Personal Branding Canvas – English Version
Develop your personal communication strategy step by step: Free tool for Social CEOs, Brand Ambassadors and public personalities
Instructions, download and loads of valuable information
Why give away this valuable tool for free?
For more than a decade, I have been designing and supporting brand ambassador/corporate influencer strategies and programmes for companies of all sizes and industries. I work very closely with the people involved, both workshops and in individual coaching sessions. Almost every such programme includes a Social CEO strategy, which requires special attention and intensive development. For more than twenty years I have been guiding top managers, executives and other prominent figures on their personal communication and digital media journey.
As I have accompanied so many personalities in so many different positions — both in groups and one-on-one — I have developed my own methodology. It has proved its worth in many thousands of hours of consulting and workshops. Time and time again, I have found that I can really facilitate success in this area – and also help to avoid many a distraction.
This is achieved by asking the right questions, backed up by a wealth of experience. Of course, this can only be partially translated into a written tool. But such a tool can be very helpful. That’s why I’ve put the basic steps into the Personal Branding Canvas – complete with instructions. It has already been tested in practice.
It has already been tested in the field. But I am curious to hear about your experiences with it!
While self-development certainly can’t replace individual counselling and guidance, I see how motivated and independent my coachees continue to work with my methods, tools and structures outside of counselling sessions. That is why I believe the Personal Branding Canvas will help you and take you a long way on your journey.
I think it would be great if you’d consider sharing the Canvas as well as linking to this page.
Good luck and enjoy the good work
Kerstin Hoffmann
PS: If you like my approach and would like advice on setting up a brand ambassador programme in your company, or would like to know more about my Social CEO consultancy, please contact me.
Both my website and most of my content are in German, but I have been working with English speaking companies (Europe and USA) as well as multinational companies for over twenty years. So rest assured that I would be happy to do the same for you.
The Personal Branding Canvas …
- a powerful tool previously only available as part of a paid consultancy mandate
- a new, fresh approach to thinking about what you want to achieve and how, with joy and ease
- a proven and effective methodology
- a well-designed overview that gives you all the essentials at a glance
- a systematic approach helps you not to overlook any important aspect
- short, concise target questions to help you get straight to the point
- many possible options to help you tailor your strategy
- tangible results that you can refer to again and again
- a status to start and build your success
- an excellent opportunity to work with others in the company or with a „buddy“
- a tool thst you can use regularly and in many ways from now on
Can you think of any other benefit or value? I would love to hear from you!
Personal Branding Canvas for printout
Download here as PDF for DIN A3 printing; no login or registration required. (approx. 5 MB)
Please share the link to this page with others who might also benefit.
Rights of use: please note
The personal branding canvas is licensed under Creative Commons (CC-BY-ND). This means that you may distribute and embed the graphic unchanged.
Please do not include the detailed instructions in the text on your own pages, but always refer and link to this page.
Commercial distribution, for example in consulting and training for a fee, is expressly excluded. Modification and use, for example in other tools, as well as translations into other languages are not permitted.
Develop your personal communication strategy step by step
How to use the Personal Branding Canvas
Start and introduction
Find a quiet place and decide how to complete the Canvas. You can print it out, but you can also place it digitally in front of you or lay it out. You may also want to share your results with others and exchange ideas.
There are also many different approaches:
- Some people systematically work through each section before moving on to the next.
- Some first write something in each section first, and then come back later in order to reflect more deeply.
- Some may focus only on a few section in the first draft, perhaps because these are particularly relevant to them at the moment.
Write down the results in a form that you can best use, keep and review later. Each time you work with the Canvas, take a snapshot. The result will change over time, and the way you use it will change too.
So the real excitement comes from taking it out regularly. Think of these steps as an iterative process. You will probably go back and forth several times the first time before you are satisfied. The process itself is just as valuable as the result, because are likely to discover many things along the way.
Fill in the blanks
- I suggest that you first start by thinking about the „Purpose & Motivation“ section.
- You might want to leave your „Mission Statement“ until the very end, so that you can summarize the essence of everything you have worked on so far.
Decide for yourself ithe order in which you want to proceed. The chronology in which the individual fields are described below is therefore only a suggestion. Let your interest and intuition guide you.
Purpose & Motivation
Ask yourself: What is it that really inspires and makes me act? What drives me? Why do I do my work the way I do it? You could also use this question to determine your status: where did I start and how did I get to where I am now?
Goals & KPIs
Define what you want to achieve with your personal communication. What are your short, medium and long-term goals? Do you want to increase your visibility, expand your network, reach a certain position, become a thought leader in your field? Also define the key performance indicators (KPI) that will show you that you have achieved your goals – qualitatively and quantitatively.
Values
Identify the values that define you as a person and that are important to you. For example, are they integrity, honesty, courage, compassion, respect, sustainability (…)? Your values shape you as a person, in your work, in your interaction – and also in your common orientation with others.
Strengths
Identify the qualities that help you achieve your personal and professional goals and overcome challenges. It could be your organizational talent, your ability to inspire others, your creativity, your perseverance. Your strengths should be highlighted in your communication.
Stress
If you like, think about what blocks or limits you. Be honest with yourself and identify the obstacles that might prevent the success of your communication strategy.
Knowledge & Skills
What are your skills and qualifications, what do you know, or can you do particularly well? What skills do you have, for example in mediation, counselling, interaction or organization? What are your special skills? Think also about social skills.
Areas of Expertise
Define the areas of knowledge you would like to publish and talk about. What do you stand for in terms of content? What do you want to share? Where do you want to make your mark?
Target Audiences
Identify who you want to reach. Who are the people you want to communicate with? Describe them in as much detail as you can. Find out what they need, what interests and motivates them.
Solutions & Benefits
Think about the problems or challenges you can solve for your target audience. How can they benefit get from what you publish? What do they get out of talking to you? What solutions do you offer from your knowledge? How do you communicate in your own unique way based on your skills and values?
Key Messages
What messages do you want others to take away from everything you say and show? These core messages are what you want to communicate consistently and continuously. They are phrases that you would never say about yourself but that others might use to describe you in terms of your professionalism, uniqueness, personal qualifications and qualities.
Language & Tone
How do you speak and write? For example, do you communicate more formally or informally? Do you speak and write motivatively, creatively, positively, professionally, simply, eruditely, humorously, seriously (…)?
Mission Statement
If you wish, develop a mission statement that sums up who you are, what you do, who you do it for and the benefits it brings. It is the essence of your personal communication. It sums up everything you have worked on in the previous steps in a few sentences.
Great!
You have completed the first round of the Personal Branding Canvas. I hope you enjoyed it and want to continue working with it.
What’s next?
It’s best to make an appointment right away to take your results out again, review them and develop them further. If you have been working on it with someone else: even better! Make a firm appointment with your sparring partner.
* * *
Please don’t forget:
Recommend the Canvas to others.
Want to give me feedback?
Contact me via LinkedIn! (Again: I know it’s mostly in German, but I’ll reply. Try me. ;-))
Dr. Kerstin Hoffmann: Keynote. Strategy. Consulting.
Book me for the keynote at your event or for a specialised lecture.
Choose the topic that suits you best from my current lectures – or request a quote for a special topic.
Fluent in German and English.
You want to launch a brand ambassador/corporate influencer programme? You are a Social CEO or you accompany your CEO in digital media and are looking for an experienced sparring partner? Do you need support in your communication strategy? Do you want to plan and implement an effective content strategy? Contact me for goal-oriented advice and support.
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