself “How do I want to be perceived”? Finding your voice will help you build connections.
• Find your Superpower! What is your passion or purpose? What is the next goal for you? What do I see that others don’t? If you can’t develop that 30 second elevator pitch it’s time to reflect and sit down and write out a 20 second mission statement.
• Study the needs of others. By doing this you can better network and create meaningful conversations. Bridge the gap between home and work. Gratitude and humility will make you feel a boost of confidence.
• “Powerful networking is not just about “you,” it’s about providing value to others first” — Adam Enfroy. By providing value to others you are creating conversation and less of a conversation roadblock.
• Find the target audiences in your life. Your personal brand is well personal. Be authentic by being vulnerable. realize its ok to be wrong and not have all the answers. This will make others see you as a person that is approachable.
• Think long term. Your reputation or ability to reshape your personal brand won’t change overnight. Start becoming more open to conversation and your reputation will grow and in the process the important people in your life will show.

Lets do better in the digital age. There is no better time than now then to change or alter our personal brands and to get to creating more dialogue and less work/social branding which can bog us down.