2019 Annual Conference

Informal Learning

Concurrent Session (45 minutes)

Personal branding is critical to successfully promoting your career. With the multitude and availability of media channels today, it is essential that personal brands are consistent, up-to-date, and reflect key personal competencies.  Misinformation or missing information could hurt one's chances of success.

If you wish to enhance your career possibilities, it is critical that you pay close attention to how you are perceived by potential employers, students and faculty.  Your public profile can be the starting point for new opportunities in publishing, collaboration, and research.  Neglect of your social media accounts could result in missed opportunites.  It is equally important to present a consistent image, picture, and skill sets in the multiple channels.  If you wish to learn more about how to create your best image, this session is for you.

- Explain how personal branding will enhance your career goals;
- Identify the media channels that will be most helpful to achieve your personal and professional goals;
- Select three of the channels to create and coordinate your personal brand;
- Write an "elevator speech" about your key skill sets; and
- Schedule the time and day of week that fits best for you to update your channels to keep them vibrant and updated.

A strong personal brand differentiates you from your competition. Over the past several years, creating and nurturing your own personal brand has become more important to be publicly recognized for your achievements. We will explore multiple methods for you to become more visible with more impact. These methods include establishing a focus of what you do, building a tribe, showcasing your personal brand with social media, creating videos that accurately describe your talents, speaking at or organizing events, publishing a book, blog, or webpage, and generating media coverage for your work.
Once you create your personal brand, it is critical that you showcase your skill sets. Making the decision to start a webpage, post a video, or maintaining social media pages generates interest in you. If you don't make sue of these channels, you may get lost among your peers. Learn how to select the channels that will help you meet your goals and develop your own followers. This session concentrates on branding U.

The format for this session will be discussion and mini-lecture accompanied by PowerPoint slides.  Facilitating questions will invite an exchange of ideas.  A half-page worksheet will be provided so participants can create their own "elevator speeches" and leave the session with an initial branding document. These can be used throughout the remaining days of the Conference to promote their personal branding efforts.  A resource list will also be provided so follow up and continuation of the session's objectives can be achieved.