This is a question that’s been in the back of my mind for some time now so I thought that I’d throw it out to you for discussion.
Several years ago I attended a presentation on writing. The main speaker had to give a little biographical introduction about herself before she spoke. This particular speaker really focused in on her kids during the biographical part of her speech. In fact, the bio was mostly about her kids.
Personally, I enjoyed the speaker’s presentation AND her biography. I thought the focus on kids added warmth and made her seem real. Since the time I spend with my kids is something that I value highly I felt that I could really relate to her.
I was shocked when, at the end of the presentation, a woman that I had been sitting with commented on how unprofessional the speaker had been.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, she focused way too much on her kids. I just think that was really unprofessional of her.” My companion said.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I’ll tell you. My companion was an unmarried woman with no children. In the interest of disclosure I should also add that the presentation was NOT about working at home or anything related to children.
What do you think? Should your children be mentioned in your professional biography? If so, how much of a mention should they get?
Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.
15 responses so far ↓
1 Melissa R. Garrett // Jul 18, 2007 at
I think I am somewhere in the middle. While I agree that talking about your kids might help to convey a sense of warmth and familiarity, I don’t necessarily want to hear about children if I’m supposed to be hearing about writing (unless it was intended to be about writing from home with children around).
2 Faisca // Jul 18, 2007 at
I don’t have kids, but I have an opinion on this.
I think it’s great to include personal touches in professional places. You just have to make sure not to go overboard. Giving personal information to an audience breaks down the barriers a bit, everyone can feel more comfortable and, in the case of people with children, more connected to the speaker.
Clearly you’re not going to focus your whole speech about your kids (if you’re talking about writing) but I see nothing wrong with fitting something like that into the biographical part.
On the other hand, I can see how a stuffy old professional with no kids might react differently. It wouldn’t stop me from being myself, though. If she doesn’t like it, she can leave. I’m sure she won’t leave, so she can deal.
Or maybe I’m totally wrong and that’s just the 23 year old free spirit in me talking. The one who doesn’t ever want to be kept in chains by “professionalism.”
3 Laura // Jul 18, 2007 at
Welcome Melissa and Faisca!
It’s interesting the various perspectives that people have on this. BTW, it was just the biography section of her talk that was about the kids, not the entire talk.
4 Lillie Ammann // Jul 19, 2007 at
I think it’s appropriate to mention kids (and husband) in a bio, but the bulk of the bio should be about the person’s qualifications to talk (or write) about the subject. I would expect a lot more about kids if the topic related to parenting, being a WAHM, etc. than if the topic was writing skills.
5 Robert Hruzek // Jul 19, 2007 at
Seems to me that personal info would be humanizing, but as with most things in life, “balance” and “as appropriate” are the key words here. But Faisca’s right – sometimes you just have to do what you think best and live with the
flakconsequences. It’s been my experience that there’s always that one person…6 Lillie Ammann // Jul 19, 2007 at
Laura,
I’ve tagged you for the Eight Random Things meme. The details are on my blog. I’m looking forward to learning more about you.
7 Laura // Jul 19, 2007 at
Hi Lillie! Yes, balance is good. Thanks for the tag. It may take me a while to get to it as I am under the gun for deadlines this week and the first part of next.
8 Laura // Jul 19, 2007 at
Hi Tammi! You make a good point. IF the topic is kids and you don’t have any then that probably does have an effect on credibility. If I went to someone who was an expert on children and found out that they had none I’d hesitate to take their advice. It’s easy to advise from the outside looking in.
Hi Robert! You are so right. You can’t please everybody.
9 Matt Keegan // Jul 19, 2007 at
I think not unless there is some correlation to what you do and your children. I recently visited scads of WAHM sites (thanks, Laura ;-)), marveling at the emphasis on children. I love kids and I think they are much more important than career, job, etc. However, there is a tendency on the part of some to feel put off by the inclusion of children in career talk.
10 Laura // Jul 19, 2007 at
Hi Matt! I definitely think that kids should be mentioned on WAHM site since that is part of the site’s theme.
11 Two Write Hands // Jul 20, 2007 at
I guess I’d pick a spot somewhere in the middle, too. By all means, mention your kids briefly in your professional bio if it’s important to you. Just be mindful that overkill, no matter the topic, is going to cause a large part of the audience to tune out.
12 mdy // Jul 24, 2007 at
I remember attending a talk many years back where the speaker opened by outright saying that their company encourages them to inject a little bit of personal information at the start of their talks.
The “personal” information he shared was mostly related to his career, though… such as:
1) how long he’s been in the industry
2) countries he has moved to in the course of his work
3) how long he’s been with the company he now represents
4) various roles he’s had and how they improved his understanding of the topic
Right at the very end of his self-introduction, he tacked on a two-liner about his wife, kids, and hobbies/interests. It came and went so quickly that you could have missed it if you happened to be reading an SMS message right then.
I remember being surprised that he included information about his family and his hobbies, but since that part was so short, I didn’t mind and it didn’t make me think he was being unprofessional.
On the other hand, I ALSO remember thinking that tidbits about his family was information that was not particularly useful to me. I guess I have a very utilitarian point of view when it comes to attending talks, especially in cases where I’ve actually *paid* for the privilege to listen.
13 Laura // Jul 24, 2007 at
Wow MDY! That’s a great and well-considered response. I certainly understand the “utilitarian” response better now. Thanks for sharing that, it makes a lot of sense.
14 Laura // Jul 24, 2007 at
Hi Two Write Hands! Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see more of you here. I think I’m more like you. I really don’t mind some information, I would even enjoy more than “briefly.” But, I’m definitely against overkill.
15 Hair Girl // Aug 7, 2008 at
As a professional and a mom, I have some strong feelings about this. I am a late in life new mommy (46.) I believe that who I am and what I have to offer are a culmination of my life – that includes my personal life. Yes, I will talk about my child since she is part of who I have become.
However, to stay professional, the bio must stay “on-topic.” Sufficient information must be given to connect with the intended recipients, but at the same time a balance must be met.
Simply, there are some personalities that just cannot shut up about their personal lives – going overboard with their information. These people are irritating regardless of their topic of choice.