An explain article

About stories, deep psychology, and your very own presentation archetype.

Anyone who earns money by speaking, consulting, or presenting faces very specific challenges when it comes to personal branding. The brand you create is ultimately inseparable from your own person. Everything - negative or positive - reflects back on you. A small subsidiary company can be divested after a scandal and brought to market with a new, unused name. The image of your own brand accompanies the speaker for a lifetime. The approach is therefore fundamentally different from other brand developments. Authenticity trumps strategy. And EVERYTHING must be taken personally. The brand personality lives from the speaker's personality. To create the brand 'ME,' you have to look deep into the mirror.

Working with archetypes can be a valuable tool for your own speaker brand. However, archetypes are also a profoundly complex topic that I can only touch upon superficially in this context. If you are still willing to embark on this short adventure, peppered with dangerous half-knowledge, philosophical thought experiments, and if you are especially not afraid to pragmatically use these things, then your openness will be rewarded. Otherwise, just flip ahead.

"Life has more than one genre. It is a fantastic science-fiction-cowboy-detective story with a hint of pornography if you're lucky."

We can experience every story that life writes (and life still writes the best ones). But is there a simple approach to organizing these stories, selecting the right ones, or interpreting them? Carl Gustav Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, dealt with archetypes. That is, primordial images or forms that, according to his model, are anchored in the collective unconscious and become visible, for example, in dreams. He found that certain symbols appear cross-culturally and timelessly in dreams. Or that myths and legends have encompassed similar roles or conflicts since the beginning of humanity. Archetypes contain knowledge – symbols, elements, characteristics, or values – that one can intuitively understand and classify. But to do justice to the depth of the topic, one would actually have to write a book. Or read an existing one by C. G. Jung (see literature recommendation, page 111). Today we know that archetypes can be learned. It is, therefore, more of a socio-psychological phenomenon. But still, they teach us like no other model to translate motivation into symbols.

Even though archetypes appear in countless variations, most models concentrate on twelve main groups. The naming also varies – however, the types contained usually remain the same. There are the Hero, the Rebel, and the Magician, who stand for change. Jester, Lover, and Everyman focus on closeness to others and nurture relationships. Caregiver, Ruler, and Creator give our world order and stability. While the Innocent, the Sage, and the Explorer strive for a journey to individual ideals. What are these archetypes used for? Well, for example, the "Life has more than one genre. It is a fantastic science-fiction-cowboy-detective story with a hint of pornography if you're lucky." Comic author Alan Moore Branding of brands. The car brand Mini clearly positions itself as a Rebel. This was particularly evident in the 2014 "NOT NORMAL" campaign. Mini is colorful, different, bold, provocative. Jeep also pursues a clear archetype – the Explorer. Landscapes, freedom, adventure, and the longing for foreign lands and cultures. The car is rarely in the foreground. Instead, it makes room for impressive landscapes and natural phenomena.

The imagery, messages, colors, and symbols consistently communicate towards the chosen archetype. I have never looked up these elements in a book. Nevertheless, I understand them unconsciously, and the intended emotion is triggered. Archetypes are also already used successfully in sound branding. Because a "Magician" sounds entirely different from a "Ruler." If you know or develop a brand's archetype in the strategy, sound brands can be composed much more target-oriented. And of course, archetypes are also used in storytelling. Whether a blog article, a TV spot or a blockbuster is the result – the use of archetypal role images and conflicts is a success guarantee. You can trigger a whole universe of associations without words. It saves time and simplifies the absorption of information. So why not use archetypes for presentations or speakers as well? After all, a speaker has to market themselves similarly to a brand. Moreover, time is usually limited in a presentation, and the audience's receptiveness is limited. Unlike a movie, book, or blog, I can rarely rewind, reread, or scroll up. The message has to work immediately.

Archetypes should be consciously differentiated from stereotypes. Stereotypes are closed drawers that allow little room for individual interpretation. The sleazy detective with a pipe and trench coat is a superficial cliché, a stereotype, and certainly not a meaningful positioning. Because this cliché only works as long as he remains in his role as a detective. Archetypes, on the other hand, are open drawers and offer more of a framework for interpretation. They refer to characteristic traits and are detached from roles. The "Detective" archetype does not necessarily have to work as a detective. Rather, it refers to the ability to recognize connections, an infallible instinct, and tenacity. The search for the truth drives him.

