Building up your professional presence
Presence is letting the most powerful version of yourself shine through.
This is the second key element for creating opportunities for yourself and positioning yourself well for the upturn.
The renowned leadership expert Sylvia Ann Hewlett defines presence as a combination of gravitas, communication, and appearance. Together, these elements form an impression of trustworthiness, competence, and authenticity.
Gravitas is signalling that you have the confidence, credibility and trust to get your point across and to create buy-in and commitment.
Communication is closely connected to gravitas. Your bearing and speaking skills are what establish your confidence, credibility and trust, and thus gravitas.
Appearance is about how you present yourselves, not as much about how you look.
Why Is presence important?
As humans, we form impressions based on very little information.
When we meet people for the first time, two questions will usually come to mind:
- Can I trust this person?
- Can I respect this person?
Therefore, to influence others and ‘have control’ over the situation, you need other people to trust you and see you as competent and confident.
How do I develop a trustworthy and competent presence?
Do people notice you when you are in the room?
Do you get the attention you need — and for the right reasons?
This is the phenomenon of presence.
It makes people want to follow you. It is an attraction that inspires enthusiasm, affection, and devotion. People want to be with you and to be like you.
With presence, people notice you. They feel that you are paying attention to them. It is, therefore, important to be 100% aware of the situation around you.
Conversely, people will notice any fool who wears a silly tie or ridiculous ear-rings. But this doesn’t mean they will respect or listen to that person — much less, find that person influential.
Cultivating confidence and trust
Part of developing presence is conveying confidence and trust to others around you.
If you don’t feel confident, then you may need to fake it until you make it with humility, not overbearing.
It is also about conveying authority and giving weight to your opinions. This inspires confidence in what you are saying where people want your ideas and advice and take will them seriously.
Communicate effectively and clearly
Regulate your reactions. Recognise the emotions in others. Manage your responses and emotions.
Let others speak first. Ask the right questions. Make them feel understood.
Simply listening and connecting with those around you exudes confidence and trust. It communicates that you are settled enough in yourself to give over control of the interactions. And that you care about what is being communicated to you.
Silence and stillness can be powerful especially when it comes to professional presence.
Be warm to people by smiling and making eye contact.
Lean forward.
Staying in the moment and constantly maintaining focus and interest in the conversation and interaction.
Be respectful. Have humility.
Consider using words like “I strongly suggest” or “Here’s my plan.”
Knowing your true identity to build your presence
There should be a strong connection between who you are, who you want to be, and how you look.
Be aware of yourself — your attitude, your mental state, your breathing, your posture, and where your attention lies.
Then move your attention outwards. Take in the whole room — the sounds, sights, and sensations.
Then gradually draw your attention to the person or people you are with.
Focus all of your conscious thoughts on the other person or people — how they are, what they are saying, and what it means — to you and to them.
As an example, if you want to be successful in the financial sector, you need to look like someone who understands and can be trusted with money. You will put on clothes that will associate you with power, confidence and trust.
Focusing on your physical appearance can go a long way toward boosting your internal confidence and improving your performance.
Take note of the following:
- Maintain good eye contact. It’s a matter of practice and determination.
- Determine how you want people to perceive you when you come into a room. Do you head for the nearest wall so that you can hide from people? Or do you take an assertive or even a dominant position at the centre of the room? This announces ‘I’m here’. Perhaps the best approach is to identify the person or people you want to engage with and approach them directly, looking them in the eye as you approach.
- Take notice of the physical distance between you and the other person. If you are too close, it will make them feel uncomfortable.
- Maintain an ideal posture — holding your head up; being upright and alert; symmetrical; square to the person or people you are engaging and interacting with; relaxed but not droopy; and energetic.
- Maintain a sense of composure and balance (poise).
- Have the right pace and not coming across as impatient and even emotional.
- Have an animated voice that coveys interest, enthusiasm, and excitement.
- Have the right pace for your voice — slowing down to indicate confidence, authority, or importance. Or you speeding up to show enthusiasm and excitement. Take note of your volume and pitch.
Some people can project professionalism in jeans. So, how are you going to project your true self professionally to others?
Your identity and external presence are deeply connected. When people pay more attention to this connection and embody presence, they can expose their unique talent to the world in ways that will enhance their happiness and success.
Time to upskill yourself
There is an unprecedented shift to online teaching or MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses) around the world. Many people including education institutions are looking with renewed interest at the format.
Take advantage of free MOOCs courses on offer. For example, Coursera is offering free online courses.
In summary
Therefore, to survive and thrive in today’s uncertain but challenging environment, create opportunities for yourself and position yourself well for the upturn by:
- Developing and implementing strategies to secure and future-proof yourself or finding new opportunities for yourself.
- Intentionally building up your professional presence by upskilling yourself.