There are numerous ways to develop your executive leadership presence. Keep these principles in mind:

Authenticity

There’s a difference between getting people to listen to your message and making an impact. This comes through in how authentic you are. Leaders with presence are genuine.  When you hear them speak, their words resonate with you, and you are compelled to take action.  Using their body language, intellect, and emotions, they draw you into their world and vision. You feel their commitment and passion in your heart and soul.

A valuable tool used in developing presence is by studying their emotional intelligence. The idea is to recognize how you feel and respond to situations. It will help you sense the emotions of your audience or team members. Leadership presence involves shifting techniques depending on the reactions of others.

Choose Your Subject

As a leader, your credibility is enhanced by your knowledge of the subject. The more you care about what you speak about or represent, the more confidence you have, and the more effectively you can convey your subject. As you communicate, you want to create curiosity with your audience and inspire them to want to live your mission. One effective technique is to tell a story from your heart. Use your body language congruently with your voice and relate to your audience.

Tell Your Story

The oldest known form of communication in the world were cave paintings. Through research we’ve learned that the configuration of the brain allows us to comprehend visuals quickly. You might say we think in pictures. Therefore it stands to reason why The ART of Storytelling is one of the earliest forms of human communication used by humankind. The ability to tell stories in a way that:

• Engages your audience
• Sets the context of a situation
• Inspires the listener to learn and to take action and ultimately
• Provides a teachable point of view.

Learning to tell an effective story in a business setting can make the difference between your point landing or being lost.

Be Flexible

An important trait to have or develop is flexibility. Selling your vision might be a challenge. You want to be able to determine what your audience or team is feeling and create reassurances. Being able to improvise is vital.

According to the Center for Talent and Innovation, 26% of what it takes to get to the next promotion level directly results from executive presence. What are you able to get done? Furthermore, 67% of senior executives surveyed say that confidence, poise under pressure, and decisiveness are the core characteristics of executive presence.

Quick ways to enhance your presence include:

• Improve your posture. Leaders carry themselves with confidence; one way you can do this is through how you stand or present yourself. Practice power poses in front of a mirror. This will make you look and feel surer of yourself.
• Study great leaders. Be aware of the company you keep and the information that you allow into your head. When there is someone that exudes the traits that you admire, observe how they communicate. What makes them different? What gets them results? Can you adopt some of the behaviors to your own style?
• Get Feedback. Ask a trusted friend or colleague for their honest opinion of how you come across. Be willing to listen and have an open mind. What you think is confidence might appear to others as cocky. How you dress might be comfortable to you while it might look unkept to others.