So thanks to my friend Liz Lynch, I finally joined Facebook. It’s been a bit daunting to suddenly see all those names and faces from high school popping up. But at the same time, what a gift to reconnect with people who I believed in years ago and are now thriving.

In the spirit of thinking about “thriving friends”, I’d like to share with you what I’ve been highlighting with my clients and colleagues in 2009: When you want to present yourself as successful and centered, clarity and confidence beat trying to improvise – every time!

Now is the time to hone in on your strong points and practice communicating your special talents. Successful professionals are crystal clear on their strengths.

Don’t worry if you don’t yet feel clear about yours. You will soon. Maybe as soon as an hour from right this moment.

Here’s how you can get started in two straightforward steps:

1. Make a list of your strong points. I’m referring to professional skills in this context, not general traits like “high integrity” or “dedication to excellence”. Think more along the lines of “product design”, “editing and content management” or “client relationships”.

Try to keep it to four, which we’ll call your “diamond of strength”. I’ve found most people have four core strengths and other talents that fold into those main groups. If you are brainstorming and find yourself listing many strengths, that’s great. Don’t stop, keep listing everything. Later on, group them into four categories.

If you can’t think off the top of your head what sets you apart, you might:

• Think back to praise you have received and achievements that made you feel proud. Look for patterns.
• Look at 20 job ads to “collect” phrases that describe your abilities. Focus on the skills and attributes employers seek rather than the actual jobs being advertised.
• Solicit feedback from colleagues and friends on your personal and professional strengths to complement your own perspective. This is a great reason to reach out to people you know and ask them to say good things about you. It may make your day, or your month!

2.  Illustrate each strong point with entertaining and enlightening stories summarized in 3-4 sentences.

Entertaining means “capture their interest”. People like intriguing or humorous stories they can repeat. Enlightening means they will walk away with a fresh bit of knowledge or insight. If your story is full of generic jargon they probably won’t tune in. If your story teaches them something new, they will listen, pay attention, and remember it.

For example, you could try to prove your expertise by stating, “I structured credit card partnership deals for banking institutions.”

Or, you could explain. “My client was a European bank interested in expanding in the French and Austrian markets. Competitors had launched credit card partnerships with retailers and manufacturers, and they wanted something unique tied to discretionary spending. After testing several concepts, we developed an affinity program for ski and snowboarding enthusiasts, through which they accumulated points towards ski equipment, clothing, and resort stays. It was so successful we expanded it to Switzerland and Germany the following year.”

Which version would you respond to more positively? While drafting your own examples, keep in mind that highlighting details and results makes for a better story and earns you more respect.

What’s in it for you? Glad you asked. You will:

1. Communicate your strengths and goals compellingly, because you are prepared. Others want to know what you contribute and where you are headed. Sharing success stories in a way that capture listeners is the best way to make your case. Actors rehearse their lines so at performances, they can focus more on tone, body language, expression and audience reaction. Likewise, as you practice your own “script”, you too will sound more natural and convincing. You will make a better impression on your audience.
2. Save enormous time by expressing yourself consistently. After writing out your strong points, you can repurpose them as needed, with tweaks depending on the audience and situation. Whether preparing for a business lunch, drafting a cover letter, or introducing yourself at a party, you’ll have 80% of your material polished and ready to go.
3. Appear centered and focused. At meetings with a client, performance reviews with your boss, or job interviews with a prospective employer, your most important mental preparation is matching what you do best with what is highly valued by the other person or organization.
4. Convey more confidence every day for the rest of your life. It doesn’t matter how many people tell you about your strong points, if you don’t tell yourself.

Not a bad set of benefits, for zero monetary investment!

If you’d like to discuss this approach or ask any questions, please contact me Stefanie Smith, Executive Coach and Consultant.