Reputation & Presentation: How To Package Your Professional Brilliance

Imagine that you are holding the world’s most precious diamond in the palm of your hand. As you look down at it in awe, its sparkle shows off its perfect cut. Its grade D icy shimmer is the best money can buy and, under a microscope, there wouldn’t be a flaw in sight. This extremely rare combination of cut, color, clarity and carat is what makes the stone invaluable.

Now, imagine that spectacular diamond is symbolic of your reputation. It’s representative of the overwhelmingly favorable standing that you have established in the business community. In the case of your reputation, however, value is determined by the span of your recognition, your unwavering reliability and your track record for producing results. 

I’m sure you would agree that the journey from clumsily stumbling into your area of expertise to confidently running your business or practice was a long and arduous one filled with many sacrifices, mainly of time, money and sleep. In the process of transitioning from where you started to where you are today, you formed a reputation that not only became a part of you, it also took on a life of its own. Hence the phrase, “your reputation precedes you.”

"Reputation only gets you in the door ― it’s your presentation that will keep you in the room"

What if I told you that when you present your hard-earned reputation (a precious diamond) to the world, there is no in-between; you can only package it in one of two possible ways. This is where reputation meets presentation. The first package is a stained and tattered cardboard box too weak to maintain its structure. The second is a clean and crisp box of the highest quality, beautifully wrapped in bright white paper and complete with a red silk bow.

Obviously, these two very different packaging options are a metaphor for how you show up in conversations and present yourself. If you were on the receiving end of one of these boxes, which would you prefer? Whether your goal is to shape perception, fast track comprehension or persuade, when it’s comes to packaging (your presentation), it’s a simple binary choice. My question to you is, how are you presenting your justly earned reputation to the world?

Many speakers make the critical mistake of relying solely on their reputation. While reputation used to be everything, in today’s high-tech world, anyone can hang up an online shingle and create a seemingly stellar reputation.

Although a good reputation is still a prerequisite for success, it’s no longer a differentiator. Once you get your foot in the door, consistently demonstrating and communicating your value to clients is what sustains the relationships. Just like a gemologist evaluates diamonds to determine their value, your prospects and clients will assess you based on the four Cs.

• Cut – This represents the substance and depth of your expertise. Did you acquire it from reading a book or through lived experience?
• Color – What makes you different? How and why do you outshine your competitors?
• Clarity –Are you transparent about any weaknesses that might be revealed upon closer examination?
• Carat – Do you possess the gravity to connect and persuade experienced individuals in your field?

Each time you speak, whether in a conversation or a presentation, you are selling. In every instance, the goal is to connect and influence. In order to achieve this, your message must be properly packaged because reputation only gets you in the door ― it’s your presentation that will keep you in the room!

Emmy award-winning broadcaster and voice of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Atlanta Hawks Bob Rathbun and communications consultant to CEOs Dez Thornton share actionable strategies to refine public speaking and leadership communication skills.

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