Category Archives: Presence

Help, I’ve lost my objective!

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I’ve just had an audition for a role play gig, playing out simulations as part of training programs and I can’t help but get the feeling that I stuffed it up. That I took my eye off the ball and failed to deliver. I didn’t meet my objective in going to the audition or the objective that was asked of me in the audition. I know my stuff in this area, it’s what I do and the acting itself was fine. Yet, I lacked clarity of purpose, focus, objective. The conversation didn’t go where it could have gone. How many times have you felt that way in an interview, a presentation or a crucial conversation? That you have the credibility, information, expertise even, but it didn’t come across or the interaction didn’t turn out the way it could have. How different could it have been if you had clear purpose and no matter what was thrown your way, you kept your eye on your intention and the end goal?

For me, the objective in the scene or role play was simple; “you’re a truck driver, you’ve made a delivery, you are in a hurry and you need to get a signature from the person you have made the delivery to”. Of course, it’s never that easy and it turned out that half of what I delivered was incorrect. So, no signature, the man tells me. That’s when I lost sight of my objective. I played the rest of the scene on one level; as being in a hurry, just wanting to sort the issue and get out of there. The signature part got forgotten.  So, we came to an agreement of sorts and I left. Without a signature. How rich and different the conversation could have been if I had pushed for what I wanted. Conflict, negotiation, exploring options, coming to a mutually acceptable outcome; that’s what it could have looked like and probably what they were looking for. “Did you get the signature, achieve your objective?”, I was asked afterwards. Ah, right, I totally missed it. Sure, you could argue, I flexed in the moment, went with what I was presented in the scene, why would he sign etc. Here’s hoping that’s enough for the sake of the gig, but is it really enough in effective communication, a presentation,  a difficult conversation? How could it be more effective?

That brings us all the way back to objective. This is defined as purpose, aim, point, reason, goal, intention. All excellent words to describe what every presentation, or conversation, needs. It is not just about relaying information, or as someone told me recently, “you just need to know your subject matter and be passionate about it”. That’s only part of it. You need that ‘throughline’, that central theme, context, message, point, reason for being there, that backbone that everything you present is attached to. And for it to be delivered clearly. Why are you there, why is this important, why listen to you, what do you want the audience to do, how do you want them to feel, what changes because of this presentation, meeting, conversation and interaction? Knowing these things reduces your nerves and increases your confidence, hones your focus, allows you to cope with those challenges and questions. To deliver a message that the audience understands and can do something with.

Choose a strong objective. For example, ‘get that signature no matter what’, is stronger than ‘get out of there as quick as possible as you’re in a hurry’. In acting, when we study a script or scene, we explore – what do I want, how do I get it, what’s in my way, how do I get around the obstacles. I’d add to this that context is important and may have been missing in the expectations for my audition; what is wanted from me in this scene, what are you looking for, what’s the purpose of the interaction, what are the learning outcomes, what are you looking for from the participant, who is the learner, what are you ‘testing’ them on and what does success look like. All crucial components of running role plays for learning and development by the way. But that’s another article.

This focus on objective doesn’t mean that it’s all about you. You must consider the audience and their needs. How does what you say and what you are working towards, help them achieve their objectives? The goals of the business?

The same goes for coaching, difficult or crucial conversations. Yes, the conversation can go off in any direction, as we’re human and emotional, but there should be context, a clear goal, something that needs to be achieved and outcomes and actions that address clear objectives. It also must involve the other person; it’s not all one way. This is what influence is all about; facilitating behavioural change to enhance performance through clear two-way communication.  Key to this is focussing on the problem, not the person, which also helps deal with conflict. And yes, you do need to flex in the moment, depending on what is presented to you. I think at least I got that bit right.

Glen Hancox is the director of Actreal, drawing upon acting practices to coach people develop sustainable personal and professional presence, to present and be present. Key to his approach is guiding people to communicate within The Inter-Personal Space, TIPS©.

