The Bio

Bio/bʌɪˈɒɡrəfi/ informal noun (plural biographies)

1. An abbreviation form of biography.2. A shortened biographical profile of someone.3. The course of a person’s life.

What do I write in a

bio? But I’m not a very interesting person.

I don’t know what to put.

What shall I start with?

How long does it have to be?

Who’s going to read this?

Let’s start with …….

….. tone

 Overly formal and you’ll sound stuffy.Too informal and you won’t be taken seriously.  Aim to find a balance between the two.  

Avoid: 

“I am passionate about …” (too clichéd) 

or

“From a young age, I’ve always been fascinated by …..” (boring)

or

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Quotes by Nelson Mandela (or anyone else for that matter) are indeed inspirational but they have no place in a biography about YOU. 

So what shall I include?  Don’t over-complicate things - just tell us about you.

You have been shaped by your experiences and as you look around your classroom, you will (hopefully) see that everyone is very different.

Let’s start with your favourite subject? Don’t list all the subjects you are studying - this information can be found in your Education section. It’s far more interesting to explain which subject you like the most.

Grab a piece of paper and a pen and answer the questions on the next slide.

• Which subject do you do homework for first? • Which subject do you do most extension reading

for?

• What do you do outside college to support your interest in this subject area?

• How have these activities extended your knowledge and provided you with new skills?

Chances are, this is your favourite subject.

What are you waiting for? Write it in your bio.

• Are you an empathetic

person?

• Are you an entrepreneur?

• Are you resilient?

• Do you like working in a

team?

• Or are you a leader?

• Are you well organised?

• Do you like to research?

• Are you creative?

Next, describe the kind of person you are.

• Good with computers?

• Dexterous?

• Mathematically minded?

• Enjoy speaking different

languages?

• A good listener?

• Good at sports?

• Do you like to be in the

spotlight?

• Enjoy playing with words?

Still finding this difficult?

You most probably found that easier than listing your own qualities and skill-set. It can be very difficult to reflect on your own strengths. Why not ask them what they think you are good at to get the ball rolling?

Just remember, everyone is different. Grab a piece of paper and a pen again. Think about your best friend. List all of her/his qualities and identify the skills that you think s/he is good at.

And in your spare time …. ?Discuss your hobbies in your bio. What do you like to do in your spare time?

• Keep fit? • Go to the theatre?• Dance?• Museums?• Art galleries?• Watch or play sports? • Cook? Bake?• Learn new languages? • Contribute to your community?  • Play a musical instrument?

• Parkour?• Uniformed organisations?• Read? • Local radio?• Charitable work?• Visit the cinema? • Travel?• On-line gaming community? • Complete craftwork?• Member of any societies?

Which skills have you learnt from these hobbies / activities / experiences? How has each activity challenged you?

Or taught you more about world and the people in it?

Life plans You might want to also detail your ambition. Some of you will know exactly what you want to do with the next stage of your life. You might have ‘always wanted to be’ a scientist - teacher - doctor - accountant - chef – astronaut …If you like, you can include your ambition in your bio. You might like to discuss what you hope to do in the future and how each experience is building towards this greater goal.  

Life plans cont … For some of you, in fact for a large proportion of you, this might bring you out in a panic because you haven’t yet decided on your future plans. This is absolutely fine. You might only have an idea of an ‘area’ you might be interested in working in. You could still discuss this and any provisional experience you have sought. 

Finally - be extraordinary If you have done a bungee jump for charity ………………….… mention it Cycled across France ……………………………………….…..… mention itCompete in karate for Team GB ……………………….……….… mention it Sky-dived ……………………………………………………………. mention it Main carer for a family member ……………..…………………… mention it Been on Britain’s Got Talent …………………………..……….….. mention it Got a Blue Peter badge …………………….………………..…… mention it Been in the newspaper ……………………..………………….…. mention it Ran a marathon …………………………………………………….. mention it

……… you get the idea.