Executive presence refers to one's ability to inspire confidence in others and gain their trust and respect. It involves strong communication skills, composure, charisma, and confidence. Developing executive presence requires embracing one's unique value, self-awareness of body language, deliberate communication, the use of silence, engaging with audiences, asserting boundaries, and employing wit. Key tools include deep breathing, pausing before speaking, and gathering feedback from others.
2. Executive presence
In its simplest terms, executive presence is about your ability to
inspire confidence — inspiring confidence in your subordinates
that you’re the leader they want to follow, inspiring confidence
among peers that you’re capable and reliable and, most
importantly, inspiring confidence among senior leaders that you
have the potential for great achievements.
3. How executive presence helps in career?
1. Communication :
Individuals with executive presence understand how to communicate with a vast
array of people, in a vast array of situations, and know how to connect with others
by adapting to their communication style. They’ll use empathy, trust and
connection to motivate and inspire others.
2. Composure :
Individuals are almost always composed and have a deep sense of self awareness,
as well as an ability to understand others. They have an ability to control their
emotions, and recognise emotions in others to help them feel comfortable and at
ease in any situation.
3.Charisma :
Those with executive presence are undoubtedly charismatic. Although this means
different things to different people in different situations, this charisma generally
draws others to them.
4. 4. Confidence :
Individuals with executive presence demonstrate a strong sense of confidence. It
means they’re confident in their ability to communicate and their ability to perform
a task. They are aware of their body language, use eye contact to engage and adjust
the tone of their voice according to the situation.
5. Tools to build executive pressure :
1. Embrace Your Unique Value :
Nail your mind-set. Do not go into meetings doubting your own value. Prepare in
advance; develop your own unique perspective based on your individual, hard-won
experiences.
2. Be Self-Aware :
Nail your body language. A killer pitch can be destroyed by lousy non-verbal
communication. upright and poised. Breathe deep, slow and regular. Look people
in the eye and genuinely engage. And be calm and purposeful with your hand
gestures.
3. Think Before You Speak :
Consider your ultimate objectives and choose your words carefully to meet your
needs. Don’t hurry to deliver the message. Take your time, be deliberate, and say
much less than you think you need to.
6. 4. Breathe :
Take deep breaths, deep into your belly, both before and during your presentation. This
will relax you, increase your poise and calm the jumpy mind. Also sigh before you enter
any high-pressure scenario. It works, as a deep, gut-felt sigh gives you permission to let
go of any pent-up tensions that may have built up.
5. Use the Power of Silence :
Silence is an incredibly powerful tool and should never be underestimated. When you
dare to pause, it puts you more in charge because suddenly you’re not the one making
so much effort to drive a conversation forward. By taking a more detached role, you
give the impression of authority.
6. Meaningfully Engage with your Audience :
You need to relate and engage with others. You need to make the audience feel
like they matter to you. And you do this by asking questions, gathering
feedback, listening to what your audience says, reading their verbal and non-
verbal cues.
7. 7. Assert Boundaries :
Know where to draw the line. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to assert
boundaries and refuse to people-please. To a degree, you have to stop caring about
what others think, as no one gets anywhere in life wasting time on other people’s
negative or destructive criticism.
8. Employ Wit :
Never forget your sense of humour. Your sense of humour is a reflection of your wit
and intelligence. If you feel you don’t have wit, it’s a skill that can be learned just like
any other. Humour is also important to diffuse tension, as well-placed humour will be
appreciated and respected.