Ban this word

Two brief conversations last week at the PRSA International Conference prompted me to encourage you to ban a word from your vocabulary. It seems more prevalent among PR professionals than other fields.

The first conversation came when I ran into an Inner Circle member whom I had noticed on the conference program.

I said, “That’s great that you’re presenting! Tell me about it.”

He said: “I’m just the third person on a panel. My mentor invited me to join her.”

The second convo came at a reception when a young woman introduced herself as a reader of these posts. As we chatted I asked where she works and she said, “I’m just an account coordinator at a small agency in . . .”

What’s the offending word?

Yes, you saw it: just.

Never say “I’m just . . .” There are enough people out there who will diminish your standing in the world, you don’t need to help them by doing it to yourself. I touched on this earlier this year with the “sorry” post, which generated a ton of responses.

Crazy thing is that guy on the panel is one of THE sharpest young PR pros I know. I would recommend him anywhere. I actually called him out for saying “just on a panel” and he explained that he thought he should be humble about it. That’s true. But when someone asks you about your presentation, it’s not bragging to answer it straight-up. And he killed it on the panel.

And beginning your career as an account coordinator is a noble start. All of us have been there.

So how do you talk about yourself without selling yourself short? Say the same thing you would normally say without any modifiers. Like Alyssa did.

She showed up at a small gathering I organized one evening. She introduced herself to me and the others there by explaining, “I’m attending with my CEO (name) at a boutique public affairs agency in (city). She is on her way to join us.”

And then she actively participated in the conversation. She listened, offered her opinion, and answered questions directly. If I had thought about it, I would have put her at about 10 years’ experience, the way she held her own with the experienced PR pros at the gathering.

She didn’t say, “I’m just filling in for my CEO, who is running late” or “I’m just a junior member at a small agency . . .”

Later I asked her when she finished school, and she said with a smile, “Two years ago.” I told her she carries herself the same as someone much older, and that’s a good thing. Her CEO is lucky to have her.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should brag. Don’t even humblebrag. Simply avoid saying, “I’m just . . .”

You’re better than that.