Self-presentation: how to do it, what to write, examples

People often have to talk about themselves: when entering prestigious educational institutions, when applying for a job, in a friendly or informal atmosphere, and sometimes without a specific immediate goal. Most often, self-presentation is carried out orally; less often - in the form of a cover letter or section in the application form. But in any case, before the speech, you need to write the original text - beautifully and as briefly as possible.

Creating a high-quality presentation of yourself is no more difficult than writing a resume for a job correctly, but it should be borne in mind that this is more creative work. The author will have to not only provide answers to a number of standard questions, but also reveal his own personality, briefly describe his preferences and convince listeners of his irresistibility. Below are step-by-step instructions for writing a self-presentation and several small examples of successful work.

Problems with creating a self-presentation

Often this problem is hidden within ourselves. Various psychological traumas, internal barriers or ignorance of oneself can be strongly reflected in a conversation with an interlocutor. To do this, you need to make a self-presentation, taking into account your features that need to be hidden or, conversely, shown, making it as informative and exciting as possible, and in a fairly short time.

Being able to listen to someone else’s opinion, think through your words and actions, and control the situation – these are the qualities that will help you achieve maximum effect in self-presentation.

Presenting about yourself is one of the topics that speakers fear. It's difficult to know what the audience wants to know and how much to tell them about yourself. Self-introduction is one of the most common speeches you will be asked to give in life.

Self-presentation is the process by which individuals present themselves in the social world. This process occurs at conscious and unconscious levels, usually motivated by the desire to please others and satisfy one's needs. Self-presentation can be used as a means of impression management.

Self-presentation is any behavior designed to create, modify, or maintain an impression of oneself in the minds of other people.

Self-presentation serves three important functions:

• helps social interaction
• allows people to achieve material and social rewards
• helps individuals create the IDs they want

Your experience that may be useful to the client

You don't need to tell absolutely everything about yourself. Choose the most relevant experience that will help the client make a decision about cooperation. What in your luggage will solve his problem?

Source

In this post I only talk about experience that demonstrates competencies for a specific task - I can advise and teach how to develop content strategies for a project. Moreover, everyone will note their own: for some, promotion on social networks is important - here you go, I teach a course on SMM and manage the account myself. Those who need email marketing will see that such experience is also available. But at the same time, for example, there is no emphasis on the fact that I am writing amazing commercial proposals - because a completely different product is being sold.

Relevant experience described in the text about yourself not only inspires trust, but also allows you to focus on what is most important to your client.

Interview in the form of dialogue

In addition to telling about yourself, you can ask questions to obtain information about the proposed vacancy. They also need to be prepared. You can't interrupt. Listening carefully, it is worth mentioning some facts from professional activities.

You can ask about the working day, about the manager and the meeting with him. Information about employees, who held the proposed position, and the reasons for his departure may be interesting. You can find out how important this vacancy is for the company, and what difficulties you may encounter. Applicants are interested in career prospects.

Good afternoon, dear friend!

Self-presentation is sometimes confused with talking about oneself, one’s experiences and achievements. It's not the same thing. In addition, the story still needs to be conveyed so that you are listened to and heard. So, self-presentation at an interview is an example of a balanced and reasonable approach.

Let's first define the term.

I like this definition: Self-presentation is the presentation of oneself and behavior with the aim of creating a certain impression of oneself in people.

In our case, from the employer’s representative. Usually a recruiter or job manager.

I decided to highlight several self-presentation tools. Let's look at them briefly. In the text of the article I will provide links to examples discussed in other articles on my blog.

Creation of Primary Perception

An extremely important point.

It is human nature to exaggerate the impression that the interlocutor makes literally in the first minute, or even in the first seconds. This property of human nature is embedded in the subconscious and works flawlessly.

The first impression can influence the entire subsequent conversation. Make a positive impression and everything will go swimmingly.

I recommend looking at the rules for establishing contact in a separate article: How to introduce yourself at an interview? I think it’s unnecessary to repeat myself. I will only note the simplest and most effective technique - frequent use of the interlocutor’s name.

