How do other people see you?

Yesterday, it seemed that everything I watched on TV had something to do with impersonations.

When Tina Fey was interviewed by Oprah about her infamous Sarah Palin impressions on Saturday Night Live she made it clear that she didn't want to be mean spirited about it (Palin was a good sport in going on SNL and some people worried that the impressions were actually boosting her ratings).

I almost cried with laughter watching Hilary Swank on Ellen. She bounded out and instead of greeting the host, she pretended to be the host. Sporting an Ellen-like hair cut from a film role (Amelia Earhart), she'd dressed as Ellen for Hallowe'en (we see it later in the UK). She bounded out and did the Ellen dance and the Ellen wave.

Ellen said she'd had no idea she looked so surprised like that.

Jon Stewart was also filmed reacting to John Oliver's impression of him as former Oscar host on The Daily Show. This impression had a little bit of meaness but Jon Stewart recognised that his job involves it, and, again, took it with good grace.

I don't like mean impressions but when they're affectionate, they can be hilarious.

They can also give us clues into the way we act in the world. Assuming you're not famous and don't see impersonator's versions of you on a regular basis, you could still think about the mannerisms, expressions (facial and verbal) and so on that are part of you.

Does anything stand out as something you'd like to drop? Is there anything you'd even want to exagerate?

You may even choose to get together with a group of trusted friends and "play" each other to build awareness of all the things you're so used to doing, you don't notice them.

By impersonating someone else, you might also hit on a way to tap into a more sociable, confident, fun, athletic or other you.

© Eve Menezes Cunningham / www.applecoaching.com 2009.