Self-presentation - The golden circle model
Any behavior or action taken with the purpose to affect or change how other people see you is referred to as self-presentation. A self-presentation act is one in which we attempt to influence how others perceive us. We strive to present ourselves in the best manner. What that entails will change based on the circumstance and the other person.
Competences addressed/ learning outcomes expand_more
- Learning how to use elevator pitch and storytelling for Self-Presentation.
- Basic audience comprehension and content selection abilities are essential in leadership or entrepreneurial positions.
- Learning to focus on the key elements that must be presented in a business environment.
- Building a story that makes you stand out from the crowd.
- Providing instruction and opportunity for practice in the fundamentals of self-presentation structure and audience engagement.
- Providing opportunities for individuals to network and communicate in support of their business idea.
Objectivesexpand_more
- This activity aims to assist female foreign-born leaders in examining their barriers to public
speaking and self-presentation and helping them raise their voices. - To establish an environment where women who were born abroad can recognise and comprehend external factors that could result in limiting or dismissing the voices of women and girls;
- To create opportunities for foreign-born women to practice their presenting skills, which may lead to pitching/promoting a business idea and improving networking abilities, as well as establishing ways and strategies for overcoming both internal and external hurdles.
Theoretical background expand_more
Any behavior or action taken with the purpose to affect or change how other people see you is referred to as self-presentation. A self-presentation act is one in which we attempt to influence how others perceive us. We strive to present ourselves in the best manner. What that entails will change based on the circumstance and the other person.
Elevator pitch Definition
What is an elevator pitch?
An elevator pitch is a brief way of introducing yourself (about 30 to 60 seconds), getting across a key point or two, and making a connection with someone. Although elevator pitches are frequently believed to be particular to a concept or a product, you may also use them to advertise your professional skills.
● You should keep your elevator pitch simple. Keep your speech to 30 to 60 seconds. Your full work history and professional goals aren't required to be listed. A summary of who you are as a person and what you do should be included in your pitch.
● You need to be persuasive. Your elevator speech should be engaging enough to pique the audience's curiosity about your concept, organization, or background even though it is only a brief introduction.
● Share your expertise/skills. Your bio should include information about your background, education, and experience. Choose assets that can bring value in a variety of contexts. This is your moment to boast a little bit; try not to appear arrogant but do convey what you can provide.
● Practice, practice, practice. Practice your elevator speech so the speed and 'pitch' come naturally to you, without seeming robotic, and you'll feel more at ease delivering it. As you practice, you will become accustomed to changing the topic of conversation. The more you practice, the simpler it will be for you to present it during a career networking event or a job interview.
Tips: Try recording or practicing your speech with a friend. You can use this to gauge whether you're staying on schedule and conveying your point clearly.
● Be positive and flexible. When you present your pitch, you frequently aren't applying for a specific position, so you want to come out as flexible and open-minded. Don't start out by talking about what you'd rather not be doing. (For instance, it's perfectly acceptable if you don't want to travel frequently for work; but, you don't have to mention this right away.) Your chance to leave a lasting impression on a future employer is now. Avoid wasting it.
● State your objectives/goals. There's no need to be very precise. Since your pitch will be utilized in many various situations among a broad range of people, having an extremely specific goal is not useful. However, don't forget to specify what you're seeking for. You might include "a role in accounting," "an opportunity to apply my sales skills to a new market," or "to relocate to San Francisco with a job in this same industry," for instance.
● Be aware of your audience and address them. Jargon usage can occasionally be effective because it shows that you are knowledgeable about the field. However, avoid using jargon in your elevator speech if you want to avoid offending recruiters who might not understand the concepts. Focus on simplicity and clarity.
● Have a business card ready. At the conclusion of the conversation, assuming you're carrying a business card, hand it to the person. If you don't, you could offer to provide your contact details via your mobile device. If you're attending a job fair or a networking event for professionals, bringing a copy of your CV will help show your eagerness and readiness.
