Building a great personal brand through business etiquette, networking and a strong social identity.

2. Agenda
0 Business Etiquette Basics
0 Networking
0 Building Your Personal Brand
0 Social Identity
0 Putting Your Best Facebook Forward
0 Getting LinkedIn

4. First Impressions are Made in 5
Seconds
It’s the things left unsaid that can
betray you

5. Do’s and Don’ts
DO DON’T
• Make eye contact
• Remember names
• Follow up within 48 hours
• Ask questions
• AND listen
• Acknowledge other opinions
without being defensive or
accusatory
• Dress on the conservative side
• Know a good handshake
• Basic manners
• Brush up on the culture of a group
or country
• Be on any form of technology when
talking to someone – off or silent!
• Let your eyes wander all around the
room or over someone’s face
• Fidget – If you need to play with
something, do it discreetly under the
table
• Talk or summarize with a cohort
until you are off premises –
Remember that gossiper at your last
company? Remember anything else
about them?
• Judge books by their covers

6. Eye Contact: The “Golden
Triangle”
Courtesy of Christine Curavo – Curavo International
Protocol and Business Etiquette

7. Handshaking – Part of your first
impression
Limp Noodle Just Right Jaws of Life Please
• Weak
• Sweaty or greasy
• Gives the impression you
lack confidence and
possibly lack hygiene
• Firm, but not death grip
• Makes full contact
• Sends the message that
you have confidence but
not overbearing
• Most professional
• Like squeezing juice out of
a brick
• Overly eager and powerful
• Sends the message that
you are too confident or
unaware
• People might not even pay
attention from the pain
Tip from Christine Curavo, Etiquette Expert – “One, two!”

8. Business Cards
0 It’s always okay to give a business card unless
otherwise stated
• Don’t ask, just hand it out as you introduce yourself
• In some cultures it’s best to hand it out with two
hands
0 Consider having both a personal and business
version
• Marketing Manager vs. Member of the Board
• Marketing Manager vs. Cupcake Baker
0 Things to consider adding to your card:
• Mobile codes (free to generate online)
• Short URL to your LinkedIn profile, website or
online resume

10. The Art of Networking
0 Why do it?
• Your network is the most powerful tool you
have in business and personal endeavors
• You will use it for research, new
opportunities, getting your foot in the door
on a sale, finding the right people quickly
• It’s part of your personal brand
0 Why we hate it
• Feels artificial at times
• It’s scary to put ourselves out there
• I’m a germ-a-phobe!

11. Getting Out of Your Shell:
How to Network at any Event
0 Have a game plan
• If you know who’s going, identify the top 2-3 people you want to meet and why
0 Prepare your ‘elevator pitch’
• 2-3 short lines that map to your objective (can be about a business idea, what you represent, or a short summary of
who you are)
• This is your party line – so stick with it!
• Play this out in your head and think of some possible ways to keep the convo going
0 Take notes!
• Especially at conferences, this won’t be frowned upon
• At a “cocktail” event? Ask for a business card if they don’t automatically hand you one or use technology
0 Be a good listener
• Ask, listen, summarize (rinse and repeat)
• Follow-up questions are the best way to keep a conversation going
• Don’t know where to start? Ask what brings someone to the event or if they’ve seen anything interesting at the
conference so far
0 Wallflowers are a band, not a good thing to be!
• Don’t talk to the same people all night
• Buddy up!
0 Follow-up
• Send a thank you note or a “nice to meet you”
• Give them cues to remember you by Courtesy of MediaBistro.com

12. 5 Ways to Add to Your Network
0 Look up conferences or events in your area of interest
and attend
0 Liked a speaker at the conference? Go up and thank
them for their great presentation and ask some
questions
0 Volunteer
0 Have a common friend? Ask for an email introduction.
0 Join a club or association

