I was wondering the other day whether anyone would work with me if I literally didn’t have a face.
I’m fortunate this is a hypothetical condition. I do have a face. It performs face-like functions. It crinkles up and then relaxes. It emotes things. People can look at my face and ask “What’s so funny?” and “What’s wrong?” and “What are you looking at?” We make a good team.
This came up when I was writing a client’s About page and realized I hadn’t actually seen her face.
As I was reflecting on her and her qualities, it became clear that I really needed to see her face.
And then it occurred to me that perhaps my clients would like to see mine.
It’s still a bit unnerving to be called upon to express the essence of someone without having experienced them speaking to you face to face.
It’s a bit like writing for Harvey, the six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch tall bunny rabbit.
You’d think you wouldn’t actually need to see someone to write for their business.
So many qualities can be expressed in the voice. But seeing someone’s face adds something to my understanding of them and their business in this indescribably useful way.
Have you ever noticed how courtroom judges rarely look up to watch lawyers speak?
I love the way they can be fully connected with the speaker, deep in concentration, while appearing to be so completely disengaged, without anyone chiding them for rudeness. Judges are my heroes.
But creative work requires quite the opposite.
Translating the contents of people’s brains takes considering everything.
It’s not enough to simply read what you write, to listen to your voice, to think about your ideas.
I need to see your face! And you need to see my face!
Naturally, my own face is a bit of a show-off.
It’s used to the spotlight. Wherever I go, my face is right there with me. It can’t not be seen.
But when it comes to my business, my face isn’t content with this behind-the-scenes arrangement.
It wants more. It doesn’t understand why it can’t be more involved in the day-to-day operations of Copylicious.
There are things it would like to express to my clients.
It loves the attention—even though I don’t.
And despite its tendency to show off sometimes, I want to make my face happy.
A Facial Exchange Program?
Maybe it’s time to implement some sort of Facial Exchange Program with my clients whereby, via videoconference, we relate in a wholly new (to us) way.
Even though we speak by phone and email each other all the live-long day, what I really want to do is to see them.
Face to face. Without actually leaving home.
Because if we can’t see each other’s faces, it’s a bit like not having faces at all. And that would feel awkward.
And maybe it’s time to update my bio with a recent photo of myself—or two. (Photography is possibly my second-greatest phobia after public speaking, and 99 percent of the photos I take are of my dog.)
Or, I could just keep on not having a face.
I still come across websites that don’t use any photos at all, or that include tiny photos displaying only half a face.
If I’m not blown away by everything else about them, I’d feel weird working together. Like the Wizard of Oz. No one wants to be that guy behind the curtain.
Examples of people who use their faces really well.
I love the way these people use their faces in business:
- Gwen Bell is constantly uploading pictures of herself on her blog. But this Pageants & Proms set has to be my favorite. If I met her tomorrow, I’d feel as if we’d already met before–at a 1990s prom, perhaps? More people should do this! It doesn’t hurt that she’s adorable.
- Pam Slim uploads videos of herself from time to time. Like this one. I love her. Seeing her speak makes me feel like I want to work with her immediately.
I have a feeling my face is going to be stepping out a bit more. We’ll start with videoconference and see what happens.
Expeditions in progress:
Dig up more good stuff:
13 Comments
Interesting thoughts, Kelly. I think some sort of face-to-face exchange (even if it’s virtual) would make a difference. Even just once or twice. But for me, the voice is where it’s at. Tone is everything, and once you hear someone’s voice, inflection, use of sarcasm (or not), it makes interpreting email communication after that so much easier. As you probably know, there is tremendous room for misinterpretation over email, and hearing someone’s voice a few times could make or break your relationship. The face? Cherry on top of the sundae for me. Though I would not want videoconferencing to be a regular thing because, well, there’s the whole getting out of your pajamas thing to start worrying about.
Good stuff, thanks.
Ali
Ali, I think that’s how I got by so long without seeing faces. Voices tell so much! And there IS that Pajama Factor to consider. But I’m thinking if anyone I hired wore their pajamas to a videoconference, I’d like them even MORE… So, maybe you could just go with it?
Huh. Interesting point! Never thought about it! Maybe I’ll post more pics on my own blog.
I do feel more connected to bloggers who regularly post pics of themselves or have pics of themselves always visible.
