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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning.
This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to think about how to explain what you do.
A very simple formula works for a great many people and can quickly show others the value that you add.
In her book LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Dummies, author Donna Serdula has a great template for the about section of your LinkedIn profile.
Basically, you say, I help individuals or businesses or whoever your target audience is do X so they can achieve Y.
As in, I help homeowners make their homes more energy efficient, so they can save money and help the planet.
I help biotech companies figure out the regulatory process so they can bring new drugs to market.
I help make sure the employees of our construction company have everything they need so they can focus on their jobs.
I love this.
You get specific about who you help and you emphasize how you are helping them achieve their goals.
You say why your work matters.
This is really powerful.
Indeed, it might be worth hopping over to LinkedIn to update your about section right now.
But you don't have to reserve this formula for an about section.
It works in general conversation too.
I am sure we have all been asked at one point or another what it is that we do.
I might say I'm a writer, and then people say, oh, well, what do you write about?
Or they quickly drift off if they don't actually want to hear about it.
I haven't conveyed really much of interest either way.
But how about this?
I help busy people learn to manage their time so they can live happy and productive lives.
I do this through writing, but also speaking, podcasting, and so forth.
That's a more informative answer, more accurate and helps people continue the conversation if they want to.
A lot of other work can fit this template too.
So think about who your work helps.
I can think of all sorts of different audiences someone might talk about, like oh well, I help single moms pursuing a college degree, or I help businesses aiming to scale.
Whoever your audience is, naming them lets you convey who your work matters for.
I also appreciate the way this template emphasizes the value that you add.
The last clause about how they can achieve their goals is key.
Why does what you do matter?
You can use this template in conversation with colleagues you don't work with too closely.
It will help them recognize the value that you add to your company.
Practically speaking.
It also lets them know if there's an occasion when they should come to you and take advantage of whatever it is that you do.
Even outside of professional context.
Capturing the impact of what you do makes your work more understandable to other people.
Saying you are a supply chain analyst could be a bit of a conversation stopper at a party because well, what on earth is that?
But what if you say I help businesses keep track of how food products are getting to grocery stores so you can always find the graham crackers?
Well, then your work is more concrete.
I am sure you can think of somebody your work is helpful for and something it helps them achieve.
So why not give this template a try?
I mean, maybe this format doesn't quite fit for everything, but in general, much of our work is helping people achieve their goals in some way.
Keeping the focus on that can make work make a lot more sense.
In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at LauraVanderkam.com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media.
For more podcasts from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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