Hi Community members,
I think it’s safe to say that all of us would like to appear confident, charismatic, and charming not only in our personal lives but professional ones as well. We may call this the “it factor” colloquially and the “executive presence” In business. According to Kathy Caprino, an internationally recognized career and executive coach as well as a senior Forbes contributor, executive presence consists of the following: confidence, effective communication, authority, helpfulness, balance and strength in emotions, and leadership.
If you would like to harbor these qualities or improve the ones you have, then this post today is for you. Even if you are not in a manager or executive leadership position, you may still find these tips helpful in strengthening your confidence and reinforcing your brand— I know I did! Without further due, let’s dive straight into it.
1. Start with the right mindset and embrace your uniqueness: A large part of how you come across to others is driven by your personal belief in your abilities as well as how you are perceived by others. Focus on your strengths and heighten them (in a humble manner) and be aware of areas of improvement to work on consistently. Remember that everyone is different and offers something the other person doesn’t.
2. Observe your peers and leaders with executive presence: Humans learn by watching (and sometime imitating) others. Find people you look up to, both in your professional and personal lives, and pay close attention to how they speak and carry themselves.
3. Connect rather than transact: One way to be engaging and command attention is to be able to connect with others. Weave in storytelling whenever possible (in a presentation or a casual conversation) so that both you and what you are conveying are more memorable.
4. Display empathy and emotional intelligence: One of the qualities in mature people is empathy, the ability to understand others and harbor sympathy. Those with empathy often exudes charm and appears charismatic, even without trying to, and command respect as well.
5. Stay calm and think before you speak: Remember to breathe and think before reacting in the moment, especially in stressful situations. Take a moment to give yourself time and space before responding to whatever is in front of you – and if it is not extremely urgent, it’s not a bad idea to sleep on it.
6. Mind your body language: Body language makes up more than half of our communication; some experts say 55%, others say up to 93%. So, how you speak and present yourself matters as well as (and probably more than) what you actually say. Be aware of your tone, and posture or stance when you are speaking – or listening.
7. Practice and dress the part: As with all things, practice makes perfect. If you wish to sound more confident or captivating in front of an audience, practice speaking in front of a mirror or record yourself. Physical appearances play a factor as well, since humans are visual learners, so try finding an outfit you feel comfortable and confident in and make that your “power suit/dress.”
What do you think? Hopefully this post gave you something new to work on or reminded you of the simple things in confidence building. If you have other tips for improving executive presence or overall charisma, I would love to hear them.
Thank you and I look forward to the discussion!
Eva C.
