1.
Stand Out: Developing an
Authentic Personal Brand and
Sharing It Online
Rose Tantraphol
Founder and Principal, Moonsail North

2.
Alternate titles for this presentation:
Branding Yourself
Rebranding Yourself

3.
What I am assuming about you:
• You are passionate – not about everything, but
a lot of things.
• You have several areas of expertise.
• You have several areas you would like to learn
more about.
• Meeting the right people invigorates you.

4.
Elevator Pitch
• Grab a pen and
paper or open
up a Word or
text doc.
• 120 seconds:
What is your
personal elevator
pitch?

5.
Why do we care?
• Less work!
• Strategic
• Job/Career Change
• Clients/Prospects
• Community

6.
Elements of an Elevator Pitch
• Short
• Clear
• Compelling

7.
Richard Branson

8.
Your Equation
Start with constructing
yours or
deconstructing your
own – or someone
else’s!
(The following has been culled from my own
experiences helping others with their job
searches and networking, along with tips from
Idealist Careers and Forbes columnists.)
Construct: Skills + Confidence + Goal +
Motivation

9.
Skills + Confidence
What do you do well?
Where do you rock it out? What are your greatest
strengths beyond your common thread of skills?

10.
Constructing v. Deconstructing
Ways of constructing:
• Common thread of skills
• How you get through challenging projects
• What you enjoy the most
• Fill in the blank for this statement: “The opportunity to do ____ is what
truly drew me to my current role.”
Ways of deconstructing:
• Cull through past evaluations, including LinkedIn recommendations
• Ask those who have recommended you in the past
• Look at past accomplishments/awards/certifications
• Think about compliments you tend to repeatedly receive about your
work
• Looks at job descriptions that really excite you and ask yourself why
• “Catch yourself” during the work day – when are you smiling, or feeling
energized about something? (Quitting time doesn’t count for this one!)

11.
Goals
What would you like to do?
Ways of constructing include framing aspirations like this:
• Gain exposure or credibility in the industry…
• Hoping to find a role in…
• Suggestions as to how I can…
• Opportunities for me to develop…
• Looking to work for…
• Insight on how I can apply…
Way of deconstructing include:
• Reflect on accomplishments that have most moved your career forward.
• Reflect on developments that have connected you to the people or
opportunities that made the most difference for you.

12.
Motivation
Ways of constructing your “why”:
• Because…
• On behalf of…
• I owe it to…
• I’m inspired by…
• I want to inspire..
• I believe…
Way of deconstructing include:
• Reflecting on the most inspiring moments of your career or your life and
determining what was so fulfilling about those moments.
• Reflecting on the people or projects that most benefitted from your work.

13.
Motivation
Other ways to find your motivation include asking
yourself these four questions:
• What makes you come alive?
• What are your innate strengths?
• Where do you add greatest value?
• How will you measure your life?

14.
Motivation
How I found answers to some of these…

15.
One tool to try
5slides.com

16.
5slides.com

17.
Elevator Pitch
Let’s take another look at your elevator pitch.
Does it address each of these axes?
Skills + Confidence + Goal + Motivation

18.
8-Word Mission Statement
Here's another option. Have you considered your
8-word mission statement?
• How long is your personal mission statement?
• We're challenging you to express your mission in
eight words or less!
• The formula: verb + target + outcome in eight
words or less
HBR article: https://hbr.org/2010/10/the-eight-word-
mission-stateme

19.
Check your:
Skills + Confidence + Goal + Motivation
…against your LinkedIn profile

20.
LinkedIn

21.
Anatomy of a LinkedIn Profile
1. Photo
2. Headline
3. Summary
What do these
elements say
about you?
2
3
1

22.
LinkedIn
More tips:
• Check your profile on a browser and on mobile
• Assume no one reads every word of your LinkedIn profile
DIY:
• Look at your LinkedIn profile with fresh eyes
It takes a village:
• Ask friends, colleagues and mentors to look at your LinkedIn profile
and ask them to tell you what the profile says to them. Then work
backwards to fill in gap and highlight key points.

23.
Facebook
This is optional – but potentially very powerful.
Being real and authentic is key. Facebook can
help you more fully express your passions and
goals.

24.
Your Equation:
Look again at your:
Skills + Confidence + Goal + Motivation
Now, scroll down
your Facebook timeline.
What stories do you see?
Is there a healthy mix
of your personal life + what
motivates you?

25.
Udon

26.
Madcap
Coffee Co.

27.
Chai

28.
Social Media
Remember this is optional.
But if you are serious about fully using social media to help you
connect with a community, then follow the same process for any
social media platforms you are on.
• Look at your Skills + Confidence + Goal + Motivation
• Check those against your content
• Check your descriptions
• Do your Facebook “About” sections have current
information?
• Do you have a Twitter bio with a current website?
• What about Instagram? Vine? Pinterest?

29.
Additional Social Platforms
So you already do all of this? Great! What’s
next?
What about:
• LinkedIn groups
• LinkedIn blog posts
• Quora
• Reddit

30.
Quora

31.
Quora

32.
Quora

33.
One message, so many
angles
Different ways to talk about chai:
Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: The client
work I am doing over my cup of steaming
chai.
Pinterest: The best chai recipe to amp up
on caffeine (useful!).
Instagram/Vine/Periscope: Giving a shout-
out to my favorite coffee shop where I do my
client work.
LinkedIn blog post: Things I learned about
productivity and open work spaces from
doing client work in coffee shops while
drinking chai.
Quora: Are there optimal caffeine levels for
productivity?

34.
A checklist, of sorts:
• What’s your pitch? Is it authentic?
• Do you have a digital home base?
• Compelling LinkedIn profile
• Personal website
• Company bio or company website
• Are all your social media accounts updated?
• Do you update everything as needed?

35.
Rose Tantraphol
:: Communications Consultant
:: Founder of Moonsail North
:: Storytelling + Strategy
:: Columbia University Graduate
School of Journalism alum
:: Ashtanga yoga! Meditation! Chai!
:: Psst: I hope to become a smashing
salsa dancer one day!

36.
Connect
LinkedIn: Rose Tantraphol
Twitter: @thecuriousrose
Email: rose@moonsailnorth.com
Website: moonsailnorth.com
Mobile: 517.775.2152