Tips For Building Personal Branding For Teachers

JAKARTA – Personal branding is very much needed by educators, especially teachers, how they want to be known in front of the public or their students. Suppose you want to be known as a friendly or smart teacher, firm, and so on. This reputation will always be remembered by his students.

Personal branding for a teacher is interpreted as something that is built by a teacher personally to create a good image. The image that is built is useful for creating characteristics related to the competencies possessed by the teacher. A professional teacher certainly needs to show his image as best as possible so that the public, especially students, can get to know his teacher through the positive image that has been built.

According to Marietta Gentles Crawford, author and Personal Brand Strategist from the United States, educators have great personal branding potential because teaching is their natural skill. Personal branding is not only about self-promotion, but also about the services provided.

Realizing the importance of building personal branding for teachers, KGSB (Komunitas Guru Satkaara Berbagi) held a Webinar on Building Personal Branding for Educators on Saturday, October 29, 2022, which was attended by educators from KGSB members.

Attended by hundreds of teachers and lecturers from PAUD to tertiary institutions in Indonesia and Timor Leste, this webinar presented speakers, namely Fashion Designer, CEO of PT Nina Nugroho Internasional and the Initiator of the #AkuBerdaya Movement, Nina Septiana Nugroho, and Founder of the BK Teacher's House and Widyaiswara Balai Besar Guru Motivator of West Java Province Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology RI, Ana Susanti, M.Pd. CEP, CHt.

The founder of KGSB, Ruth Andriani said that teachers are the main facilitators in the learning process of students. The learning process will run effectively if it is accompanied by a good example from a teacher who is a role model for students.

“How to behave and communication skills are important. Through good communication, a comfortable environment will be formed and close relationships with students will make learning fun," said Ruth Andriani.

Personal branding for a teacher is a lifelong process that continues to be pursued as part of a lifelong learner's effort to be able to translate and implement the real meaning of learning. Teachers need to do a self-assessment or identify themselves such as their abilities, and how to behave and communicate before building their personal brand.

The founder of Rumah Guru BK, Ana Susanti, said that the goal of personal branding is to look better, and have a good image, if students achieve achievements. The achievement of a teacher is to produce students who can adopt and understand the lessons delivered both academic and non-academic.

"There are several benefits of personal branding for teachers, including developing self-confidence, building connections, building credibility, increasing confidence, having authenticity, focusing on achieving goals and as self-control," explained Ana Susanti.

Fashion Designer and Initiator of the #AkuBerdaya Movement, Nina Septiana, in her presentation said that the personal branding process is a process towards self-empowerment. That a person is capable of power as long as they have leverage.

"How do we do it? It starts with determining who we are, regarding our strengths and focusing on developing skills and strengths. Then build the trust of others, have personality and be consistent," said Nina Septiana. Finally, we need to build relationships and wisely use social media as a medium for personal branding.