Another tool for creating a first impression is body language.

How you enter the office, a handshake, sit down on a chair, facial expressions, gestures will often tell everything for you. An experienced interlocutor will unmistakably identify you: “boss”, “impudent”, “timid”, “smart” and so on.

It is important to create an image that matches the position you are applying for. For example, a “master” image is perfect for a manager

A story about yourself

There's one catch. The interlocutor prefers to listen only... to himself. The vast majority of people. He hears you at the very beginning, the first 15-20 seconds

Then the attention dissipates, he is already thinking about what he will say or what he himself would say. Or starts to get distracted

In the end, what will remain in his head from your story, only God knows.

In order to convey everything we want to say and be heard, the story must be intermittent. That is, in several parts. Between them are your questions to your interlocutor. So that the latter does not relax and “hit the ball.”

We looked at an example on how to do this correctly

Your answers to questions

Guessing what specific questions will be is not an easy task. There can be a great variety of possible questions.

But there's better news. Fortune telling on coffee grounds is not our method. I recommend doing two things:

1. Prepare answers to common questions
2. Understand how to answer any questions. It is advisable to practice a little in order to master it and not forget along the way.

Communication style

The main principle is the creation of a dialogue mode, interactivity. We discussed with you how to communicate correctly during an interview in this article. In short, the rules are:

1. Listen carefully
2. Encourage your interlocutor to talk more
3. Take notes
4. Ask questions
5. Use positive language
6. Show emotional maturity

Conversation style

Key points:

1. Contact by name more often
2. Empathy
3. Naturalness
4. Interactivity
5. Speech clarity
6. Voice and speech rate
7. Don't be afraid of mistakes

Read more in this article.

Congruence

Matching intonation, content and facial expression. The coincidence of what I say is with the way I speak. Sometimes even “thank you” can be said in such a tone that it doesn’t even smell like gratitude.

Try hunching your shoulders, lowering the corners of your mouth, shrinking as much as you can and say:

What happened? Something's wrong, isn't it? Doesn't give off much confidence.

This is incongruity. Intonation, facial expressions and eyes are also your message, which is read subconsciously by the interlocutor.

The best trick is no tricks, natural behavior. That is, be yourself. Only on the condition that you are an educated person. Otherwise, I recommend behaving as is customary. Because during an interview the rule of the golden mean applies. More on this below.

Presentation of the dish

When putting together a presentation of a culinary masterpiece, they usually don’t just list the ingredients, but use imagination and imagination.

Example 1

Good afternoon friends! I present to your attention a pie. In addition to the main ingredients, I added a little secret to it: I whipped up positive emotions, crumbled joy, sweetened it with affection and tenderness. Mixed everything and put it into the dough. Therefore, the dish turned out airy and aromatic. I seasoned the filling with kindness, love and sincerity. I invite everyone to try my fabulous pie.

Example 2

Dear friends, come and try my culinary masterpiece. This dish is not simple: it gives strength, beauty, wisdom, kindness, because I generously seasoned it with these ingredients. Believe me, whoever tastes it will never forget the spicy taste and will want to know my magical recipe. I will definitely share it with everyone and hope for a positive assessment of my culinary work.

Types of presentations

You can convey information about yourself to people through self-presentation. They are divided into groups:

1. In relation to the audience towards the presenter.
2. According to the form of implementation (oral, in the form of text).
3. According to the purpose of the event (promotional, informational).
4. By audience size (private, chamber, ).
5. Self-presentation theory suggests that human behavior is aimed at creating a desired impression. We want people to see us a certain way.

Three components of successful self-presentation:

• the speaker must be motivated to have a special effect on the minds of the listeners
• the speaker must have the cognitive ability to know what specific behavior will produce the desired impression
• must be able and willing to accept the desired behavior

Successful self-presentation involves a balance between benefits (presenting the most useful image for the situation) and credibility (ensuring that the image will be perceived by others). Being aware of these factors, people usually change according to the audience's expectations.

Greet the audience warmly, tell them who you are, what you are going to talk about and why.

