Effective self-presentation: how to keep attention

Concept: why do you need to present yourself?

When presenting his abilities, a person sets a goal: to make a certain impression on his interlocutor. People with self-presentation skills are able to create a positive opinion of themselves in the eyes of others. The concept includes the following statements:

1. The ability to present yourself competently, talking about your experience and successes.
2. Correct prioritization: talk about what will interest the target audience.
3. By correctly telling about yourself, a person encourages action and gains the trust of others.

Adequate self-presentation is necessary to get an interesting job and establish good relationships with others. Some people actively use this skill to always be in the center of public attention.

Appearance

Regarding the selection of clothing, it is necessary to be guided by the rules of respect for listeners. You should not allow yourself to look sloppy, as well as clothes that are not suitable for the occasion. An inappropriate choice of clothing can be interpreted as disrespect and also as bad taste, which in no way contributes to creating a good impression.

If we are talking about self-presentation in business, you need to choose a wardrobe using classic elements of business style. Makeup and hairstyle should not be flashy - they should only slightly emphasize your advantages. “Combat” makeup or an overly frilly shirt are unlikely to be appropriate and will be perceived as a manifestation of a frivolous attitude.

How to make an interesting self-presentation: preparation

Every person finds himself in many situations where it is necessary to be able to show himself in a favorable light. And further communication will depend on how the first meeting goes. You definitely need to prepare for this. Think about how you should meet the right person and how you will build your presentation. Try to find all the information about the subject of the upcoming conversation, work out every little detail. Try to draw up a clear action plan on paper. In those few minutes while you talk about your experience, abilities and achievements, a bright picture should appear in the interlocutor’s mind, showing the prospect of working together. At the same time, remember to be brief and provide only relevant information.

Rules of self-presentation

When going to a meeting, set yourself up for success and feel confident in your abilities. The main thing is a positive emotional attitude. Don't forget to follow the rules:

• Do not be late for the presentation under any circumstances;
• put the phone away and put it in “Silent” mode;
• show restraint - do not show your emotions, do not raise your tone;
• remember to be polite and friendly;
• keep the conversation going. Build your speech wisely;
• speak only to the point.

There are rules of self-presentation that will help set a person up for the right impressions. No. 1. In the first 7 seconds, a general opinion is formed. When you appear in the field of view of the interlocutor (audience), the assessment immediately begins. Control your posture: straighten your shoulders, raise your head. Give confidence to your voice and gaze, shake hands firmly with your interlocutor. According to etiquette, one does not shake hands with women. No. 2. When meeting someone, what immediately catches your eye is the way you are dressed. Follow the dress code:

• The best option for everyone is a light shirt (or a formal dress), dark trousers, cleaned shoes and a jacket. Tie is optional;
• no jewelry needed: just wear a watch, earrings/wedding ring;
• all clothes are clean and ironed;
• Avoid cheap perfume.

Tune in for the presentation: your voice should be clear and pleasant. Grunting, squeaking or wheezing are not the best conversation starters. No. 3. A person’s professionalism is manifested in the ability to competently talk about himself. Make up a short, good story in advance and present it to your interlocutor. Perfect verbs inspire confidence in the audience: “did”, “achieved”, “formulated”, “improved”, etc. An impression will be formed of you as a businesslike and reliable person who achieves her goals. No. 4. Don't forget about the nonverbal component: don't cross your arms and legs, don't fidget, don't bite your lips or pen. These are signs of lack of self-confidence. You should stay straight and calm, nodding when necessary. The smile should be appropriate. This way the interlocutor will understand that you control yourself and quickly adapt in any situation.

Exemplary example

An exemplary self-presentation is divided into several parts.

Introduction

The words with which you begin your speech will keep the audience's attention on you, allowing them to hear the timbre of your voice and evaluate how it relates to your appearance. If there are a lot of people in front of you, then it is better to make the greeting simple

Let’s say: “Good afternoon, my name is Andrey Efimov. Can everyone hear my voice? Thank you for taking the time to meet. It will last two hours, during which time we will talk about the techniques of oratory, but first about ourselves.”

With this speech you accomplish several tasks at once.

Establish contact, find out if everyone is comfortable in the room and designate time intervals for the meeting, which is important for listeners. And most importantly, tell us why it is important and necessary for viewers and listeners to participate in your lecture.

• Get the audience interested in the detail first. As one of Pushkin’s teachers at the Lyceum said: “And now, gentlemen, hang your ears on the nail of attention.” Think in advance what kind of “nail” this will be in your speech. Most often, an original metaphor, question or riddle is used for this. If you're lucky, the public will still join in the interaction.
• Create a map of your self-presentation. Immediately identify the points that will be discussed. This will allow you to structure your presentation and connect with your audience.

