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In Pursuit of a
Powerful Presence
The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.
- Mark Twain
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Have you ever listened to someone speak who had that certain, indescribable quality that
draws the audience to him? Have you ever been struck with someone’s presence, her
ability to control the room and command attention? It’s happened to me several times.
Presence. We know it when we see it. We know when speakers have it. And we know when they
don’t. Perhaps most importantly, everyone who speaks publicly wants plenty of it.
When we meet a person with a great presence, we tend to remember the experience – his
or her name, the topic and how we felt about what was said. A strong presence leaves a
clear impression upon us, and it gives the speaker an extra dimension of power and persuasion.
My colleagues and I coach our clients on a number of skills: How to understand the audience
and identify the key aspects of their message; how to structure their message so that it
is memorable and powerful; and how to deliver their message in a way that is authentic
and persuasive. Among the long list of topics on which our clients seek additional advice
and counsel is this notion of presence.
Can presence be acquired? Can it be taught? Our answer to that question is a qualified
yes. It can be taught, to a degree.
To understand why our answer is equivocal, we need to first consider what actually leads
to increased presence. We believe there are three fundamental outward expressions of presence.
By examining and improving these elements, you can enhance your ability to leave a greater
impression on your audience.
1. Polish your message – Choose your words carefully.
If you take the time to craft a well-structured message that hits the essence of the issue
and clearly speaks to the concerns of the audience, they will notice. You will increase
the likelihood that you will gain and hold their attention.
2. Polish your delivery – Good articulation, a
modulated tone, proper pace and volume, no verbal pauses (like “um”), the appropriately-timed
non-verbal pauses, suitable eye contact and strong body language all contribute to polished
delivery that will impress your audience.
3. Polish your look – Do you look the part? Are
you appropriately dressed? Do you have the power handshake? Do you walk into the room with
the confidence of someone who should be taken seriously? You can certainly increase your
presence to a certain degree by the way you present yourself as a person and a professional.
All of these outward factors are important. Having the right message, a strong delivery
and a professional look are critical to your success. Furthermore, all of these things
can be acquired through attention to detail, hard work and some good coaching. They can
easily be captured on video, analyzed, dissected and improved upon. But is there more?
Is there more to this notion of presence – something that must come from inside you?
We believe there is.
Everything in the aforementioned list, while important, is essentially external.
Collectively, they refer to the words that you speak and your physical being. They concern
what your audience hears and sees. These things can be polished and dressed up. But what
about how your audience feels?
We believe that true presence is a total sensory experience. Getting to this essence of
presence requires something from the inside, and it is something that is much harder to
coach and much harder to acquire. We believe that true presence requires more than well-chosen
words, strong delivery skills, nice clothes or a good handshake. True presence comes from
a deeper place.
Where does it come from? To find it you first have to answer some key questions:
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1. Are you passionate about your product or your
organization?
2. Do you believe your own message?
3. Do you love your job?
4. Do you truly look forward to walking into a room and discussing
your issue, making your recommendation or selling your product?
5. Do you have confidence in yourself and your abilities? |
If you answer “yes” to these questions, you are well on your way to having
what you need to create a presence. However, if you answer “no” to any of these
questions, coaching on external factors like delivery skills or professional polish – while
helpful – may not deal with the true issues.
When we think about the most powerful speakers we’ve ever heard – those with
a true presence that caused us to pay attention – there are many things we can point
to. Certainly, we remember all the external factors mentioned previously. All those things
do matter. But we also remember that certain something, that je ne sais quoi that
you feel and know is there, but is harder to describe. Those people we remember exude a
confidence and a comfort level in the spotlight. They don’t mind being in front of
the room. They don’t get flustered with the tough questions. They are not deterred
by a skeptic in the audience. They speak with an utter confidence that is undeniable.
What’s more, exuding internal strength can help to overcome external shortcomings.
When you believe passionately in what you’re saying and can hold your audience’s
attention with your words, they are more likely to remember your message than your suit
or your smile or your handshake.
A skeptical reader of this issue may say that this confidence and comfort level simply
comes from being a good speaker, and if you practice your speaking skills you’ll
develop a strong presence. We believe that is only partially true. Being a good speaker
is not enough on its own to give you that undeniable and powerful presence. We have seen
many technically strong speakers who possessed obvious skills, yet did not possess an overpowering
or commanding presence. We say it again… true presence comes from a deeper place.
Think about it this way: Take any good speaker and ask her to sell a product she does
not believe in, and watch how quickly her presence disappears. Conversely, take a mediocre
speaker and ask him to speak about a topic he enjoys – his hobby, his children or
a cause he believes in – and watch how quickly his presence increases.
As with most things, success comes from many variables being in alignment with each other.
The external factors of good speaking certainly are important and are critical for success.
But when we have coached on those issues, and the speaker is still looking for that extra
something, we guide our clients to look deeper. There may be issues at work that no amount
of dressing up will solve.
We’ll conclude this issue where we began. Have you ever been in the presence of
someone whose presence was so strong you felt compelled to listen to him and pay close
attention? And have you ever wondered how you can develop that skill for yourself?
Clients ask us all the time how to increase their presence. For a while we have struggled
with a complete answer. After much thought, we are absolutely certain that true presence
requires an external polish on top of an internal confidence. Together it creates a total
sensory experience.
The external can be examined, and a well-informed coach can tell you what you need to
do differently to improve. Furthermore, the internal can be discussed, and the good coach
will force you to ask yourself the hard questions. Ultimately, however, the only person
who can answer the hard questions and create that inner confidence for yourself is you.
The bottom line is this: If you have worked on and polished all of the external factors,
and you feel that you still lack the commanding presence you desire, it may be time to
start examining the harder questions.
(Author’s note: This is not our last word on this topic. We will continue
to discuss the notion of presence in future issues of The Beacon and we invite
your thoughts and comments.)
Dean M. Brenner
President |
Marni H. Lane
Media Specialist |
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© 2007 The Latimer Group. All Rights Reserved.
Dean M. Brenner -
The Latimer Group: 203.265.4344.
Feedback or comments: dmbrenner@thelatimergroup.com.
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