The Way You Talk About Yourself Is Either Making You Money Or Costing You Money

Mess up your intro—and people will forget you.

Fast.

Because the first thing anyone asks is:

“So, what do you do?”

“Tell me about yourself.”

And just like that—you freeze.

Not because you don’t know who you are.

But because you don’t know what matters to them.

You don’t know how to frame it.

How to say it without rambling, bragging, or sounding like everyone else.

What you need isn’t a script.

You need a guideline you can flex.

And yeah—maybe a little guts.

If you read Part I, you already know the deal:

Job titles are dead ends.

They don’t connect.

They confuse.

They kill curiosity.

They slam the door shut.

In that post, I showed you a sharper way in—four questions to help you ditch the fluff and say something real:

1. What you do

2. Who you help

3. How you help

4. Why it matters to you

That formula works.

Always will.

But today, you’re getting a second tool for your kit.

Something just as simple.

Just as clear.

Just as human.

It’s called the Present–Past–Future—a way to build trust in under 60 seconds, without sounding like a robot or a résumé.

Here’s the idea.

Present: Start with where you are now.

Not a title. 

Not your industry.

Say what you actually do.

Who you help. 

What itch are you scratching?

Past: Then go back to where you came from.

What led you here? 

What’s your background? 

What did you study or used to do—and why did it stop being enough?

Future: Say what’s next.

Where are you headed? 

What are you building, chasing, changing?

Put all three together, and you’ve got an intro that does more than inform.

It connects. 

It hooks. 

It lands.

It’s a story. 

And a reason to lean in.

Want to see it in action? 

Here’s mine:

I’m Marian Chrvala. 

I study the world’s best communicators—and share what I’ve learned.

Not to impress.

To arm you.

I help people sharpen their thinking and say what they mean—clearly, boldly, and with zero fluff.

So they stop rambling, start landing, and show up like they own the damn room—on stage, online, or across the table.

I spent years in corporate rooms, sat through the meetings, read the decks…and watched brilliant ideas die slow deaths—buried under slides, jargon, and buzzwords.

That’s where I learned what makes people tune out.

And what makes them lean in.

It’s not polish.

It’s not perfection.

It’s guts.

And it’s clarity.

If your words don’t make people feel something, they won’t remember you.

And they sure as hell won’t buy from you.

The future?

To help more misfits, makers, and leaders realise this:

Your perspective is your product.

In an AI world where content is cheap and everyone sounds like an expert, the edge belongs to those who sound like someone—not everyone.

You can’t just share ideas.

You have to own one.

I want to build a world where the ones who win hearts, minds, and markets are the ones who say something real.

And say it loud and clear.

That’s what I’m here for.

And that’s where I’m going.

Want in?

Hell yeah.

Clean.

No buzzwords.

No waffle.

Notice the structure—but also the soul.

It’s not polished to death.

It’s honest, fast, and true to the work I actually do.

“OK Marian, but which one should I use—4Q or PPF?”

Use both.

Try them, tweak them, see which one feels more like you.

They’re not rivals. 

They’re just tools.

Different vibes for different days.

You don’t bring a hammer to every job, right?

4Q gets you sharp and straight.

PPF gives you shape and depth.

Some days, you need lean and punchy.

Other days, you need flow.

Both work.

Neither includes “I’m a project manager” followed by dead silence.

Now that you have seen how I use PPF for my intro, build yours.

Present.

Past.

Future.

Write it.

Say it out loud.

Own it.

And for the love of clarity—stop hiding behind job titles that don’t say a damn thing about who you are.

Because if you can’t explain what you do in a way that sticks, you’ll never give people a reason to care.

And when someone asks, “So, what do you do?”— you’ve got a mic-drop answer ready to go.

PS. Do you struggle to set yourself apart from your competitors? Does your tone of voice lack a little personality? Either way, get in touch and I’ll help you become remarkable. Or get more communication advice that doesn't suck here.