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Brag Your Butt Off Tips

Stay focused: Brag your butt off by…

  • Doing your best work — always.
    • Deliver stellar work to have something significant to brag about.
  • Highlighting only your top accomplishments and achievements.
    • Don’t highlight everything. Even when you want to.
  • Focusing on contributions, not accomplishments.
    • How are you making a difference? What failures have you overcome that can help others?
  • Making it useful.
    • Share value learned while accomplishing your goal.
  • Keeping the story short.
    • If they want more information, they’ll ask.
  • Sticking to the facts.
    • People can make their own conclusions about how great you are, based on your results.

Find the right time: Brag your butt off by…

  • Asking “Do I need to be the one to share this?”
    • Will this be more effective if shared by someone else?
  • Asking “Do I really need to share this right now?”
    • Not everything needs to be shared the moment it happens. Can you wait a bit?
  • Realizing it’s OK to hold back for a short while.
    • Why not bask in the attention of a just-shared win before sharing something new?
  • Connecting with others before bragging.
    • Make a connection, build rapport, and the conversation will present an opportunity.
  • Not highlighting the same accomplishment too often.
    • Repetition doesn’t make it more impressive.

In conversation: Brag your butt off by…

  • Practicing your story.
    • Get used to talking about your achievements out loud.
  • Leading the witness, and not sharing the entire story unless they show interest.
    • Drop a hint about your accomplishment. Does the other person express interest?
  • Not bragging without a good entry into the conversation.
    • If someone asks, offer a small brag. Don’t proceed when the conversation isn’t heading that way.
  • Planning for a transition.
    • After sharing your story, ask a question to pivot the focus back to the other person.
  • Letting the other person go first.
    • Even if someone else talks first, you’ll still get your chance.
  • Talking only as long as your conversation partner.
    • Note how long they talk about their work or accomplishment. Don’t talk any longer than they did.

Spread the love: Brag your butt off by…

  • Showing gratitude.
    • Express thanks for an exciting opportunity. Name names. Give public thanks.
  • Giving credit whenever you can.
    • Was your success due to someone else’s referral, suggestion, nomination, or encouragement?
  • sharing via the words of others.
    • Let others do the talking. Share thank-you notes, emails, testimonials, reviews, or comments.
  • Highlighting others deserving attention.
    • If you receive recognition from an organization, can you highlight their value and accomplishments?
  • Sharing your friends’ accomplishments.
    • The win is shared, the accomplished person isn’t bragging, you’re the hero celebrating your friend!
  • Bragging about your clients.
    • Be genuinely happy for others. Even if you had a part in their success, don’t mention it.

Make it interesting: Brag your butt off by…

  • Making it fun.
    • Use jokes, stories, and photos. Get your readers laughing with you.
  • Using metaphors or unusual framing to make your story memorable.
    • I compare my writing services to baking cookies. What’s your unique framing?
  • Talking about feedback instead of the action prompting feedback.
    • Feedback can be more engaging than your action to elicit it!

Stay humble (but not too humble): Brag your butt off by…

  • Showing humility.
    • Explain how you got there via hard work, effort, commitment, and follow-through.
  • Being wary of the humblebrag.
    • No one is fooled by bragging masquerading as a complaint or humility.
  • Sprinkling in a little self-deprecation.
    • Sometimes it’s OK to say “well, it’s not really that big of a deal…”
  • Thinking twice before name-dropping.
    • Will it add relevance to your accomplishment, or look smug and self-serving?
  • Not comparing yourself to others.
    • If you won, don’t point out how far ahead of the other competitors you were.
  • Avoiding downplaying your accomplishments or credentials.
    • Constantly downplaying your success backfires if people think you’re hiding something.
  • Not starting off with “I hate to brag, but…”
    • This says you know it’s bragging, but you’re saying it anyway.

Be ready to say it: Brag your butt off by…

  • Tracking your achievements.
    • You don’t need a fancy system, just keep a list.
  • Having bite-sized brags ready to go.
    • Be prepared to quickly and casually mention accomplishments.
  • Preparing your big story brags for key moments.
    • Have your shiniest, most impactful stories prepped and ready to impress at the right moment.
  • Working up bite-sized brags AND big story brags for the same accomplishment.
    • Bite-sized brag: “I’ve written 100 articles.” Big story brag: “Writing 100 articles taught me…”
  • Documenting numerical proof.
    • Know your proof numbers and milestones.

Keep a list of the brags ready to share:

  • In the media.
  • In your resume.
  • At job interviews.
  • When you’re a podcast guest.
  • At introductions when you first meet someone.
  • At sales calls or pitches to prospective clients.

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