“This is just boring,” he says Craig Wortman, clinical professor of marketing at the Kellogg School. For Wortmann, this seemingly boring interaction is an opportunity to be memorable, dynamic and extraordinary. As Wortmann says, “Why be boring when you can be interesting?”
But it’s not just about being the “cool kid” in the office. How we talk about ourselves has specific benefits. We could use the opportunity to make an impression in a work meeting, stand out in a job interview, or become the colleague our peers turn to for clarity on issues.
In a recent The Insightful Leader Live webinar, Wortmann shared tips on how to effectively talk about ourselves and our work. He also provided some exercises to improve our personal elevator pitch. Here are some of the highlights of the speech.
Don’t over explain, be clear
According to Wortmann, one way we misstep when it comes to describing our job or career is to miscalibrate how much to share. “The responses tend to be concentrated too much or too little,” says Wortmann. Very little can be something like “I’m a professor” or “I do mergers and acquisitions.” These are, of course, accurate descriptions of a job, but not particularly attractive ones.
On the other side of the spectrum you have what Wortmann calls “overmanifesting knowledge.” You may have had the experience of being at a conference, asking someone what they do, and receiving an excruciatingly detailed breakdown of their daily routine.
“That’s wrong,” says Wortmann, “you’re saying too much and now you’re way over your skis and overstating knowledge.”
Instead, Wortmann advises being crisp. A clear answer is one that is to the point, yet full of information, giving your answer a liveliness that draws someone in. For example, here’s an answer Wortmann often gives to describe his work:
I’m a professor at Kellogg where my partner, David Schonthal, and I teach a class that demystifies the fuzzy front end of business startups.
Focus on starting a conversation
One way to think of a clear answer is that it sparks a conversation. Unlike monologuing about what you’re doing, being articulate invites the other person to ask a logical follow-up question. The above example is clearly not an exhaustive explanation of what Wortmann does, but it might naturally lead one to ask for more details about the course, or how long he’s been teaching, or what counts as the “fuzzy front end” of entrepreneurship.
“Now we’re having a conversation,” says Wortmann, “instead of me talking to them.”
It may seem like a small thing, but turning a standard conversation into a dialogue will make you more memorable, a valuable asset.
Reduce, reduce, reduce!
Job interviews are a classic example of situations that require us to speak effectively about ourselves. It’s also an arena where people often exaggerate their knowledge, giving their entire life story as they watch the interviewer’s eyes glaze over.
Wortmann and his colleague Carter Cast, clinical professor of strategy at Kellogg, devised an exercise to combat this tendency to get irritated and reduce the response to one with crispness and energy. Let’s say someone started with this description of their work experience:
I started my career at Facebook almost seven years ago. It was an interesting part, as the company has changed significantly over the years. For most of my tenure, I served on a product team responsible for rapidly prototyping features related to our advertising platforms. As you can imagine, this is a very competitive space, with Google the incumbent and Tik Tok a fast-starter. But I was able to succeed there, which is why I believe my particular strengths would make me a great addition to your team. One of my strengths is to quickly gain an understanding of a situation to solve problems faster. A second strength is learning from feedback so I can pivot very quickly.
To say that out loud would take about 30 seconds. Now, take that first long answer and cut it in half. Something that could look like this:
I started my career at Facebook and worked my way up to a product team responsible for our advertising platforms. It’s a very competitive space with Google and Tik Tok ever present. So I think my particular strengths would fit here. One of my strengths is quickly gaining an understanding of a situation to quickly solve problems. Another learns from feedback so I can pivot very quickly.
Wortmann and Cast think you should reduce it again, this time getting the answer down to just a few sentences. For example:
You know I have learned so much on Facebook. I am grateful for this experience. Competing with companies like Google and TikTok has made me a better leader. I think I fit in very well here for two main reasons. First, I am a fast learner. And secondly, I take coaching very well.
Narrowing down and condensing your response allows you to get to the good stuff more efficiently.
Being crunchy is a gift
It’s not unusual for Wortmann to get some pushback after this exercise. People often answer that it’s just too little in response to a question that asks for some background.
“I disagree,” says Wortmann, “Because being crisp is both boldness and humility. And these are magnetic qualities within you. I’m hiring you because I want you to be bold.”
While it may seem like we’re helping by providing more detail, Wortmann argues that we’re actually doing the opposite. Our work lives are filled with emails, texts, Slack messages and meetings: a constant barrage of information.
By developing the ability to be sharp in our responses, we are doing everyone a favor. “This is an act of generosity in a noisy, distracted world.”
For more from Wortmann, watch the entire The Insightful Leader Live webinar below.
