Lesson 8 – T.M.A.Y

A powerful tool.

We have to introduce ourselves in a number of settings and having a well-structured, carefully crafted and controlled positive message to put forward is essential in networking, introducing ourselves to business contacts and potential investors and customers in self-employment and small business context.

TMAY is all about preparing and practicing a carefully crafted and rehearsed message holding the crown jewels of information about yourself that you want to be defined by and remembered for by your interlocutors.

Whether it is for 30 seconds ‘elevator pitch’, a 1-2 minutes introduction over coffee at a networking or business meeting or a 3 minutes response to the interview question, the TMAY need to be carefully thought through, prepared and practiced.

We touched on a personal brand in lesson 5 and provided materials to start developing the personal statement in response to the question “Tell me about yourself”.

This lesson is about the practical tips, the art and craft of developing an effective TMAY.

Why TMAY?

What are benefits of TMAY?

How to TMAY?

The basic structure of TMAY

• I am [your name]
• I do: who are you, what you do, what is your benefit? For example: I am an educator, I am a project manager etc.
• I am better at: STAR about what you are best at, why you are unique and better suited to the role
• Something memorable about your interest or something personal
• I am [your name again]
• One word statement about what you do

Stephen Ostercamp is an expert on the topic recognized by hundreds of job seekers through the charity CareersSpringboard. His presentation is perfected over years of talking about TMAY to the job seekers at that
organisation.

Without further ado please watch the video in the ‘Materials’ section.

You might need to do in several sittings, it is all extremely valuable and informative, full of concrete tips.

Forum discussion

If you find any of the points discussed by Stephen thought
provoking or controversial, here is the place to discuss it:

Forum thread “Tell me about yourself” https://ndsa.uk/forum/threads/tell-me-about-yourself-your-story.211/page-2#post-2017

Activity

We will pair mentees to exchange their respective TMAYs and practice