Keep Some of It a Secret

Keep Some of It a Secret

When we finally get a chance to tell others something about what we do for a living, we really want to make a positive impression. Maybe we’re doing that elevator pitch. Or a sales pitch. Or maybe we’re just telling someone who we are when we’re networking. So what do we do? We become verbal volcanoes. We tell them everything we do, everything we know, and just how brilliant we are at it. We want them to think we’re the smartest person who ever did what we do. Right? In our avalanche of Words! Words! Words!, we think they’ll “get it.” Absolutely NOT. They start to tune us out. They filter what they’re hearing. They get lost in our babble.

Instead, tell them ONLY what they need to know. And how do we know what that is? Let THEM tell you everything they need. Listen. And by the way, the anagram for “listen” is “silent”. Give them the highlights and make them pay for the rest.