“Your personal brand is that special something that lingers after you’ve left the room.” — Sue Jacques, The Civility CEO®
For the second part of the weekend with Sue Jacques, The Civility CEO®, ten handpicked students from Canmore Collegiate High School spent three hours on a Saturday morning going over some personal branding tips.
It was another fulfilling time under the coaching of Sue Jacques, where she discussed individual branding and all it takes to be the person you are meant to become. “Establishing a solid and authentic personal brand takes insight, vision, and effort. You can only ‘dress it up’ when you clearly understand who you are and what you stand for,” explained Sue.
She emphasised how important it is to be well prepared. “Preparation is the key to professionalism,” said Sue. “When you are prepared, you feel calm. When you’re calm, you feel more confident. That’s what I call feeling calmfident.”
Sue talked about how to maintain a realistic schedule. Instead of a TO-DO list, she advises having a 2-DO one. This means you put everything that has a due date attached to it in your calendar twice; once when it’s DUE and once when you’re going to DO it. She also pointed out that over-commitment can lead to poor time management. “The last thing you want people to think about you is that you are unreliable. That’s why it’s imperative that you learn how to say no.” Her recommendation for making this task easier is to remember that the words KNOW and NO sound the same. “When you KNOW you can’t take on one more commitment say, “Know, thank you, ” suggested Sue. “Even though it sounds the same as saying no, you will feel better saying know instead.”
Sue is a master of quotes and naturally explains what these young adults will start facing in this next phase of their lives. “Always keep in mind that you belong, and never forget how it feels to be the new person. Don’t wait for other people to come up to you at a networking or business event. Have the confidence to approach strangers, introduce yourself, and offer a firm handshake,” says Sue, adding, “Leaders lead their own lives!”
In a room filled with very attentive young adults Sue mentioned how important it is to say your name when you run into to someone you’ve previously met. “Don’t presume people will remember your name,” she reminded. “Saying your name will bail people out of what could become an awkward moment.” She also suggested that participants consider investing in contact cards, which are like business cards but with their personal contact information printed on them. “You will be remembered for having a formal calling card to exchange with contacts,” said Sue. “It sure beats scrawling your name and phone number on a scrap of paper!”
Knowing how to carry on a conversation is another crucial business skill. Sue left us with two simple suggestions for developing meaningful discussions. They are (1) to ask people what they love to do when they’re not working, and (2) to use the magic words “Tell me about…” to delve deeper into topics that are of interest to the person you’re conversing with. When it comes to listening, another valuable skill, Sue boldly stated, “You have to grow a pair…of ears, that is! It takes effort to really hear what other people are saying. Pay attention to them!”
Respect was the underlying principle of the entire event. Nowadays, email is the most formal type of business communication, so it’s important to really think through your written messages before hitting the send button. “Always communicate respectfully online. You never know where your email will end up.” When it comes to your cyber-relationships, Sue said we can demonstrate respect by having a suitable profile photo and adequate security settings. “There’s no such thing as privacy anymore. Believe me, people will check out your social media activity.”
Another sign of respect is to detach yourself from gossip in your work and social circles. “Gossip is sharing any information—positive or negative—that is not yours to share,” explains Sue, who reminded, “It can be incredibly harmful.” Sue likes to empower everybody to have a gossip-free workplace, and added, “The word gossip begins with the letters go. We can stop gossip if we simply get up and go when it starts.”
To finalize, Sue talked about how much energy is wasted by worrying about what other people think. She held up a Q-Tip box and reminded everybody to Quit Taking It Personally.
Participants walked away from this 2-day event with valuable knowledge and noteworthy perspectives.
“I didn’t realize there is so much strategy to life!” – Amy
“My dad was right! You really don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” – Sarah
Below are some emails Cyd Fraser got for organizing both workshops with Sue Jacques, The Civility CEO®
Hi Cyd,
Just wanted to thank you for organizing the course with Sue this weekend! Saidy really enjoyed it and felt the information gained will be put to great use!
Thanks again,
—Carol Gibson Coyne
Thank you Sue and Cyd for presenting and organizing this program over the weekend.
What a great opportunity for our young adults to learn new skills, or to sharpen existing ones.
This was perfect timing for Lucas as he is heading off to university next year. It was wonderful for him to add some “tools” to his toolbox, and to share the experience with friends.
I think this content would be a great addition to the high school program!
Kind regards,
—Sarah Fabbri (Lucas’ Mom)