We suggest you watch this video by Kevin Bahler on how to introduce yourself:
The art of using storytelling in presentations
The interactive art of storytelling involves revealing a story's details and pictures while encouraging the audience's imagination.
The benefits of storytelling
Storytelling has multiple benefits:
1. Memorable
2. Grabs attention
3. Evokes emotion, especially empathy
4. Uses the audience's imagination
5. Relatable e.g. humanizes a person, company etc
6. Maintains attention because stories are so engaging
7. Builds anticipation by having heroes, challenges, adventures and journeys
8. Changes beliefs
9. Very persuasive
What makes a story?
(Free online course at UDEMY- find the link below, at the extra material)
The 5 key elements of a story
- Character
- Objectives
- Conflict
- Action
- Stakes
A story needs a focal point, something that is tracking through the narrative. It’s usually a human being but it could be an object, or it could be an animal, etc. Concern comes from a focal point, the character needs to matter, we don’t need to like the character, but we need to empathize.
Objective, a character‘s objective (desire goal). A story objective can be to attain something or to escape from something, the desired track is of central importance to the reader’s experience of the story. Usually, the more compelling the desire the more compelling the story is.
Conflict. The essence of the story is conflict and brings your character’s desire to life, conflict bonds us to the character.
Action, moving action transforms or changes the character in some way and is necessary for a story. You have a rumination, setting, or background information but without action is not a story. The character needs to take steps toward their objective.
Stakes, stakes equal the consequences of the characters not attaining the objective. Stakes create caring, a lack of stakes gives the illusion that one of the other elements is missing.
The Secret to Successful Storytelling Lies in the Golden Circle
Expressing the "why" of your tale, the emotional component, can help you initially establish a connection with your audience. Then, explain to them "what" you do and "how" you do it. Sinek states that most people begin a conversation by talking about "what" they do before moving back to the "how" and "why" of their actions.
However, according to Sinek, companies that have a strong reputation for being unique and successful communicate using an "inside-out" approach. They begin by discussing the why before moving on to discuss the how and what aspects of what they do.
Golden Circle by Simon Sinek
The golden circle is the key to effective storytelling, which in turn leads to effective product demonstrations and, likely, effective business interactions.
The takeaway from Sinek's speech is simple: "Always build your story from the inside out, starting with the WHY." Talk about what keeps people up at night to engage your audience in dialogue. Give them a reason to stick around to your explanation and observe your demonstration.
So, the following could be an order for you to talk to your customers. Inform them in sequential order:
1. WHY people should pay attention to you. Talk to them about the most important things to them, assist them in understanding their problem, and implant a sense of urgency in their decision-making.
2. HOW your solution/product/service helps them solve their problem. Discuss the potential for process improvements, cost savings, and income opportunities.
3. WHAT situation or features, and what products can they truly purchase from you, will you showcase to them.
In the words of Simon Sinek, "People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it." For identical reasons, the majority of trade show attendees aren't interested in your items; instead, they're searching for a solution to their issue or chances to start a new business.
Step-by-step implementation expand_more
About you:
1. Give your counterpart a friendly smile and start the conversation with something attention-grabbing, like A catchy phrase that encourages the listener to ask questions.
2. Introduce yourself: Talk about your motivations (WHY) while introducing yourself and your business (use the inside-out approach-the golden circle).
3. Tell what you do and show enthusiasm.
What do you offer?
4. Talk about the problems you solved or the improvements you achieved.
5. Give a concrete example.
6. Describe your interest in your listener and why.
What are the benefits?
7. Tell the person what unique services, goods, or solutions you can provide.
8. What benefits can They expect from working with you? What sets you apart from competitor businesses?
How do you do it?
9. Give a specific example or narrate a short story that shows your individuality and offers examples of your work.
10. What is your elevator speech's desired response? After your elevator pitch, do you want a business card, a recommendation, or a presentation appointment?
Here are two examples.
