Impression Management

I found our discussion in class last week (3/8) on impression management to be a very interesting topic to discuss. This topic is very important for me because people are always going to judge me by my actions, and this could have an impact on what kind of job I can get in the future.  Even though we may not think it is ok, everything we do is going to be judged; whether it is in a classroom, at a job, or trying to impress your friends.  The definition of impression management “is a goal-directed conscious or unconscious process in which people attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event; they do so by regulating and controlling information in social interaction” (Piwinger & Ebert 2001, pp. 1–2).  It is an interesting thing to consider now that we are getting to the time in life where we will be applying for professional jobs. Especially with all of the different online applications like Facebook, Linkedin or Myspace, it is important that you keep yourself reserved so that a future potential employer does not get the wrong idea of who you are and what kind of professional you will be.  It is important that you manage your impressions and control the information that is distributed about you so that people will take you seriously.  Your reputation will always follow you, so make sure that you think things through before taking action. 

1st Public Speech of the Semester

I presented my first speech of the semester yesterday in my 114P class, Business and Professional Speaking.  The topic that I chose for my briefing was tips to help someone become a better public speaker.  The assignment was to inform the class on something they do not already know or can improve on.  I did research before presenting my speech, and my three pointers were knowing your audience and know the material, breathing tricks and what you do not want to do when public speaking. I thought these were well informed and organized.  I also got the class involved by asking a question at the start of the speech, which helped take some of the emphasis off of me and also keep the audience engaged.  After giving the speech, I believe my delivery can be improved. One of the reasons my delivery was not up to my standards was that I was not able to use my power point slides because the connection on my computer did not match the connection that was in the class.  I learned for future reference that a way I can improve on this is to be better prepared with the visual aid and have a back up plan by either bringing in a flash drive or emailing the presentation to myself, so that I can open it up on another classmate's computer.  Another thing I could improve on is to focus more on my eye contact with the class. Sometimes I relied too much on the notes in front of me and did not look at the class as much as I should have. Knowing the positives and negatives of my first speech will definitely help me in preparing for my next one.