Developing Executive Presence
Let’s be honest: most advice on Executive Presence is bad. It leans too hard on charisma or being the loudest person in the room. But presence has nothing to do with volume. The leaders I coach often hit a wall because they’ve relied on their hard skills for years to get them to the table. Suddenly, they get to the table and are told to "be more senior." The shift from manager to leader requires a pivot toward high-level Communication.
I wanted to come up with daily exercises that people can use to improve their Executive Presence.
Body Awareness: Sit tall. Ground your feet. Relax your shoulders. Loosen your jaws (we hold a lot of stress here). And say this sentence out loud “I’m here. I’m open. I’m receptive.” Rationale: Executive presence starts in the body before it appears in the voice
Breath Awareness: Inhale for 4 seconds. Then exhale for 6 seconds. Continue until you feel uncomfortable. Rationale: Leaders who can control their breath, can control their pace.
Enunciation Awareness: Loudly overarticulate these silly phrases with your mouth fully open. Exaggerate the words and the sounds: “Pa ba — ta da — ka ga,” “Fa va sa za,” “Ma me mi mo mu.” Rationale: Clear speech brings up clear thinking
Reading Awareness: Read a random business paragraph aloud. After each sentence, pause and count “one” silently before continuing. Rationale: Authority often comes from timing rather than volume. And leaders who pause well are easier to follow
Speaking Awareness: Say these sentences aloud and truly speak the last word cleanly: “This is the right decision.” “The risk is manageable.” “We move forward.” Do not drop off on the final word. Rationale: Strong endings signal conviction.
Leaders who practice this regularly will start seeing a number of benefits: they will be interrupted less, meetings move more efficiently, silence becomes comfortable, and realize that fewer words carry weight.
Next Steps: Presence is not about sounding impressive. It is about helping others trust what they hear from you. If you need help in developing your Executive Presence, let’s have a 1:1 chemistry session