Peggy Klaus Read Online Free PDF Page A

outreach program to enhance the company’s image. Bill’s boss says, “Not off the top of my head,” and Bill misses another golden opportunity.
    Seldom are we encouraged to bring our background, our experience, and our enthusiasm to the table and weave them into a compelling human-interest story. It’s ironic that with all the advances in communications technology, our interpersonal business communication skills languish in the Dark Ages.
    Myth #5: MORE IS BETTER
    It’s a beautiful California morning. I am in my office early when the phone rings and I answer it. Immediately I am once again reminded that self-promotion is all about the
quality
of one’s message and story, rather than a boring list of accomplishments. As the following discussion so vividly demonstrates, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done; if you can’t sell yourself in a way that’s inviting to others, people shut down.
    “Hi, is Peggy Klaus in?” asked a female voice.
    “Yes, this is she.”
    Never stopping to ask if this was a good time to talk, this stranger proceeded to launch into a litany of her accomplishments, delivered with the precision of a PowerPoint presentation.
    “I am so excited to talk to you. I just graduated with a degree in communication. I was an excellent student with a 4.0 GPA. I wrote for the school newspaper, which has won accolades from all over the state. I also interned at a local advertising agency during the summers for the last four years. I have a very good reputation and references. For my term paper, I wrote about the changing role of communication in our society today. I think I would be perfect for a job in communication, and since you are involved in that, I wanted to speak with you.”
    I said, “I’m sorry, what was your name?”
    She stated her name, but before I could get another word in edgewise, to my utter amazement, she continued: “I also forgot to tell you, I don’t know how I could have forgotten, because it’s so important, but I can’t begin work for another month because I won a prestigious service award and will be traveling to Africa next month to help needy children.”
    I finally had to say, “Excuse me, Sarah. Obviously you’ve done so many things, but I have to tell you that I am not looking to hire anyone at this point. “You might want to consider some of the larger firms in the area.”
    “Thank you for talking to me,” she responded meekly, sounding as if the air had seeped out of her overinflated balloon.
    Sarah, like many, is a victim of a one-size-fits-all method of presentation that emphasizes form over authenticity. (This is something I will explore more fully in Chapter 9.)
    If she had only started off by asking, “Is this a convenient time to talk?,” by telling me how she had learned about my firm, and by engaging me in a thirty-second story about herself, the result would have been different. Even though I wasn’t hiring, I would have offered her the name of a personal friend who was. As it was, I just wanted to get her off the phone.
    Myth #6: GOOD GIRLS DON’T BRAG
    I’ll never forget the national television images of thirteen-year-old Rebecca Sealfon, winner of the National Spelling Bee, screaming and leaping around the stage in triumph of her hard-won victory. Unlike Patty, the junior banker who resisted telling others about her multimillion-dollar business win, Rebecca was excited and proud. She was happy and confident. She was a female thrilled to tell the world about her success.
    She was one of the few.
    Many talented women today continue to abide by the myth that it’s unbecoming and aggressive to promote themselves. Although their parents may have told them they could do anything they wanted, there was also a big
but
. And that was,
but
don’t celebrate your own glory. It was all right if the boys vied for the limelight and one-upped each other, but girls were taught to share it with others. And even then, it was best not to draw too much attention