Tell us about yourself: hobbies, hopes, dreams, goals. Be informative, if appropriate, be sure to talk about personal achievements.

Discuss your reasons for wanting to work for the company, touch on past experiences, and explain why you think you are suitable for the position. Tell an interesting story from the past, if appropriate. Tell the interviewers what you are proud of. This could be the ability to save time, efficiency, skills. Be prepared for questions about this.

If you are in school or starting a new college course, tell us why you chose this course, what interests you about a particular job or career.

Aspects of Personal Presentation

Important components of a personal presentation: clothing, accessories (bags, phones, diaries, jewelry, scarves), body language, voice.

Clothing is the most obvious aspect of a personal presentation.

When deciding what to wear, there are a few things to consider. What does the audience expect? A business suit may not always be appropriate

Much depends on the expectations of potential listeners. Sometimes smart casual is more appropriate.

Women need to think about footwear: you will be standing for long periods of time, make sure you can do it. If you are not used to heels, don’t wear them.

Accessories must match the clothing. This does not mean that the bag should be the same color as the jacket. If you wear a suit, your materials should be in a briefcase, not a backpack.

The role of the voice in performance

Three basic elements of speaking must be mastered by those wishing to become effective presenters:

1. Volume - to be heard.
2. Clarity - to be understood.
3. Variety is to create interest.

Volume. Some people have naturally soft voices. If the voice is too high, tonal quality is lost. Do not raise, but “project” your voice as you exhale.

Clarity. Some people tend to speak through clenched teeth. This inability to open the mouth and produce sounds clearly is the main cause of speech unintelligibility.

Diversity. To make speech effective and interesting, you need to employ vocal variety. Ways to achieve vocal diversity:

• speed
• volume
• delivery – intonation – accent
• pause

Speaking speed. If speech is too fast, listeners do not have time to absorb what is said. To maintain the interest of listeners, you need to vary the pace of speech - first speeding up and then slowing down.

Volume. By increasing or decreasing the volume, you can create emphasis.

Delivery - Intonation - Emphasis: When speaking in public, try to convey information with as much energy and enthusiasm in your voice as possible.

Pause. Can be used for effect, to highlight a previous statement, or to attract attention with an important message.

Learn to control your emotions

Qahtani usually starts his performances with jokes to make the audience laugh and relax a little. Believe me, he would have continued in the same spirit, turning his appearance on stage into a stand-up act, if not for one thing: you cannot talk about serious things through humor alone.

The same thing will happen if the speaker’s speech is too serious and therefore too difficult to understand. The audience will leave the hall with mixed feelings rather than satisfied.

“Whatever style you choose for your public speech, it is important that it instills hope in the hearts of people,” advises Qahtani. “After all, it was precisely for this feeling that they came to you.”

What to write and how to describe yourself briefly and beautifully when filling out the About section

You can identify 7 “selling” blocks, thanks to which your resume will meet all the requirements and will certainly interest the employer, organizers of Internet projects and other people beneficial to you. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Block No. 1: Introduction – about yourself briefly and beautifully

This section should contain a short introduction and your first, last, and patronymic names.
It may look like this: This is a classic introduction, and as you know, classics are always in trend. But do not forget about the note of intrigue, which will force the reader to continue reading. Therefore, you can add to the classic acquaintance:

This approach will help to warm up interest in further presentation and “draw” the reader into the text. In addition to the greeting, in this block you should describe the facts of your biography in “a few words.” It will be enough to write about your place of birth, marital status, and presence of children.

Block No. 2: Occupation - how to write interestingly

Quite often this point is missed because they think that since a resume is being submitted for a specific position (job), then there is no need to tell anything. It is not right. In this block you need to fully disclose information about what you do. In addition, you need to highlight how your work will benefit the company, people, potential clients, etc.

Block No. 3: Write briefly but interestingly about your education

The educational institution where you studied, the faculty, the year of graduation and the specialty received are clearly indicated here. You need to write about the specialized education required to get a job. This section also indicates: courses completed, second postgraduate education (even if it is not in the required specificity). In cases where famous people participated in your education, do not forget to mention this:

Block No. 4: Briefly and beautifully about your achievements

Achievements should include diplomas issued after receiving higher education, diplomas, certificates, awards, titles (if any). According to the rules of business writing documents, they are listed in chronological order. You can also boast of publications and participation in significant events. Ideally, all this is confirmed by links to photographs and publications.

