EA-Pros Week 24 - Building Executive Presence

"Executive presence is about building credibility, making a professional impression, and leading with confidence." – Sylvia Ann Hewlett

EA INSIGHTS

Key Insights to Help You Thrive!

Cultivating a Strong Executive Presence

Defining Executive Presence
Executive presence is a blend of temperament, competencies, and skills that, when combined, enhances credibility and influence. It’s about the way you act, look, and speak. Leaders with strong executive presence are perceived as capable, confident, and calm under pressure. These are often the most valuable leaders within industries and workplace settings. Developing this presence involves more than just dressing sharply—it’s about how you communicate, react to challenges, and connect with others.

Components of Executive Presence
Key components of executive presence include:

1. Gravitas:
   The ability to project calmness and confidence in a crisis or conflict, displaying emotional intelligence and the capacity to make tough decisions with assurance.

2. Communication:
   A clear, engaging communication style that persuades and influences others. This includes not only what you say but how you say it. I recommend focusing on the 3 Levels of Communication Mastery, which are articulation, the art of influence, and the gift of persuasion. These are the three levels that increase your professional value and executive presence exponentially! If you’d like to learn more about how you can master these three levels from the comfort of your own home/office, you want to check out the next opportunity to enhance your skills here.

3. Appearance:
   A professional appearance that fits within your organizational culture and enhances your credibility will go a long way in supercharging your executive presence. We find ourselves in a current business culture that now is a lot more laid back in nature when it comes to what you wear. I recommend not following this trend. Why? Because everything communicates. Think about it, we expect people in positions of authority to look a certain way. If you get pulled over by a police officer in pajamas with a 6-month-old tangled beard, you’d more than likely have very low confidence and to be honest, a bit of uneasiness. Does a uniform equal trustworthiness? Absolutely not, however, it does communicate presence. Just something to think about when it comes to appearance.

4. Enhancing Your Speaking Skills
   To improve your speaking skills, focus on clarity and brevity. Structure your thoughts logically and use stories or anecdotes to illustrate your points and engage your audience. Practice speaking in front of a mirror or record your speeches to evaluate your body language and tone. Consider joining a local Toastmasters club to refine your public speaking skills and receive constructive feedback from peers.

COACHING MOMENT

Ask an Executive Coach

Every week I take a question from you and provide a bit of strategic advice.

This week's question: "How can I improve my executive presence in virtual meetings?"