Identity Management

Identity Management is how we handle ourselves in any kind of situation. It identifies us as a person; furthermore, it is how others perceive us. One that fits this description was the Last Lecture.
I was very taken back by speaker Randy Paush who delivered The Last Lecture. More so every little thing he said hit me personally. I can relate to him through past and present family issues that I’m dealing with. My grandpa died in a year of finding out he was diagnosed of Lung Cancer, and my cousin is currently battling a brain tumor at age 31. I feel Randy did an incredible job speaking with all the facework he presented. He had so much to offer matching non-verbal and verbal between his advice and everything he has accomplished throughout his years.
He found a frame of reference to connect with everyone it seemed like. When the cameras went back and forth from Paush to the audience many were intrigued, and I too never thought for one minute that there was a non-interesting section or sentence. I did notice the audience identified him in a softer way through non-verbal cues, yet thought of him very powerful as well. The audience was laughing, some tearing, leaning forward, all taking it directly.
Once he mentioned his disease he automatically put it out there of how strong he truly is, mentally, spiritually, and physically, which also falls into the implicit personality theory. In most cases people make assumptions right off the bat. For instance in this case, many like mine thought, why isn’t he hurting? Does he not realize the disease and time?
Something that interests me is the Halo effect. Halo effect means a perception of ones trait that is influenced by another trait. In Randy’s speech he put out there how he has limited time on the earth but switched into a positive direction by putting the spotlight on dreams he had as a child. Listing all of his dreams from zero gravity to doing what seemed to be the impossible was incredible. More so when he did not have to say much but mentally he could paint you a picture and show you images, and gestures that made you feel like you knew exactly what he was talking about and felt like you were apart of his life. His variety of ways of communication he gave out, to me was inspiring.