Block No. 5: Description of personal qualities briefly and beautifully

It should be borne in mind that the description of personal qualities directly depends on the profession and type of activity of the organization where you are submitting your resume. So:

If possible, to confirm your qualities, you can provide reviews from clients and past employers who are officially registered on third-party resources.

Block No. 6: Leave an “aftertaste” - write an interesting fact about yourself

All resumes are compiled according to templates, and before offering the “boss” the best 3-4 candidates, the person responsible for staffing carefully reads all the applications received. To stand out from the crowd, write non-standard facts. This could be participation in a city race in honor of a holiday or a passion for baking, which is adored not only by relatives, but by the entire street. This unexpected information is sure to stick in your head and make your resume stand out.

Block No. 7: Summarizing yourself briefly and beautifully

The final part of the text about yourself should have a call to action. This psychological move has been used more than once by famous people today. After summing up and saying goodbye, you need to unobtrusively offer to look at your portfolio, read reviews from clients (employers), and dial your feedback number.

Self-presentation at an interview: how to present it

“Please tell us about yourself” is the first phrase that is usually heard.

You need to understand what you can tell about yourself at an interview. The speech should last 3-4 minutes. If the employer has read the resume, then you should try not to restate it. All the facts from it are already known. The ability to present oneself, intelligence, and correct speech will be assessed.

We need to start with a presentation. It is better to speak about yourself as a specialist during the interview. It will be interesting to hear about your place of study and place of previous work. When preparing for an interview, you can collect all the facts about your achievements. It is worth talking about the skills that will be useful in performing job duties.

If you had to work in several companies, you need to highlight the most basic merits. With a lot of experience, they talk about all their successes. Students can be presented with projects in which they took part, then the recruiting manager will see the candidate’s focus.

At the end, you can briefly provide personal information: marital status, hobbies. It is worth talking about hobbies if they characterize a person from a positive side: chess lovers have a highly developed intellect.

In conclusion, they voice the phrase: “I am ready to answer your questions.”

Tips for beginners

It is important to remember that self-presentation first of all helps to greatly develop confidence in yourself and your abilities. The public is like metal, which when heated and certain actions takes the form desired by the blacksmith. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid, because if you try, you can take control of any public.

It is also worth remembering the importance of visual images, since a person perceives most of the information through the eyes. Try to give and create more visualizations, use technology to present information more accurately.

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.

The honest public is your head coach.

What are the benefits of participating in clubs like Toastmasters? The fact is that this is not only a membership card and regular meetings with like-minded people, but first of all an opportunity to get an honest review of the work demonstrated to the public. Of course, if you are not a member of a public speaking club, you should not give up - practice speaking in front of one or more people who can evaluate you objectively, without flattering words or a deliberately biased attitude towards you.

There were many elements in Qahtani's draft versions of The Power of Words that seemed to him extremely important and necessary for the eventual success of the performance.

The speaker willingly shares his experience:

The experience of working with a live audience is truly invaluable, I advise you to take into account each and every opinion expressed about your test speech, because in the end you are writing specifically for your listener.

Mohammed Qahtani

Types of presentation

Types of self-presentation are divided into:

1. Natural type.
2. Artificial type.

Every person without exception has the first variety. After all, from the minute he is born, his unique image begins to form.

This process occurs naturally and does not require any thinking or predictions. As a result, a person determines his place in the system of social consciousness.

It is also worth noting that people cannot control and change this process, which is a big disadvantage of this type of self-presentation. The effect of natural self-giving can be different, and it is not always positive for the individual.

An artificial version of self-presentation can only be done when a person learns to present himself correctly in order to appear in a favorable light. Such a self-presentation about oneself should be presented briefly and beautifully so that people have a genuine interest in the person. For this purpose, a person must develop an original structure of the text and the process of communicating with people.

