Beware of humblebragging about yourself

We all want to make a good impression on other people, whether it’s during a job interview, a meeting with a new client or a first date. But our intuition about what creates a positive impression is often wrong. For example, ‘humblebragging’ is a common way to respond to interview questions such as “What’s your greatest weakness?” (“I’m bad at saying no, so I end up helping other people too often.”) But researchers have found that humblebraggers are viewed as less likeable than people who straightforwardly brag or even people who complain. When someone humblebrags, they sound inauthentic. We evaluate other people more positively when they try to be themselves.

(Adapted from The Right Way to Brag About Yourself, by Francesca Gino)

Think of your next presentation

Whether you’re giving a presentation in a conference room or telling jokes in a comedy club, storytelling is the best way to keep your audience hooked. Keep these tips in mind to make your next presentation more engaging:

Be immediately interesting. Your first line or two sets the tone for the whole presentation.

Simplify and exaggerate. Your audience can only remember a few details, so streamline your delivery and exaggerate the main points.

Close strong. People instinctually crave strong, simple resolutions. Refer back to your opening lines to bring the story full circle.

(Adapted from Your Presentation Needs a Punch Line, by Annette Ferrara)

Persuade by winning hearts or minds, but not both

We’ve all heard that persuading other people requires winning both their hearts and their minds. But trying to leverage both emotion and logic can actually make you less influential in some situations. To create the strongest foundation for your argument, decide upfront which tactic will be more compelling to your audience. Winning hearts is effective for piquing interest in an idea, increasing people’s performance or commitment, or helping a team that’s struggling with conflict. Winning minds is better for overturning a past decision, addressing a highly complex problem or convincing an analytical, data-driven person to agree with you. Use proof and your expertise to demonstrate why your idea warrants attention. Highlight the analysis you’ve done, and discuss your idea’s benefits in very tangible ways.

(Adapted from Focus on Winning Either Hearts or Minds, by Lisa Lai)

Get back up to speed after a vacation

We all need vacations, but the pain of returning to work afterward can make us wonder whether the time off was really worth it. A simple set of practices can make it easier to get back into your work groove:

Before your vacation: Make a short list of tasks to tackle when you return, noting where you’ll start with each item. Set up timed alerts for tasks that must be addressed that first week back, and block off significant chunks of time to get them done.

After your vacation: Leave your email responder on for an extra day or two so colleagues and clients don’t expect an instant response. Avoid intra-office social networks and turn off your phone’s ringer to help you focus. And make work fun by listening to a new music playlist and doing some neglected tasks that you enjoy.

(Adapted from Ease the Pain of Returning to Work After Time Off, by Alexandra Samuel)

Align your goals with your manager’s

When you’re negotiating with your manager over something you want (a raise, a project, getting to work from home), you have to speak in terms of your manager’s agenda, not your own. That way your request won’t immediately sound like an additional burden. So instead of just saying what you want (e.g., ‘I need a raise because I think I deserve it’), reframe your request to show how your manager will benefit too (e.g., “I’m excited about the effort you’re leading and I want to make sure I’m only rewarded for making an impact. Here’s a proposal for how I think I can best help.”). This increases the chances that you’ll be heard.

(Adapted from Prioritise Your Life Before Your Manager Does It for You, by Greg McKeown)

Published in Dawn, Business & Finance weekly, October 5th , 2015

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