by Beth Levine | Feb 13, 2017 | public speaking
Executive presence is a thing.
Sometimes it’s referred to as
leadership presence – or even
gravitas when describing a person who needs to be taken more seriously. It’s often a thing people climbing the career ladder are told they should have.
But what is it? Is executive presence how you dress and appear physically? Is it how you talk? Is it something people are born with? Can you learn it? Is there a checklist of elements that comprise executive presence?
I’m going to take an alternative view here today and offer up a one-word answer to the executive presence conundrum: presence. Yup, presence. The executive presence challenge can be conquered largely with presence. And by that, I mean being present.
Let me explain what I mean. I think it’s fair to say that a lot of aspiring ambitious professionals care very much about how they appear and what others – especially their superiors – think of them. I think it’s also fair to say that these same professionals are pretty concerned – perhaps even consumed – with wanting to sound smart when they open their mouths. So who are they thinking about when they’re in an important meeting or about to deliver a presentation? Who are they (mentally) connecting with in the room? You got it … themselves. And what effect do you think that might have on their executive presence? You got it … a diminishing effect.
Being present isn’t just a new-agey self-helpy thing – not that there’s anything wrong with that! It’s a business thing too. Presence is a state of mind, a willingness to subdue other thoughts and distractions for the sake of literally being with what’s right in front of you at any given moment. It’s an ease and a fluidity of motion, contact and conversation with the people, issues and ideas in front of you. It’s shelving those pesky, nagging self-conscious thoughts in favor of being available, accessible and real.
Let’s face it, preoccupation with yourself – worrying about your appearance and your slides/script – can result in a more detached and, for some, robotic presence, causing you to leave a dampened, diminished impression with your audience. But preoccupation with your audience – demonstrating a genuine desire to connect and be with them – is likely to result in you leaving a positive, memorable impression.
Executive presence doesn’t have to be some pre-conceived picture of a perfectly poised, poetically articulate version of you. It can come simply from the ease and the authenticity of your engagement with others. Your executive presence can come from your presence. Try it!
by Beth Levine | Jan 30, 2017 | public speaking
Dear Coach Belichick,
I’m a Massachusetts native, so my team loyalties sway pretty heavily toward the
Celtics,
Red Sox and
Patriots (I’m not much of a hockey fan, but I guess
Bruins too). I’ve been observing you for some time as you give media interviews – post-game and others – and I am, like many, mostly amused yet sometimes frustrated.
Yeah, it’s kind of fun and funny to watch how you grunt out one-word answers as you oblige the press in your charmingly begrudging way. And yeah, the hoodie and messy hair are also part of your charm. And yeah, your annoyance with reporters’ stupid questions is our annoyance too. And for sure, you are an amazing coach, you’ll go down as one of the greats. No question there.
But.
Before Sunday, can we talk about what it would/could look like, sound like, and be like if you gave them (the sports media) and us (your fans and followers) a little bit more? Could I be so bold as to offer you some coaching?
Here are just a couple of suggestions for you that would enhance the overall post-game interview experience and outcome for everyone:
- Never mind the media, they’re just a conduit to your bigger audience. Show up in a way that tells us you want to connect with us. We love your #brevity, but with all due respect to dentists, don’t show up looking like you’re about to have all your teeth pulled. We feel a little jilted when you do that.
- Think about your audience, your ultimate audience – us, your fans and followers. We’re hungry, thirsty, sometimes crazed. Satisfy us, give us something to hold onto, something we can cling to, learn from, and/or repeat to others. #audience-centricity goes a long way toward keeping your fan base engaged and pulling for you.
- Win or lose, the emotions are intense. We get that. We have empathy, we’d hug you if we could. Share your emotions with us, let us in, give us a sense of what it’s like to walk around in your hoodie, cleats and headset. Please recognize we’re emotional too, but you’re our leader, and we will take our cues from you. Let us in a little more, give us more #transparency?
- We know you have haters, we get it. And we know the media can distort what you say and how you say it. But you’re one of the greats, surely you can rise above and give us all the #graciousness you have. Your loyalists want to be behind a winner, no matter what the outcome of the game is.
- You have a Super Bowl to win, so your #preparedness needs to be about strategy for game day and not necessarily about how you present yourself in front of the press. I’ll give you that. But I know you’re a pro, so when the game is over see what you can do to hit some or all of the above four points.
Hey, thanks for your time and good luck on Sunday!
