How to say what you do

A simple way to talk about your work, and why it matters

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to think about how to explain what you do.
A very simple formula works for a great many people

(00:25):
and can quickly show others the value that you add.
In her book LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Dummies, author Donna
Serdula has a great template for the about section of
your LinkedIn profile. Basically, you say I help individuals or
businesses or whoever your target audience is do x so

(00:49):
they can achieve Why as in I help homeowners make
their homes more energy efficient so they can save money
and help the planet. I help biotech companies figure out
the regulatory process so they can bring new drugs to market.
I help make sure the employees of our construction company
have everything they need so they can focus on their jobs.

(01:12):
I love this. You get specific about who you help,
and you emphasize how you are helping them achieve their goals.
You say why your work matters. This is really powerful. Indeed,
it might be worth hopping over to LinkedIn to update
your about section right now. But you don't have to

(01:32):
reserve this formula for an about section. It works in
general conversation too. I am sure we have all been
asked at one point or another what it is that
we do. I might say I'm a writer, and then
people say, oh, well, what do you write about? Or
they quickly drift off if they don't actually want to

(01:53):
hear about it. I haven't conveyed really much of interest
either way. But how about this, I help busy people
learn to manage their time so they can live happy
and productive lives. I do this through writing, but also speaking, podcasting,
and so forth. That's a more informative answer, more accurate,

(02:16):
and helps people continue the conversation if they want to.
A lot of other work can fit this template, too,
So think about who your work helps. I can think
of all sorts of different audiences someone might talk about, like, oh, well,
I help single moms pursuing a college degree, or I
help businesses aiming to scale. Whoever your audience is, naming them,

(02:38):
lets you convey who your work matters for. I also
appreciate the way this template emphasizes the value that you add.
The last clause about how they can achieve their goals
is key. Why does what you do matter? You can
use this template in conversation with colleagues you don't work
with too closely. It will help them recognize the value

(03:00):
that you add to your company. Practically speaking, it also
lets them know if there's an occasion when they should
come to you and take advantage of whatever it is
that you do. Even outside of professional contexts, Capturing the
impact of what you do makes your work more understandable
to other people. Saying you are a supply chain analyst
could be a bit of a conversation stopper at a party,

(03:21):
because well, what on earth is that? But what if
you say I help businesses keep track of how food
products are getting to grocery stores so you can always
find the gram crackers, Well, then your work is more concrete.
I am sure you can think of somebody your work
as helpful for and something it helps them achieve. So

(03:42):
why not give this template a try. I mean, maybe
this format doesn't quite fit for everything, but in general,
much of our work is helping people achieve their goals
in some way. Keeping the focus on that can make
work make a lot more sense. In the meantime, this

(04:04):
is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast

(04:32):
is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.