Someone who is indeed a detective can clarify through conscious positioning within another archetype what values are important to them. What their motivation is. How they view themselves within the framework of society. A detective who feels they belong to the Rebel archetype fights the authorities and sometimes resorts to questionable methods. The detective as a "Magician," on the other hand, might wait for a spiritual revelation or charm the suspects with his charismatic manner ... Who knows? Anything is open.

Yet to find out who is in front of me and how I need to assess my counterpart, it takes time. Time that you don't have on stage. And so, there are always misunderstandings. Messages are interpreted or misunderstood with the wrong framework of interpretation. The person is judged based on incomplete impressions. That is why it makes sense to visually and content-wise reinforce your archetype. This can be done through clothing, content style elements, word choice, visualizations, or sound. The intended effect ideally aligns with the audience's interpretation. The most important requirement: It is the right archetype.

How do I find my presentation archetype?

You surely have various roles that you assume in everyday life. As a parent, as a friend, in a professional context - and possibly your behavior differs in each of these roles. Therefore, you can certainly recognize parts of various archetypes within yourself. We will now focus on your role as a speaker or presenter. For authentic positioning, you must first look within. Search within this context for strengths and weaknesses. Analyze, as mentioned above, the stories of your life. What role do you play in your stories? Are they mostly tragedies or comedies? What recurring themes and conflicts accompany you? And which ones do you bring to the stage? What values are important to you? What do you stand for? What motivates you to go on stage and stand up for your opinion?

Analyzing your own story is an immeasurable treasure that only you can unearth. But an outside perspective can also be very valuable. Get feedback from friends, colleagues, strangers. How would they describe you or your appearance? Which attributes stand out? All of these are clues that bring you closer to your archetype. To still give you an initial direction, you will find a small test below.

What does it offer you as a speaker?

From my perspective, three things are essential for a successful appearance. Confidence regarding the topic, the performance, and myself as a person. Authenticity in the sense that I do not pretend on stage, but rather convey my true views, emotions, and intentions - my personality - unaltered. And expression as a manifestation of this personality. Archetypes combine two of three factors - authenticity and expression. They help me organize the different aspects of my personality and give them meaning. And by assigning archetypes to visual or content style elements, I can give them expression. Additionally, you benefit from a values-based and personal positioning in the market.

I want to give you an example. At the beginning of the year, I was able to accompany Frank Bömers. A speaker who was just preparing for his first major appearances on the topic of purpose. What initially started as content sparring soon expanded into the areas of branding and speaker positioning. He shared numerous stories about turning points, pivotal decisions, and inner conflicts with me. Through numerous conversations, the picture became increasingly clear and we were able to identify an archetype - the explorer. This had an impact on the content of his keynote, the imagery of his presentation, the selection of his stories and ultimately on his branding. Explorers often desire unaltered and wide-ranging photos of landscapes. The yearning for freedom is thus directly transferred to the audience. But the archetype also provides insight into the speaker's characteristics.

The explorer is a freedom-loving person. Accordingly, the flexibility of a presentation is very important to them. He will probably not deliver a speech word for word, but will present freely in the moment of the appearance and spontaneously react to the situation. For this, he knows how to fascinate his audience with exciting stories. The explorer is open to change and also embarks on professional adventures, courageously plunging into new situations. All these can be helpful insights if one is ready to perfect their own performance on stage. And as individual as the personalities, so are the impacts of the archetypes on one's own speaker personality. You decide what you want to apply.

From the audience's perspective, it is certainly valuable. A consistent presentation from head to toe, from content to outfit, ensures smooth processing and facilitates interpretation. Finally, the audience should think about your core message - not about the questionable combination of your visual worlds. Over the past few years, I have given, created, or conceived numerous presentations. But even more important, I have experienced hundreds of presentations of all kinds. From cringe-worthy moments to absolute enthusiasm, from mini-meetings to packed arenas, from technically-serious to passionately and touchingly emotional, everything was there. The best speakers for me have always been those who sincerely and openly incorporate their personality. Who accept themselves with all their quirks, make themselves approachable, and represent their very own type. Regardless of whether this corresponds to a specific archetype or not.

What is your presentation archetype?

The last pages were full of hints and detailed information about presentation archetypes. But what distinguishes the different types now? And what can be learned from them? On this double page, you get a brief insight into the different characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. Perhaps you recognize yourself in one or the other.