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Anyone else bothered by the idea of a "well-crafted persona"? I'm fine with being prepared for your talk, and knowing your topic. But spending 2-3 weeks on a s
by bphogan 15y ago
Anyone else bothered by the idea of a "well-crafted persona"?
I'm fine with being prepared for your talk, and knowing your topic. But spending 2-3 weeks on a slide deck and crafting a "persona" for your public presence sounds a lot like something an entertainer does.
To me, this seems like something you do when you're more interested in your self-image than you are about your topic. And that bugs me a little, because if you just come to your audience well-prepared, knowledgable, and genuine, I don't think you'd have to rely on an edgy "persona" at all.
But if people like it and learn from your talks, I guess it's all good. Just doesn't sit right with me.
- v21 15y agoI think it was uncommonly honest for him to discuss it in those terms. Possibly not wise, but I hate to condemn a person for not concealing their motives. And -- there's no exclusion between topic and persona. But you can have many topics, but you rarely get multiple public personas. For many people, and I'd bet Zach is one of them, their reputation is their biggest asset. Being careful about it seems entirely sensible to me.