Examples: 1
“Has this ever happened to you? You’re rushing to get the kids out the door in the morning so you can get them to school on time and not be late for an important meeting — and then you realize that you can’t find your car keys. This happens all the time to me. In fact, did you know that the average suburban professional misplaces their keys more than five times per month? That’s more than 600 million times per year! Using bluetooth technology, I’ve created a low cost key fob that helps people find their keys and other lost items in record time, making it easier to get out the door on busy mornings. We’ve got a working prototype and now we’re looking to raise funds to go into large-scale production. We’ve got some new team members on board with extensive manufacturing experience and supply chain expertise, so we’re hoping to get to market in the next six months.”
Examples: 2
“Hi, I’m [NAME], the founder of Merchant Machine. We make it easy to say ‘thank you’ at work. Merchant Machine helps small businesses quickly and easily save money on their credit card processing costs by comparing the leading options in the market. It’s completely free to the end user, there are no obligations and takes just one minute to do. Can we set up a time to chat tomorrow?”
(The to-the-point)
After you have reflected on the examples, let’s start building a Step by Step elevator pitch:
(What you will need to implement the activity is paper and pen, start writing your speech. You have 30 to 40 minutes, usually, here it may be needed more time since elevator speech is a very concrete text. However, as an attempt the participants can try to put in action and later on share and reflect with the help of the team in order to make the pitch sound more natural and to the point.)
Step 1:
First write down all that comes up in your mind
Step 2:
then remove the complex terms and details. Create clear, strong sentences. Removing unnecessary phrases/words.
Step 3:
Link the words and phrases together. You need a natural flow to your speech so do not rush.
Step 4:
Memorize key points and practice.
Step 5:
Have you actually answered your listener's main concern, "What's In It For Me?"
Step 6:
Make several variations of your elevator speech for various professional settings. Make a note of them on formal business cards. Ask for feedback: do you sound natural? Is your pitch conversational and easy to follow?
Storytelling is the art of building a story! These are some tips that could help you while you are building your story.
The most effective public presenters apply storytelling; here are some suggestions:
1. Understand your audience
2. Frame your story
3. Know your message
4. Relevance
5. Be authentic
6. Use a conversational tone
7. Be visual
8. Evoke emotions
9. Sell your story not your product
10. Drama
11. Structure
12. Anecdotes
13. Length
1. Understand your audience
To start, you have to figure out to whom you are presenting:
- Be aware of their values, concerns, and viewpoints.
- Interest-related topics
- Seek out points of similarity, such as any shared experiences, with the audience so they can connect and empathize with you. They will therefore be interested in what you have to say.
2. Frame your story
Consider taking the audience on a journey, and decide where to start and where to end.
To find a place to start ask:
- What is the knowledge the audience already has about the topic?
- How engaged in this topic is the audience?
When a speech is poorly received, it's usually because the speaker misjudged the audience's level of interest, or they failed to deliver a compelling story.
3. Know your message
Make sure you understand the message you want to communicate to the audience and how your story relates to your call to action.
- Consider the reaction you want your audience to have towards your message.
- You might need to share information and statistics, for instance. Try to do so in an interesting way so that others will remember it.
4. Relevance
Make sure the narrative you select is relevant to the point or argument you are trying to make. To relate to and match the demands of your audience, the story needs to be customized for them.
5. Be authentic
- To gain trust, share true stories.
- Your credibility will be damaged if your story is false, and the audience will perceive you as dishonest.
6. Use a conversational tone
Use a conversational tone when narrating your story to sound more natural and welcoming. In order to avoid using technical language, pretend that you are presenting the narrative to friends or family.
Remember that the audience is the hero
- The audience frequently has to identify with the hero..
- Allow individuals to experience the journey towards obtaining the objective, seeing and feeling.
7. Be visual
Visual aids increase engagement and memory retention. Use related pictures, movies, props, and other materials to enhance your story.
8. Evoke emotions
The audience will feel more attached to the story if certain emotions are evoked in them, increasing their involvement, and aiding in persuasion. Additionally, emotions improve memory retention.
