Coming from a software and engineering background, I have been well-indoctrinated into a world where precise wording means the difference between something working or something broken. Unfortunately, preciseness often takes the form of all inclusive lists and long explanations. In many ways, it is this tendency that separates those of us with infinite curiosity and patience to figure things out (less than 13% of the population according to something I recently read) from the vast majority of the population. Every "technogeek" has observed the glazed eye phenomenon when trying to answer the simple question "what do you do for a living?" When we find ourselves in the situation of looking for work, selling our ideas to others, or simply relating to the rest of the world, one of our greatest challenges is learning to boil things down to their essence and let go of all the details, exceptions and other extraneous matter.
Marketing teaches the power of branding, repetition, and a clear message. When your career and success depends on a memorable impression, less is more. To operate effectively in the world of Product Management requires the ability to adjust your style of communication to the audience and need. To deliver a clear and simple outbound marketing message, then to gather, understand, conceptualize and communicate product and business requirements into the organization at a level necessary to implement.
Over the next few weeks, I will be refocusing on simplifying the message I communicate with my resume, my business introductions, and my answers to the simple questions of "who I am" and "what do I Do?" It is a great exercise I'd recommend for anyone: you learn a lot about yourself and your priorities when you limit introductions to 30 seconds and can concentrate your best points to a powerful three.
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