How to make a self-presentation and behave correctly during it? In this case, every detail is important. A person must be punctual and friendly

In order for the presentation to be successful, you should follow some recommendations:

It is of great importance what impression is created about the person in the first minutes of the meeting. Therefore, you need to work on your image. Your posture should be straight, your head raised, your shoulders back, your gaze confident. This will indicate self-confidence, lack of fear and anxiety. It’s not enough to look confident, you also need to be neat and beautiful. Properly selected clothing will help maintain your appearance. Preference should be given to business style. It is strictly not recommended to wear a lot of accessories; it is enough to have a wedding ring or small earrings. You need to train your voice

This is very important, because the basis of self-presentation is precisely the story about yourself. Your speech should be calm and legible. Under no circumstances should you leave your phone in sound mode, otherwise, if it rings, it will distract your attention. Care must be taken to ensure that unnecessary gestures are not used when presenting information. You cannot cross your arms or legs, fidget in your chair, or avert your eyes. All this will indicate that the person is secretive or is not ready to openly communicate with others. Under no circumstances should you show skepticism or an indifferent attitude towards the audience

This behavior will lead to failure of the performance. You need to show everyone your interest in communicating with them. However, you shouldn't get too emotional. You can smile when it is truly appropriate. You should establish contact with the audience through casual communication. Monitor how people react to your story, answer their questions, and, if appropriate, ask about something from them, demonstrating the importance of their opinion. At the end of the presentation, be sure to thank everyone present for their time and say goodbye.

Tell yourself: “I am better than those I speak to.”

The triumph came at the cost of considerable effort for Qahtani: the guy was born with a speech disorder - stuttering. He was never able to completely get rid of his symptoms, but Mohammed is convinced that the need to go on stage and hold his word in front of a large audience gives him strength and helps him overcome barriers in communication.

I gradually became more confident as I began to listen to the advice of my mentor at the club. One of them was to tell myself: “I am better than the people I am about to perform in front of.”

Mohammed Qahtani

Many, most likely, now thought that Mohammed had joined the club of notorious egoists, who else could you look for? “Don’t rush to conclusions,” Qahtani laughs, “I didn’t mean anything like that at all!” Mentally pronouncing this phrase, I seem to give myself an attitude and an additional incentive to take decisive action: everything will work out, I have enough courage to go on stage and speak in front of everyone else, those who did not dare to do the same. It's like a shift in consciousness that instantly removes the fear of being humiliated. So why be afraid if your listeners openly admire you?”

Ivan Kotva professional psychologist

The woman is sociable and sociable, but picky in her relationships.

Personal space is distant. Psychotype – “listener”. Self-esteem is high. The level of ambition is respectful, but not overwhelming.

Outlook on life is realistic and pragmatic.

The style of thinking and perception of everything that happens is optimistic.

I love life and people. A sense of humor is always with me. Life credo: “Everything that is done is for the better!” Philosophical worldview:

Purposeful nature. I am a person of the “golden mean”.

I am in no hurry to make important decisions.

The principle “he who doesn’t take risks, doesn’t drink champagne” is uncomfortable for me, but I won’t “measure the stool 77 times” either. I am able to look at a task from a “third party”, I easily approach the adoption and application of non-standard solutions.

Creative nature, right hemisphere thinking predominates.

Bonus: books and courses that will help with personal advancement

• Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and Tal Rez.
• “Jedi Techniques”, Maxim Dorofeev.
• “We turn on the charm using the methods of the secret services,” Jack Schafer and Marvin Carlins.
• “Create a personal brand”, Jurgen Salenbacher.
• Skillbox course “Marketing for Entrepreneurs”.
• Course in English from the University of Virginia on the Coursera platform “Introduction to Personal Branding”.
• Another course in English “The Climb: 6 Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand” from Udemy.
• “Personal brand - a course on promoting a personal brand” from the CEO of the advertising agency Digital Bands.

