Personal Branding. Finding the voice within.

Let me set a familiar scene. You bring three horses into the barn. They are a family group with a theatrical persuasion! They are never happier than when working together to showcase a story or to stand in support of a narrator. Their presence and interplay is compelling. They soothe, challenge, amuse, delight and support. Much in the same way as the script writer, or the voice in your head, your heart or your intuition shapes your story. 
These three horses are the representatives that will support an Equestrian Athlete as they lay out their personal brand and athlete identity. 
Our personal brand must feel true to our sense of self if we are to persuade our team and stakeholders to believe in the projection of our self in the world of social media. 
Our personal brand is easy to promote and draw our audience into our world when we borrow the three horses we met earlier. 
As I introduce our metaphorical horses you will no doubt recognise the buzz words. Look beyond their names with me as I attempt to describe their character and relationship to each other. I named these horses to help riders to appreciate the warmth of these three elemental horses. 
Ethos is our first family member. I see this horse as a mirror for riders to look into as they ask the question, Who Am I and what does this horse reflect back that underpins the narrative of my personal brand? 
Forget the horse’s name for a moment . Think instead, what does the horse show you of yourself? What will your horse share of you with his companions and those at the barn door looking on? 
This horse might be a temporary illusion, a borrowed metaphor but this horse is You! 
Let’s meet the next horse in your story. 
Pathos. This horse may be a clown, a joker, an artist, an entertainer, a horse with a sense of humour, a horse made resilient by challenge. This horse reaches out beyond his companion to connect with your audience and elicit an emotional response. A feeling. This horse brings your past experiences to the storyline and relates them to your audience. This horse offers an emotional bridge between the spotlight and the shadows. 
The third horse Logos is the fact checker, the voice of authority and process. The horse that calls attention to the identity of the Narrator and offers a balance to the emotional pleas of Pathos and Ethos. 
Logos reveals the credibility, relevance, experience and a sound understanding of the presenter. Logos will be the guide that draws followers into the story arena and offers the idea of a logic that resonates beyond the presentation. 

Ethos has many ways to amplify your voice. Spend some time noticing how often you spot the description of a personal ethos or an announcement of ethos as an affirmative action. 
Now come back to the metaphor of our horse Ethos. Ethos can shout loudly as though calling for carrots! Ethos can also make your presence felt, seen, heard.. There are many ways to share your brand story with your Ethos at its heart.

Your ethos can be found in your blog where you wrote opinion piece, perhaps sharing anecdotes to build rapport. 
Ethos can be presented through storytelling in a traditional sense where we remember special days or things that happened and connect through conversation. 
Ethos can be visual through branding / advertising with an endorsement of a product. 
Ethos can be found wherever we speak our truth, share our thoughts, feelings, questions even. 
Ethos might be a buzzword but with good reason. If, when you are sharing or creating content to reflect your personal brand identity, you imagine your three horse team and the roles they play in helping you find the voice of your personal brand, the task, like many others with a horse by your side, becomes much easier. 
Have you thought about YOUR personal brand as an athlete/ rider or coach? Email me to ask questions about how to capture your ethos in your personal brand narrative.