There’s one question that brings every professional to their knees, regardless of how long they’ve been doing it:
So, what do you do?
We all hate this question!
Even when we know what we do
AND that we do it well!
Why do we hate it?
For a lot of reasons...
We worry that what we do doesn't sound "important" enough
We worry that we'll be misunderstood, underestimated, or judged
We struggle to put what we do into words
We do so many things it's hard to explain
We don't want someone to think we are pitching / selling
It just feels inauthentic / awkward to talk about
To name a few...
I asked thousands of people, from a wide range of industries,
“Why do you hate explaining what you do?”
and here’s just some of what they told me:
“There is a fear that I am coming off sub par. I think of friends who have accomplished more than me...I start thinking what have you really done and was it enough?”
– Dave F.
“I find it challenging to say something exciting and substantive…
it just often feels like you must choose.”
–Ryan A.
“I think women have a hard time selling ourselves or talking about ourselves. We’re happy to talk about our family and friends or even strangers...but when it comes to talking about ourselves we just stall out.”
– Michelle L.
“Explaining can make you feel defensive.”
- Margaret O.
“Describing what I do is deflating.”
– Casey A.
What if...
talking about what you do and
have to offer didn’t have to feel
like such a heavy lift?
What if...
it was easier to think about,
talk about, and share
what you do?
About Terri Trespicio
About Terri Trespicio
About Terri Trespicio
Terri Trespicio is an award-winning writer, speaker, and brand advisor. She helps individuals and organizations to nail their messaging and engage clients, customers, and fans. She also leads writing workshops and retreats all over the country to help people tap their creative genius. Her TEDx talk, “Stop Searching for Your Passion,” has more than 6 million views. She was recently named by Hubspot as one of the “Top 18 female speakers who are killing it” and cited as one of the world’s leading creatives by Creative Boom magazine. A former magazine editor and radio host at Martha Stewart, she has appeared on the Today show, Dr. Oz, The Early Show, The Martha Stewart Show and The Anderson Cooper Show. Her work has been featured Oprah magazine, Marie Claire, Prevention, Business Insider, Forbes.com, and Inc.com. She leads several events and retreats each year for people who want to surface their own creative genius. An in-demand, top-rated speaker, Terri is also a stand-up comic and has performed all over New York City and beyond. She lives in Manhattan.