The right and wrong way to introduce yourself
Edwin's do-it newsletter #25 - How to convey complexity in a clear and concise manner
Hello everyone,
It isn't easy to condense our identities. We're complex beings with countless characteristics and nuances. Yet, we often only get a few words or sentences to describe ourselves. In that case, you wish to convey the maximum amount of information, which also sticks. As I'm currently in the arduous process of reworking my own bio, I thought it'd be a good time to share the mental framework I find the most helpful:
The dos and don'ts of introducing yourself
When attempting to package information into a denser form, we tend to summarize it and make it more abstract in the process. Intuitively this seems like it would communicate more because it covers more, but in fact, it's saying less. “I aim to spread knowledge” might sound like a good way to condense: "I broadcast free online lectures on computer science on Youtube and Skillshare”, but it's not. You turned something concrete and understandable into something vague and meaningless.
Summarizing also tends to turn statements generic, utopian, and virtuous. Phrases like: “Helping people is my north star" seems wonderful initially, but you're not saying anything differentiating, and it, therefore, doesn't describe what type of person you are. Ask yourself who would disagree with that statement. If the answer is virtually none, you likely fell into the unicorn-and-rainbow-virtue-signalling trap.
So if summarizing is so laced with problems, then what is the right approach to take?:
Describe X amount of specific and understandable statements you stand for.
Select the statements that convey the essential and most important information for the given situation. Less is more.
Iterate on those statements to make them as sticky and punchy as possible. This is of course an art in itself.
You can try and apply this in your own bio, resume, elevator pitch, networking event, or whatever other situation where you want to introduce something. However, this reaches farther than mere introductions of yourself. It applies to all introductions. When you pay attention to good headlines and catchphrases of companies and content you will see the same principle being applied.
Interesting finds of the week:
🔊 Listened to:
Ryan Peterson on Rearchitecting the Supply chain - A16z Podcast
Global physical supply chains are in a much worse state than I had thought. Ryan elaborates on the current problems and the solutions that Flexport is developing to strengthen it.
🔗 Link to the Podcast Episode
📖 Read:
First Principles: The Building Blocks of True Knowledge - Farnam Street Blog post
This a great article on how understanding something is different than drawing upon analogies and experiences. Not all knowledge is created equal.
🔗 Link to the Blog post
Letting the World Do the Work for You - Farnam Street Blog post
This is a great add-on to the previous post. It goes into detail on what types of knowledge and reasoning to avoid.
🔗 Link to the Blog post
The Most Intolerant Wins: The Dictatorship of the Small Minority | by Nassim Nicholas Taleb | INCERTO | Medium
This is one of my favorite posts on the intricacies of how changes occur within a group by Nassim Taleb. It will change the way you view how complex systems work.
🔗 Link to the article
🤍 Appreciated:
Apple Reminders (Native App)
For several years I used the free Todoist plan for my small daily reminders and nudges. But, I decided to switch to Apple Reminders because of the timed notification, location-based tasks, and deep linking to other apps. So far, I'm happy I made the switch, and I recommend anyone working with small tasks to give it a try.
That’s a wrap
I'd love to hear your experience and thoughts on writing good introductions. You can leave a comment on Substack, send me a private message or simply reply to this e-mail. See you next week!
, Edwin