The Art of Selling Yourself

Your ability to sell yourself is vital to your ability to develop a relationship.  It does not matter if the relationship is business or personal, the most important thing is to make a good first impression.   How do you make a good first impression?

Smile – You must smile when you first meet someone.  It might seem kind of funny that I even mention it, but you would be surprised at how many people do not smile when they are approaching to meet someone.  Your smile is your greeting card.  It says, hello I am a friendly person and I would be a nice person to meet.  Now let’s think about this for a minute, who would you like to meet a friendly person or an indifferent of uninterested person?  Of course you want to meet the friendly person.

Smiling is just the first step in the process and I hope that when you meet someone today that the first thing you do is smile.  I am willing to bet that the majority of the time you will receive a smile in return.

Relationship Building the Key to Social Networking

As humans we are social beings.  This means that we place value to developing meaningful relationships.  This started back in childhood when we played with other children. We wanted to be friends and make friends with others.  We were interested in what the other children liked to do and the common interest we shared.   We were excited about new things that we discovered through others.

The things we did to develop good relationships with others when we were children are the same things that we need to do now with our social networks.  Why, because although there is technology that allows us to connect to one another in our social networks, the people are the same on either end of the technology.  This means that we both are looking to develop meaningful relationships if we are interested in developing a great social network.

To be successful we need to do the same thing in our virtual relationship as we do in our face to face relationship.  These points were mentioned in a recent blog post that I read by Kathryn  Griffiths, (a fellow 30 day challenge blogger) and I would like to bring them to your attention.  Kathryn said we should:





  1. Use our own picture on social networking sites not an avatar
  2. Use audio with your voice when possible
  3. Be transparent  – using an e mail and other means of contact where possible
  4. Be open to connecting off line –  in person or via phone

While I do agree with the first 2, I would like to provide an air of caution on numbers 3 and 4.  We live in a different world then we did when we were growing up.  This means that we need to not give out too much personal information when on social networks.  Using a P.O. Box is a way to provide an address without revealing your own.  This is important especially to avoid identity thief or if you have a business.  Meeting people in person may not always be practical, because of the physical distance between you (living in another state or country) and this too may be unsafe.  I encourage you to use caution and meet in a public place if you choose to meet in person.

There is one more format that I would like to suggest you use to connect with others online and that is video.  Video allows the viewer to connect with you in a way that is stronger than a picture and audio alone.  I recommend that you consider these tips when connecting with others in your social networks and I invite you read the “Virtual Relationship” post by Kathryn.

A Talent Based Work Environment

Imagine a job where everyone was doing the job that they were best suited to do. A workplace where there was intentional collaborative team development was the norm not the exception. Each team member enjoys their job, has fun doing it and genuinely embraces their talents in their work.

Do you think this sound like the future? Well it could be happening in your organization, business, office or department today. There are a few requirements to achieving this success. The first requirement is to have an open mind. If you are open to the belief that this is truly possible then you have take the first step. Step two, do you have buy in from management. If management is not on board this will not work, they need to be willing to change their mindset about who can perform what tasks. Next step is for everyone to identify and embrace their talents. This can be done through a series of workshops and trainings that will allow attendees to interact and develop a true team environment centered on their individual and collective talents.

If this sounds exciting and you would like to learn more feel free to complete my contact form and let’s have a conversation.

Why Speak?

A number of people have asked me this question over the years.  Why speak?    I speak to inspire others, share knowledge and make people smile.  It is my passion to touch other people’s lives in a meaningful way.  Having the opportunity to deliver a message that resonates with the audience, inspires them to be their very best and makes them smile brings me joy.  It is my intention that whenever I speak the audience will walk away more informed, enlightened, and joyful.

Kevin Thompson MPA presenting at CUNYHumor plays a major role in my presentations.  People learn and retain more when they are enjoying the message.  My goal is to ensure that the message the audience hears is memorable if not unforgettable. This is the reason that I tailor and customize my presentations for each organization or association.  Yes this requires more preparation but it results in making an unforgettable connection with the audience.  I believe there is nothing better than making that type of connection with the audience.  I enjoy watching their eyes light up as I speak.  Seeing them smile and roll with laughter brings me joy.  I am happy and fell fulfilled knowing that I made that connection.  Having the opportunity to touch another person’s life, mind and heart in a positive way is one of the best ways that I know to spread joy in the world.  Why do I speak? I speak for all of these reasons.  I am looking forward to speaking to your organization or association.   Click this link, fill out the form and let’s discuss how I can communicate a message that will resonate with your audience.