I am laughing at the Pajama Factor because it is SO TRUE!
Maybe I could set up a shield thingy between me and the camera that has an opening just for my face. Then I wouldn’t need to get dressed *or* comb my hair!
Victoria Brouhard´s last blog ..Quitting the Man: 34 Days Since Freedom
Havana, I recognized your name from over on Sarah Bray’s blog comments, and immediately had a face to attach to a name. So, I guess we feel more connected to blog commenters who have pics, too!
Victoria, yes. A shield! Brilliant. You could have a rotating backdrop with a hole cut out in the middle, like those cheesy photo-op boards, so it’s you fighting a dragon, or riding a camel, or dueling. It’s a niche just waiting to be filled.
Definitely faces help — even though I do most of my work by phone. My coworker puts photos of people into his address book & everywhere else so he “sees” their faces when he talks to them. When working in inside sales (inherently by phone) we were told to put a mirror next to the phone so we could look at someone and smile at someone while we talk. Even for clients that I’ve met only live once, a couple years ago, a face appears in my mind when I speak to them.
Plus those of us who are more spatial than word oriented need the faces to remember who is who — the names alone sometimes aren’t enough to jog the slow brain.
So try video chatting. It forces an at-home worker like me to brush my hair & put on a “real shirt” for work, even if I can still wear my pajamas. And please write about what happens — I bet it will be interesting.
Kelly: hooray for gravatars!
It makes sense; we can only remember so many names.
Havana´s last blog ..Flyer and Business Card: The Math And Science Clique
Stephanie, I love the idea of printing out photos to associate names with faces. And I’ll definitely follow up on how video chatting goes. Real shirt, pajama bottoms.
Love this post and want to share my story, it really reinforces the need for “The Face”.
I live in eastern Canada and was on a Trade Mission to Boston Mass. Not only was I going away to promote my biz I was going to another country. While I was there I had several meetings booked with complete strangers that although I researched them heavily I did not have their face.
On day 2 of the mission I was walking through the lobby of the Copley Hotel feeling quite confident and 2 very good looking gentleman were looking at me and smiling, I was thinking wow these Boston people are so friendly, it was just like being at home. They continued to smile as I got closer and at this point it started to border on the weird side. Next thing I know they are standing in front of me and saying my name….OK now I am officially freaked out when it hits me. My picture is on my website and the 2 gentleman did their research and they knew it was me they were meeting with.
What a feeling to have people recognize me, I have now embraced this and I love it. This is an awesome tool for your personal branding. Being an extrovert this works for me. However if you are not one to be in the spotlight this strategy may be totally outside your comfort zone.
PS…next time you bump into me please say hello!
elaineshannon´s last blog ..Planning Day
Elaine, that’s such a cute story. And, by the way, I think more people should have videos of themselves on their About pages. Including me. After watching that video of yours, it’s impossible to wonder, ‘Who is this person?’ I would smile if I saw you from across the hotel room, too.
I swore I would never post those photos. And now they’re up. And they make people laugh. And they make me take myself a little less seriously.
Speaking of serious, I’m sure you’ve seen this recent piece at Copyblogger about a woman who decided to write as a man. And ended up doubling and tripling her earnings.
http://www.copyblogger.com/james-chartrand-underpants/
That will make you think twice about associating your mug with your work. It has made me sit up and take note, for sure.
But how would I write myself out of my copy and into ManLandia? Not sure I could. Not sure I’d want to. Something to chew on.
Gwen, wow, I hadn’t seen that post yet. It must have been difficult to keep up the barrier between herself and her clients for so long, knowing there was this gigantic reason they could never speak by phone or meet in person. I can’t imagine working like that. Even if I tripled revenue, what would be the point? I’d feel like the quality wasn’t there, because I wasn’t incorporating all of myself into my work. (It’s about the relationship–not just words.) My me-ness is maybe what attracted them to me in the first place? Agree with you: Even if I could, not sure I’d want to.
Good one to think about .. I tend to use photos that I love (which means they’re not of me) for my avatars and such. But I do feel more connected to blogs where they have a photo, or have posted photos of themselves. It really is hard (for me) to form a relationship with someone when I cannot actually picture them. I guess I should return the favor. Thanks for prompting the thought!
elizabeth´s last blog ..here comes sinter klaus