14. Personal Branding
0 What is it?
• Self-positioning
• What people think of when you come to mind
0 What’s it defined by?
• Both tangible and intangible items
Your interests
Your personal beliefs
Your style
Your attitude
Your work ethic
Your history
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15. Famous Personal Brands

16. Ways to build your personal
brand
0 Start by establishing your goal
• What do you want people to say when they first think of you or hear your
name?
• Find some role models and study them
0 Get active
• Sign up for volunteer work associated with your goal
• Start taking lessons or signing up for news feeds
• Be an active voice in the community/industry
• Network with those in your area of interest
• Sometimes you leave your comfort zone in order to become who you
want to be
0 Take pictures
• Documenting your progress is key, the next step is to do something with
the pictures
• Be seen, be heard, be recognized

18. What is your social identity?
0 The persona you put online through:
• Social profiles
• Online forums
• Blogs
• Photo albums
• Commentary
• Video uploads
• Status updates

19. Who is watching?
Friends
Family
Future
Business
Partners
Industry
Members
Community
Members
Classmates
Coworkers

20. Why is this important?
0 Online or not, we all live in a connected network
• Your coworker could one day be your potential employer
• Your neighbor could know your future boss
0 First impressions are very important
0 Online personas give people insight into who you are and
what you stand for
• How professional are you?
• Are you nice to others?
• Can you be trusted?
0 Things on the internet are PERMANENT
0 Google is a POWERFUL tool

22. What do I show publicly?
0 My profile picture
0 My cover photo
0 My work history
0 My educational background

23. What’s on my profile?

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• Hobbies
• Interests
• Photos from your travels
• Photos of your pets
• News you’ve read recently
• Good news!
• Photos of drinking or doing
inappropriate acts/breaking
the law
• Foul language
• Gossip/complaining about
coworkers/boss or job
• Racist or demeaning
commentary
• Back and forth personal
conversations
The Do’s and Don’ts for Social Media

25. How to build a good social
identity
0 Spring cleaning!
0 Always be aware of what you post and second guess it
• Is it something you want everyone to know?
• Is it something you only want your friends to see?
• Is it something you can just tell someone over the phone or in
person?
0 Learn to customize your views
• Share certain albums only with your close friends or family
0 Use discretion in adding connections to your network
0 Have hobbies? Volunteer a lot? Share it!
0 Like to play sports? Show it!
0 Went to an industry event? Check-in!

26. Privacy Settings on Facebook
Use the “view as”
function to
see your profile as
someone else or the
public

27. Who sees what?
Make it easy – don’t
let anyone tag you 

29. Should you get a LinkedIn
account?
0 YES.
0 In the business world, LinkedIn has become increasingly the
first place people check when they look you up
• Often shows up first in search engines
• “I don’t want people to think I’m looking…” – Forget that thought
0 LinkedIn is a great way to start establishing your brand and
to show off your:
• Accomplishments
• Title
• Network
• Nice smile 

30. 0 Always have a picture. Best is to always have a professional
picture.
0 Your ‘title’ is important
• Don’t try to be funny…unless you are a professional clown
0 Add a summary
• People might not read all the way down!
0 Be descriptive about your current and past jobs
• Don’t let people guess what your responsibilities were, or think
that you have none
0 Add skills and areas of expertise
• These are key ways someone will find you
0 Add awards and volunteer work (personal branding)
0 Join groups and discussion boards
0 Endorse people you know
Tips for Building a Great
Profile on LinkedIn
Left: Me
Right: Aileen Lee, Kleiner Perkins

31. Privacy Settings on LinkedIn
Letting others see
that you’ve looked at
their profile can be
good or bad

32. Remember This…
0 Business is more than just about revenue and expenses
0 A competitive advantage isn’t just about the greatest
number of sales in a quarter
0 It’s hard to remember the third slide of your deck, but it’s
easy to remember if you smiled and gave a nice handshake
0 A personal brand can go a very long way – so can a quality
network
0 Social Media doesn’t have to be mass communication

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