Bragging Contest Playing Strategies – Part 4

By now you understand what the Bragging Contest is. You know who the judges are and you know what types of contests are out there. So, how do you plan and prepare yourself so you have a better chance of winning? Below are different strategies for prepping and playing the game.

Prepping

With every game, you have to be prepared. The Bragging Contest is no different. The better prepared you are, the better you will do. Here are several tips to help you prepare:

1) Get the brag ready: Always have 3 brags ready to go. Like a job interview, you should always have 3 different brags that you are ready to talk about. Each of the brags should be flexible enough that you can use them in front of different judges and different situations. This way, you are always ready to play.

2) Figure out how you can use the brags: I’ve outlined 5 different ways people brag. You can use one of those ways or find an entirely new way. With your own brags, figure out how you can best present them.

3) Write them down: Write down your accomplishments every week. It is hard to remember the things that you can brag about. By writing them down, you will be able to remember them and pull from a larger list if necessary.

4) Have 1 key point: A brag is your chance to show off. Make sure that people understand why it is important. What did it accomplish? What were the results? What did you do? Remember, people don’t remember long speeches. When you say something, people really only take away 1 key point. Make sure you know what point you are trying to get across and focus on it. Providing unimportant details just takes away from your main point.

For example, if you are playing the “I am Great at Sales” Bragging Contest then don’t spend all of your time talking about how you landed a new client. Focus on the key point: how much money that client brought in for the company. People will remember if the client was a $1 million dollar client. Nobody will remember that the client sells soft drinks and is based in Minneapolis.

5) Practice: A brag is like a mini-speech. Like every speech, these things need practice. An easy way to practice is to tell the brag to a non-influencer. This way, you can practice and get feedback so your brags will sound better in front of the influencers.

Playing the Bragging Game

The Bragging Contest happens all the time, but some contests are more important than others. You get to choose whether or not you enter the contest. Only enter the contests that are important. Don’t enter if you don’t have a good brag. When playing, think through these points and take advantage when you can:

1. Starter or Follower: You have 2 choices in the Bragging Contest. Be the starter or the follower. If you’re the starter, you have the distinct advantage of making a first impression. You get to choose what type of brag you want to do (Direct, Feelings, Compliments, etc.) and you get to say it first. If you say a really good one, it is sometimes hard for people to respond. Say the wrong thing, and the follower will have an easy time beating you since he got to hear your brag first before choosing his. As the follower, you have a moment to assess the situation and choose to play, win, tie or skip and wait for another opportunity to use your brags.

2. Timing: Timing is everything. If nobody is listening, if people are distracted, then that particular game will not be important and you may not have to play. For example, if the game is started in the middle of a meeting where lots of people are trying to grab each other’s attention, then the game may not be that important to play since nobody will really be listening. Pay attention to the timing of the contest. Contests are happening all the time, but some will be more important than others.

3. Judges: When playing the game, one of the most important things to look at are the judges. If the judges are not influencers, then it is not as important to play since there will probably be no change in your reputation. Only enter the Bragging Contest if it affects your reputation. If not or if the opportunity is not there, then don’t enter.

4. You can tie: Sometimes, in the Bragging Contest, you can tie and you don’t have to win. Tying just means that you and the other person have kept your reputations at the same level. Tying still allows you to have a good reputation. Lots of people have the reputation of being hard workers, smart people or team players. The key is to keep your reputation at work at the top of those buckets and not let it fall out of the buckets.

Take the Hard Worker contest example again. If there are a group of people that are hard workers and you want to stay in the group, then you can’t let other people brag more about their work than you. On the other hand, a hard worker is a hard worker. You don’t have to be the winner of the Hard Worker Contest for people to put you in the group of hard workers. So, if somebody is talking about how hard he worked, you too can talk about how hard you worked. You don’t have to overshadow them, but you have to be as diligent as them. This allows you to tie and stay at the same level.

5. Don’t get labeled a Bragger: This point is key. The goal of the Bragging Contest is to improve your reputation using brags. The one thing you don’t want to do is get a reputation of being a Bragger, otherwise, nobody will listen to your brags anymore.

• Play with finesse: When playing the game, make sure that you are able to say your brags in a subtle way (Feelings, Share, Compliments). Try to avoid Indirect Brags that don’t relate to any part of the current conversation. Also try to avoid Direct Brags unless someone else has offered up a Direct Brag. The only time you should use a Direct Brag is when it is in context, helpful to the audience, or will provide new information that the rest of the group needs at that moment. For example, you can directly brag about how hard you worked if you are also providing details of the project that your group needs. Or, you can talk about how generous you are if you are trying to set an example for other people and encourage them to be generous too.
• Be truthful: Everyone hates the bragger – that person that is always showing off and trying to make themselves look good. Lots of times, they are even exaggerating to make themselves look better. After they’re done, people roll their eyes and talk about how incredibly false those statements are. Nobody really believes what they’ve said. Keep your brags real and sincere. Don’t over-exaggerate. Don’t tell lies. If your brag is not true and somebody finds out, you will never be able to play the game again. Nobody is saying that you can’t exaggerate a little, just don’t make up false statements. If anyone finds out, you will be kicked out of the Bragging Contest forever. You will no longer be a contestant since your credibility will be destroyed. Anytime you try to play, nobody will listen or believe you.

The Bragging Contest will not always be fun. In fact, some of you may hate to participate. Unfortunately, you can’t avoid it if you want to improve your reputation. Hopefully, by understanding how the game is played, when to play it, and why it is important, you will be better prepared to play the game and hopefully even win some contests.