Choosing the type of self-presentation

Self-presentation is a special method of presenting oneself as a person from the positive sides, as well as attracting to one’s advantages

It is very important to control feelings and emotions when preparing it. In fact, every person encounters this

We adapt to a given situation, control our speech, manners, and behavior.

• So, the first type of self-presentation is adjusting to the people around you. This is a rather complicated technique, but quite feasible. For example, if you want to get to know a company, you first need to know its behavior, manners, topics of conversation, and speech from the outside. This helps to feel people more strongly and quickly find a common language. After this, there is only one thing left to do - join the company and become part of it.
• The second way of self-presentation is leadership, dominance and authority. This method is much more complicated than the first, because the speaker is required to fulfill a much larger number of rules and conditions.

RULES FOR THE SECOND METHOD

Firstly, the person who is presenting himself must look elegant. To do this, you don’t need to buy any expensive, special things; it’s enough to emphasize elegance with the help of the right clothes. For example, for a man, a fitted shirt, a slightly fluffy tie is suitable, and for a woman, a dress that emphasizes her waist, soft jewelry and a neat hairstyle.

Thirdly, it is necessary to highlight and emphasize strengths. The mark of a leader is turning a disadvantage into an advantage. Different companies may have different strengths. For example, a girl understands cars, a man cooks deliciously, and a woman knows martial arts. You need to find your own “zest” to stand out from the crowd.

Fourthly, you need to present your personality and inner qualities. But self-presentation should be unobtrusive, as should focusing on common interests. The best action would be to immediately show your nature, and not a mask, so that in the future there will be no disappointment on the part of your interlocutor.

Public self-presentation

Public self-presentation is needed if, for example, you want to get a job or introduce yourself to a new team. For successful self-presentation, the following rules should be observed:

• Preparing a text or speech in advance. Before speaking, you need to re-read it several times, but not memorize it, so that the speech seems natural. Don't forget about improvisation either. The text plan ideally consists of three parts: a bright, light introduction, the main part with your portfolio, and a conclusion.
• Record your speech on a voice recorder and listen to it. This will make it easier to identify its shortcomings in order to correct them.
• You should always be prepared for tricky questions. To do this, you need to study in advance the people who will listen to you. An example would be a teacher who gets to know the students in the first class, then notes strengths and weaknesses, identifies methods to get them interested, and then begins teaching.
• Emphasize your good manners.
• A good “life hack” for gaining the trust of your listeners is friendly gestures. It allows you to convey your message to your audience more clearly.
• One of the main rules is appearance. It is better to wear a classic suit or dress to show your authority and dominance. But sometimes it happens that a classic suit may be inappropriate, in which case you can replace the suit trousers with dark jeans.

TYPES OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

There are 4 types of public speaking:

1. Protocol and etiquette.
2. Persuasive.
3. Entertaining in nature.
4. Informational in nature.

Since ancient times, protocol and etiquette self-presentation has been considered the basis of oratory art. Basic rules when drawing up protocol and etiquette self-presentation:

• Brevity.
• Energy.
• Emotionality.
• Inspiration.
• Awakening positive emotions in listeners.
• Dominant self-presentation

When presenting a personality, the main emphasis is on dominance. To do this, it is enough to identify yourself as an informal leader at a given moment in time. But this technique may not be suitable for all types of listeners, since among the interlocutors there may be leaders who will not perceive you as a leader. With dominant self-presentation, a very important emphasis is placed on the appearance of the speaker, his gestures, manners, speech, and ability to communicate with the public.

Use your strengths

Remember the good and instructive cartoon “Kung Fu Panda”? Each of the characters in it was endowed with one or another quality that helped him become a strong and fearless warrior. The same principle is taught in the Toastmaters club:

Nature has endowed some with the gift of eloquence, others with a pleasant-sounding voice, and others with charisma. Put your best qualities to work for your benefit.

Qahtani distinguished himself with his excellent sense of humor. He was lucky: during his student years at Arizona State University, Mohammed tried his hand at stand-up comedy, thanks to which he became accustomed to approaching many life situations with humor.

What am I getting at? If the then-Saudi Arabian student had not found anyone funny, he would not have made jokes during his public appearances today.