9. Sell your story not your product
Instead of emphasizing the products you sell, center the story around the result that the audience is seeking for.
10. Drama
The narrative should have conflict, contrast, or action; a villain would be present in classic tales. The characters in a business presentation might have to solve a problem. Because they are curious about what will happen next, this guarantees the engagement of the audience. To increase suspense:
- Tell a story in chronological order to create tension before the climactic resolution.
- Think about giving a predictable story and shocking the audience by deviating from what was foreseen (false start).
- You might want to use it in media res.
11. Structure
A story's beginning, middle, and end are necessary to build drama and suspense. Sometimes you don't have to finish the narrative because doing so can help you make a point throughout your presentation.
12. Anecdotes
Share personal anecdotes with the audience so they can see your human side. If it is relevant to the purpose of your presentation, think about sharing a personal story about a time when you made a mistake. For instance, suppose you were 25 years old and froze up during a crucial presentation.
People will identify with you and relate to you because we have all had challenges. The audience is more likely to stay interested in you if they can relate to you. If it makes you feel better, you can also tell these tales in a humorous way.
13. Length
Make sure the stories aren't too long and that you thoroughly plan them in advance.
Let's put into action what we have learned by building digital storytelling. (30 to 40 min)
(Digital storytelling is a design thinking tool that enables individuals or groups to reflect on their journey presenting their story in a short video. The output is a video where the participants can express their stories, explaining who they are and their past. It can be used to present and tell the foreign-born woman’s story innovatively, as a starting point for imagining the future of the beneficiaries, here you can also work as a group by creating a digital story together.)
Golden Circle: Ted talks:
A link regarding the golden circle is presented below where the participants can watch the example of Apple. The main idea with the golden circle is that our participants will reflect on it and deliver a better value proposition based on the WHY. This could help them when creating the mission of their business.
Apple’s example:
Time needed and group sizeexpand_more
GROUP SIZE: 15 -20 participants
Materials needed for implementationexpand_more
Further resources: Videos and/or useful linksexpand_more
https://tinyurl.com/bdcjzwvy
Different ways of storytelling:
https://virtualspeech.com/blog/tell-story-delivering-presentation
The golden circle:
Youtube ted talks:
- How great leaders inspire action-Longer version:
https://tinyurl.com/4yu4myva
- Start with why-Shorter version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK4HNPCVt2k
- How to introduce yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1xt7zgnuK0
Books recommendation:
Start with Why: how great leaders inspire everyone to take action by Simon Sinek
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/7108725
Building a story brand, illustrator summary of the book Building a Story Brand: Clarify your message so customers will listen by Donald Miller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkCMhhJaSSk
The book:
https://www.bokus.com/bok/9781400201839/building-a-storybrand/I
Referencesexpand_more
Beck, A. (2014). The Secret to Successful Storytelling Lies in the Golden Circle. https://tinyurl.com/332dd5te (Accessed 2023-09-19).
Cooks-Campbell, A. (2021). The self presentation theory and how to present your best self. Better up [Blog]. 19 September. https://tinyurl.com/nzesp84h
Doyle, A. (2022). How To Create an Elevator Pitch (With Examples).
https://tinyurl.com/5xun6342 (Accessed 2023-09-19).
Herrity, J. (2023). How to give an Elevator Pitch (with examples).
https://tinyurl.com/5d2hwfch (Accessed 2023-09-19).
Tigar, L. (2023). 5 Inspiring Elevator Pitch Examples for Entrepreneurs. https://www.clearvoice.com/blog/entrepreneur-elevator-pitch-examples/ (Accessed 2023-07-17).
VideoScribe. (2021). The 5 essential elements of all good stories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc2ouTq73zw (Accessed 2023-09-19).
Wordpress. (2016). The Golden Circle. https://b2bstorytelling.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/the-golden-circle/ (Accessed 2023-09-19).