Self-presentation at an interview

When applying for a job, the applicant fills out a form, providing information about himself. If the information in the application form is of interest to the employer, the applicant will be scheduled for an interview. For yourself, first write short answers about your achievements and capabilities. When presenting yourself, confirm your words with strong arguments: certificates, diploma, work record, marriage certificate, etc. Focus on strengths and positive qualities Don't be afraid to ask questions. Ask about the specifics of the job, the company, or prospects. This way, the employer will understand that the potential employee will invest time and effort into the development of the enterprise.

Image principles

The principle of self-education and self-improvement

. You can improve your image presented to others only through understanding yourself. You need to determine who and what you are for yourself and in the eyes of others, then find out what you want to be and appear to be, set a goal for yourself and strive to achieve it, changing both externally and internally.

The principle of visual image harmony

. The harmony of the visual image is, first of all, consistency, harmony in the combination of face and body proportions, color personality type and silhouette type. To be liked, a person does not have to conform to the classical canons of beauty. He should be interesting and attractive with all the individual features of his appearance, creating overall harmony. The external appearance does not necessarily reflect the internal content. Rather, he shows something, and, on the contrary, hides something. It is almost impossible to create an image that is opposite to your inner essence, and even more so to constantly maintain it. At the same time, when you begin to present qualities that are not characteristic of you (for example, accuracy and punctuality), the psychological law of correspondence between external and internal will contribute to the fact that you will begin to change. You won't necessarily become neat, but you will get closer to that quality if that's what you want.

The principle of communicative and speech influence

. In the process of communication, various types of information are transmitted and perceived: emotions, moods, information, etc. The effectiveness of this principle lies in the professional use of techniques of persuasion, suggestion and imitation. It is important to master various methods of speech influence and be able to recognize them in others.

The principle of self-regulation

. The human body has a peculiar, instinctive mind, thanks to which a person survives. Connecting consciousness leads to the fact that a person begins to live, optimally adapting to the environment and realizing himself. Image, i.e. a visual image of oneself, left to its own devices, will most likely fall apart, since the presentation of a certain image requires a number of efforts. Self-regulation or self-management is to constantly analyze your needs and compare them with opportunities, optimizing desires and efforts to achieve them.

Example of self-presentation

As an example, we will tell you about specific actions that should be performed when applying for a job:

1. State your first and last name, then smile.
2. In two or three words, tell us about your marital status.
3. Briefly describe the companies where you worked, tell us about your successes, give examples.
4. Be clear about your goals and aspirations.
5. Tell us why you want to work here and what benefits the employer will receive from working with you.
6. Thank you for your attention.

If the atmosphere is more confidential, you can mention your hobbies.

Mistakes of self-presentation

Keep in mind that different situations require a specific approach. Therefore, when talking about yourself, it is very important to avoid any shortcomings. We have prepared a list of the most common errors:

• The applicant does not understand the goals of the presentation, or does not set them at all. Therefore it becomes meaningless.
• Does not know about the needs of the interlocutor, cannot formulate how he will be useful.
• Gives false or embellished information.
• Talks only about himself, ignoring the other person's reaction or what happens during the presentation.
• The use of negative words in speech, negativity.
• A “closed” posture or, conversely, excessive fussiness and gesticulation.
• A person avoids eye contact - it can be assumed that he is deceiving or unsure of himself.

During the interview, follow business etiquette: do not talk on the phone, rush the audience, say that you don’t know something, or bring up negative aspects of your work or communication in the past.

Development of necessary skills and self-presentation training

A person must develop, learn new things, improve his skills. To ensure excellent self-presentation, do not forget to practice:

• learn to speak correctly, clearly formulating your thoughts;
• try to control your emotions and gestures;
• be polite;
• talk about yourself in front of the mirror, record your speech on video or a voice recorder: this will help identify the main shortcomings.

Practice exercises to learn how to unobtrusively convince your interlocutor of your indispensability, and then competent self-presentation of your personality will become an important component of your success. After all, the ability to present yourself correctly will be useful not only when applying for a job, but also in other areas of life.

Take care of your appearance

No matter what people say about the predominance of the internal component over the external, this is not the case with self-presentation. Take care of your image, achieve the desired impression of yourself with clothes, shoes, hairstyle, and appearance in general.

There is no universal solution for this - if you want to create the impression of a confident manager from the financial industry, take a closer look at the style of successful managers. If you are an IT entrepreneur and need investors, look for a different style. The creator of the And Then We Saved portal, Anna Jones, advises at a minimum to make sure that you look neat, well dressed and your image is appropriate for the situation - it is quite strange to try to wear formal clothes while walking in the woods and vice versa, you should be more careful with a bright and provocative style on official presentations.