Getting Savvy With It: Self Promotion Without The Ick Factor

Self promotion. A word that tends to send shivers up the spine of many. The thought of it likely makes you curl up into a ball. So why are we talking about it today? Well, because like it or not, it is a pretty important (and inescapable) aspect of success at work.

So how do you reconcile with engaging with something that feels icky? Well firstly, it shouldn’t feel that way - let’s reframe this. When we talk about self promotion it is not about arrogance or superiority. We’re not talking about blowing your own trumpet to make others feel small. No. We’re talking about shining a light on what you do. Why? Because you can’t make an impact if no one knows about your work.

Consider this philosophical question: 

“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

While of course scientifically it does make a sound, arguably if no one is there to hear it, it didn’t happen; it makes no difference.

Whatever you find yourself doing, if you’re fuelled by passion you want to share that with others. It’s of no benefit putting your blood, sweat and tears into something only for it to sink into a back hole. Not only does self promotion help you to raise your profile and highlight great work, it opens the doors to others and creates opportunities for collaboration.

Now we’ve clarified that, hopefully you feel more positively about it. Let’s take the next step.

• Focus on facts: rather than tooting your own horn, you should concentrate on the facts. Sharing the outcomes as well as your learnings and reflections will help frame your conversation and leave your audience with helpful food for thought. For example: “I’ve been working on a project to [DESCRIBE ACTIVITY]. We’ve been able to achieve [IMPACT]. It’s been so exhilarating and I’ve learnt so much - my key takeaway from it is [REFLECTION]”.
• Elevate others: take the opportunity to recognise and highlight others’ contribution especially where they’ve had a notable role and impact on the outcome. For example “I’m delighted with the results and especially appreciated the help of [NAME] who was pivotal to our delivery because of [ACTION]”.
• Share the benefits: be sure to emphasise the value of your work and educate your audience on how it’ll benefit them (or others). This engages others as it lets them know what is in it for them. For example: “The successful delivery of [ACTIVITY] means moving forward we/you’ll be able to [BENEFIT]”.

What are your thoughts on self promotion? Leave a comment below to let us know.