You know the scene. You are at the coffee shop or a dinner party and someone who is trying to make small talk or is genuinely curious asks the question. (Cue the horror film music.) “What do you do?” Suddenly, you freeze because you know the importance of making a great first impression.

Blurting out your occupational title (think yoga instructor, financial planner, executive coach) is sometimes confusing and usually limiting. If you press play on the mental recording of your canned 30-second “elevator pitch,” you could blunder a potentially meaningful connection. Or worse, you could come across as salesy, desperate and inauthentic. Yuck.

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