How to Build Executive Presence: Get Present

‍What is executive presence?

Ask anyone to define executive presence and you'll hear the same words: confidence, clarity, resilience under pressure. Forbes boils it down to your ability to inspire confidence: in the people you lead, in your peers, and above all in the senior leaders who decide your next opportunity.

In our mind's eye, executive presence looks like this. You take the podium and command the room without effort. You speak with confidence and clarity, and the audience nods along: yes, this is the path. You walk into a room of thousands, and people stop and turn toward you, wanting your wisdom.

When pandemonium breaks out, you act with clarity and resolve. When the room boils over with anger, you know exactly what to say to restore order. You may be small in stature, but you loom large in people's minds. You are the first call and the last.

That's a lot to live up to.

Executive is the easy part

Strip away "presence," and an executive is simply a senior leader responsible for strategy, governance and enterprise performance. You do this every day. You already have the skills and the experience.

It's the word "presence" that carries the weight.

Where the ‘presence’ in executive presence gets its mystique

"Presence" has always had an otherworldly ring. In the 1660s, English borrowed "presence of mind" from the French présence d'esprit, and esprit means both mind and spirit. This was the age of Descartes, when the self became an object of attention. Composure became a matter of the rational mind being present and in command: its own sovereign presence.

So when we say "executive presence," we invoke something close to divine. That's a lot to expect from any leader.

But trace the word back to its Latin root, praesentia: being at hand. Here's the surprise. The fantasy of commanding a room and staying steady in a crisis is built on that plain, classical meaning.

To have executive presence, you have to get present.

Why stress shrinks your presence

When you get out of your head and into the moment, your field of view widens. Things slow down, and you see more.

Under stress, the opposite happens. Your brain revs up to pin down the danger, your focus narrows, and you fall back on messy shortcuts. The skills you rely on every day become harder to reach, exactly when you need them most.

This is why Forbes ranks operating calmly under stress and listening with full attention among the key ways to build executive presence. Both start with being present. The good news: getting present is a skill. If you think this is headed toward mindful meditation, take a breath. This is not our path today. Communication here requires relationship.

How to build executive presence: get present

1. Settle your body with breath

Presence starts in the body, and breath is the fastest way in. A full, conscious breath calms your nervous system right away, moving you out of fight-or-flight and into a calm, present state. Let go of tension, relax the body. Allow room for breath.

2. Get present and connect with your audience

From this place of being grounded, now get out of your head and into relationship. That can feel backwards when your audience is the source of your stress. Notice them anyway, with curiosity and without judgment. Silently ask: What color are their eyes? The shape of their face, their nose? Before you say a word, get present.

At Connection Lab, we use the 6 Box Model, a new lens on communication that reframes executive presence as being present for your audience. Our workshops focus on that relationship, because that's where the magic happens: the invisible esprit, the energy in the room. A few questions guide the practice:

• Am I noticing my breath?
• Am I present and curious about my audience?
• Does my audience feel seen and heard, and necessary to this conversation?

Step into your power

With your body grounded, your breath full and your attention on your audience, you can step into your power, and your audience will love you for it. The queen, the wise sage, the empathetic leader: every version of executive presence is available when you are present and in relationship. To discover the practice of connecting with your audience, join us for a Connection Lab workshop

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