Your coach,
Beth #jocktalkbook
by Beth Levine | Jan 18, 2017 | preparing for a presentation, public speaking
Be yourself. For real. I mean it.
For some reason, public speaking conjures up thoughts and expectations – in speakers’ minds – of needing to adopt a certain persona other than their own. Not so. In fact, not preferable at all.
Let me explain why and hopefully relieve you from any conscious or subconscious thoughts about needing to be more or better than what you already are:
Authenticity. This is more than a buzzword. Your authenticity is what draws people to you, makes you likeable and credible. This is what you abandon, betray even, when you try to adopt a podium persona. On the one hand, authenticity reveals you; in the best sense, it shows your great traits, but then, yes, it possibly shows some of your not so great traits as well. On the other hand, authenticity shares you, it makes you real and relatable. Allowing oneself to be real and relatable is ultimately what makes a speaker compelling and appealing and effective.
Transparency. We live in a world where there are very few secrets. People can see and find out more about each other now than even five or 10 years ago. People share and post more about themselves now than they ever did. The net result from both sides of this equation is that audiences have a keen sense of what’s real and what’s not and so they can be quite skeptical and discerning. Audiences can sniff out BS these days faster than you can advance a slide. Just like authenticity, transparency can enhance your likeability and credibility. Being open, especially when it’s difficult or unexpected, will earn you points with audiences.
Good enough. The real you is good enough. Could you be better, more organized, more polished as a speaker? Sure, everyone can be. Should that stop you from getting up and speaking with confidence? No. You’re an adult, a professional, and you’re respected enough to be asked or invited to go the podium and speak. Embrace who you know you are – the good parts and the parts that are works in progress – and acknowledge to yourself that, though you may not be as great as you’d ideally like to be, you are pretty darn good, certainly good enough. And let that be the last thought you have before you approach the microphone!
by Beth Levine | Jan 4, 2017 | preparing for a presentation, public speaking
You want to start the New Year off right … right?! 2016 was okay, but there’s always room for improvement … right?!
Most of us hit a personal reset button or two on the 1st of January. But even if you aren’t someone who makes specific resolutions, you probably still view the new year as a blank slate, a chance to start fresh.
Let me help you get off to a fresh start for your first presentation of the year by offering a SmartMouth Top 10 list on this first Wednesday of 2017:
10. You know this: Do your homework. Nothing drastic, just prepare ahead. If you think through your material rather than wing it, it will show and reflect well on you.
9. There’s no right or wrong, but there is better and worse. When in doubt, make decisions about your content, your visuals and the amount of time you’ll take based on your own experiences as an audience member. In other words, do unto others …
8. No one likes a windbag. Share the floor. Figure out ways to engage your audience and create opportunities for dialogue. Present, don’t broadcast.
7. Whatever you think is noticeable and distracting about you – your voice, hair, nose – it’s not. Unless you’re a paid spokesmodel, the audience isn’t paying attention to your specific physical features or your voice quality. They want to feel your confidence and hear your content.
6. Your content may be amazing, but your audience can only digest and retain some of it. Please prioritize all that great knowledge and information of yours so that you deliver something useful and memorable to your audience.
5. Present, the verb: to give something. Present, the noun: a gift. Figure out what you can give to your audience that would be a good gift – i.e. something new, useful, beneficial, valuable. Give them something good in exchange for their time and attention.
4. Your nerves are just adrenaline. They are your body’s way of surging positive energy for you to do a good job. Not to worry, studies show that nerves begin to dissipate after two minutes – that’s only 120 seconds.
3. Don’t dread your presentation, as if it’s some unpleasant obligation. Find your ambitious self and embrace your presentation as a great opportunity to advance – yourself, your organization or a goal. Go for it, don’t shrink from it.
2. Be organized: know your audience, know the lay of the land (number of people, room set-up, mic or no mic) as best you can, and know your desired outcome for the presentation. The first two help you envision what to expect. The third helps you know – if you prepare nothing else – how to set the audience’s expectations and where you need to get them by the end.
– and –
1. It’s all about them, it’s not about you. Your audience’s needs and experience supersede your own. Plan your presentation around them, not around yourself or your deep knowledge and expertise. Success is in the eye of the beholder, and that’s your audience. Make them #1.
by Beth Levine | Dec 16, 2016 | Just Mouthing Off
Best wishes for a happy holiday season and a healthy, prosperous New Year!
