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A simple way to think about personal branding for children.


An avid reader can build her own personal brand rooted in her passion for reading. Pictured above is Tyler Whitesides, the author known for the Janitors series of books, being interviewed by a fan of his books.

Dear Parents, Teachers (and Students):

AlligatorZone guides students towards building substance to back up their style. Style alone isn't enough. Style, however, is very important.

Style determines first impressions, and as the saying goes, first impressions last. Let us consider a simple way to think about personal brand positioning for students.

Personal branding, in this digital age extends all the way from the quality of one's school-work to ensuring a wholesome digital footprint for the modern child, a footprint that tells a story.

There's enough advice available on what not to do on social media for young students. Instead, let us look at a simple to-do one can try at home.

Last weekend, I conducted two separate coaching sessions for students (middle-school and high-school) on both coasts, and encouraged them to start thinking in terms of personal branding.

Let's think of personal branding by looking at the way you would talk about your school-age children when introducing them to a guest who is meeting the child for the first time: "She loves to read. You will always see her with a book."

How do we make that better?

Let's try to be more specific, add some depth, and perhaps highlight a memorable aspect of this young reader's love of books, weaving that into the introduction: "She loves to read books on history. She spends hours researching and dropping pins in her Google Map on each of the historical places about which she reads."

To teachers and parents, I suggest thinking about personal branding as a way of introducing someone so that it leaves a compelling and positive impression in the minds and hearts of the people who hear about the student. Tell their story, yet leave the listener intrigued.

It is a mindset that students can develop by answering the question, "How would I like to be remembered -- whether by this visitor I just met, or by my school teacher, my school counselor, by the admissions official who has never met me, or by my boss at my first internship interview?"

Another example is from an after-school enrichment premium workshop we are currently piloting for 4th and 5th graders in an IB school. It's called "Write Like A Boss", and the first exercise I am piloting with them is to have them arrive at a distinctive one-line writer's bio. In effect, it is their one-line personal brand positioning statement. It is something students can try on their own.

Identifying and articulating a personal branding is something parents can also try at home for their children. However it is not easy to objectively guide one's own young adult. It is easier to do it for oneself, but even there we like to look for resonance to make sure it captures the essence of how we like to be known and remembered. The 'Headline' on a LinkedIn profile can help with personal brand positioning. It always seems like a work-in-progress. It is perhaps akin to how we often seek the best angle in the mirror for ourselves, but our photographers and hair-stylists rarely see us from our preferred angle. Nevertheless, writing out a personal branding statement is a worthwhile exercise.

Personal branding is one of the exercises we have started going through for middle-school and high-school students who are premium members of AlligatorZone. Consider enrolling your child in our premium pilot programs. We are developing them with great care and attention.

Ramesh Sambasivan
Instructional Designer
Co-founder, AlligatorZone.org
Email: rs@siliconglades.com

Don't miss this town hall meeting if you are in Tampa

Town Hall Meeting - Are we preparing students (8th grade-level onwards) for success and self-actualization in a world being transformed so rapidly?

The recent op ed in the Tampa Bay Business Journal by our founder resonated with many parents.

That has led to an upcoming Town Hall Meeting where we will discuss our preliminary findings, having delivered AlligatorZone programs in 20 communities since 2014, and what we as parents and educators could do to help our children prepare for the future of work. This town hall meeting will combine elements of a workshop, a community gathering and discussions, and it will be highly interactive -- where kids and parents will have a voice.

Join us for this town hall meeting in Tampa, Florida, on October 12, 2019. The event is being organized by North America Telugu Society.

Startup Line-up For Your Kids and Teens To Meet.

 
FOSTER CITY, CA: 2PM SATURDAY, SEP 7, 2019:

Meet Torrey Smith, CEO & Co-founder, Endiatx, which makes tiny pill-robots that you swallow which your doctor remote-controls through your body. Read up on the startup at https://Endiatx.com with your children and attend the event. Register at http://bit.ly/az-fostercity-09072019.

FOSTER CITY, CA: 2PM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2019: Meet Spencer Burleigh, Co-founder at Rent The Backyard, a company which builds a small house in your backyard and rents it out. They help people that own homes make extra money and give other people a place to live. Read up on them with your children at https://www.rentthebackyard.com/ and attend the event. Register at http://bit.ly/az-fostercity-09072019.

TAMPA, FL: 4PM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2019: Meet Mat Hofma and Erik Polumbo, founders of Mini Materials LLC, a company which manufactures and sells miniature building supplies using the same raw material as the material your house was built out of and they didn't use a shrink gun or any magic. Listen to cofounder Erik Polumbo talk about his formative years in this podcast. Read up on them with your children at https://www.minimaterials.com and attend the event. Register at http://bit.ly/az-tampa-09142019

TAMPA, FL: 4PM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2019:  Meet Molekule Co-Founder & Chief Scientist, Dr. Yogi Goswami, who developed what is now known as Photo Electrochemical Oxidation, or PECO, at the University of Florida and University of South Florida over a period of 20 years of R&D, created a high-tech air purifier called Molekule. Read up on the startup with your children, at https://molekule.com/ and attend the event.

View All Upcoming Free AlligatorZone Events

Leadership Training for Ambassadors

In a move to transform and improve the Ambassador initiative, the various volunteer opportunities are being been rolled into the leadership coaching program under AlligatorZone's premium plans. Enroll in a monthly premium plan. And yes, you may cancel it anytime.

Expressing Gratitude

We would not have come this far in our fascinating journey without the support of the following sponsors.
Premium subscribers of AlligatorZone
BootstrappersBreakfast.com
Tampa Bay STEM Network
Copyright © 2019 AlligatorZone, LLC, All rights reserved.


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