Quick Tips for Presenting

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  • Act real. Start with yourself and be yourself. Bring the best self you can be and own the space. This is the key to ‘presence’ and to managing nerves
  • Managing nerves when presenting is not a one size fits all approach – what are your triggers, concerns and strengths?
  • Shift the focus. It’s not about you. It’s about your audience
  • Breathe. Just breathe
  • Pay attention to your intention. Be clear on your objectives and put your attention to things that help you achieve it
  • Be clear on the point of your presentation and how it helps your audience. What’s in it for them? How are you solving their problems?
  • Take the time to analyse and plan your presentation
  • Prepare, rehearse, then let go. That’s when connection happens
  • Connect with and believe in your message
  • Consider what you want your audience to do and how you want them to feel
  • Your body language affects how you feel and how the audience reads you. What helps you? What gets in the way?
  • Start strongly. Hook the audience. Why do they need to listen to you? What’s the ‘so what’ factor?
  • What is your call to action? What are you asking for? What changes because of your presentation?
  • Make sure your information, facts and figures have a throughline and tell a story
  • How do slides enhance your key messages? What could you use instead? Don’t read your slides – direct the audience’s attention and focus
  • Be wary of ‘systems’ or ‘processes’. Try them out and take what works for you
  • Ask for feedback. Keep presenting. You will get better and grow your confidence

Glen Hancox is the director of Actreal, drawing upon acting practices to coach people develop sustainable personal and professional presence, to present and be present. Key to his approach is guiding people to communicate within The Inter-Personal Space, TIPS©.

Managing Presentation Nerves – a case study

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I recently coached an executive who has been presenting for years and it has never bothered him. He knows his stuff, he has been fine with asserting his views and is happy driving conversations with groups of people. But in the last couple of years, without any discernible trigger, he has been getting a ‘flight’ reaction; “as soon as there is a specific focus on me I am starting to panic regardless of the size of the audience.” Strangely, he is confident going in to the presentation, he is not dreading it, there is no trigger and then it just hits him to the point of being “debilitating.”

Where to begin to help with this problem? Managing nerves when presenting is not a one size fits all approach and various strategies need to be explored to find what works for the individual. Exploring pain points is a key starting point, as are questions around individual preferences and approach, including before/during/after presenting actions and feelings. The aim here is to delve into potential triggers or concerns and also strengths that when utilised give the person more confidence. With confidence comes less focus on self and therefore more presence in the room.

In this case, some of the things that came out were a desire to win/fear of failure, an inner critic and yet a strong belief that he is good at what he does. There was also a preference for a conversational, interactive approach and to challenge people. He has a higher level of comfort talking rather than having to read and follow notes, which in fact makes him more nervous. However, his nerves can take him off topic, so he needs to be able to ensure his key points come across. He has strong physicality and a sense of fun. So, how to take this and apply to his presentations, particularly the management of nerves.

With an upcoming strategy day presentation coming up, the opportunity was there to apply some actions and techniques. While the mental side was important, what really seemed to work was the physical stuff. We worked on tense and release to shake off the excess adrenaline and release tension from his body. From here, he could access the diaphragmatic breath and bring his heart rate down. We worked on his stance and posture and he even tried some Amy Cuddy power poses. Now that he physically owns the space, the next step was to start strongly to give him a sense of confidence and to capture the audience attention. What really worked here was to start with a question, to involve the audience from the outset which fed into his preference for an interactive style, challenging the audience and showcasing his knowledge. From here, using key points or a ‘fishbone’ helped him keep the presentation on track and to ensure he followed a central theme or throughline. It also helped him ‘let go’ so he could let his personality and sense of fun shine through. I said to him, “don’t present the way you think others want you to. Enjoy having the discussion and debate. And ask for feedback afterwards”.

So, how did he go? Better. Not perfect, not ‘cured’ but importantly he feels like he is back on the right track now, going in the right way again and he is keen to jump in right now and do more presentations, to “make sure it’s not a fluke”. He felt calmer, he got good feedback and despite some nerves, the feedback was that the message came across well and no nerves were noticed. He gives himself a 7 out of 10. What’s needed to get the extra 3 points? A strong close and wrap up. The so what factor. The summary, the impact of inertia and the call to action, or as he puts it, “the ask.” Further focus on the audience rather than himself and more of a sense of fun, which is possible now that he is back on the right trajectory. A bit of coaching and tweaking, using his ability to talk off the cuff, and we came up with a killer close. Pausing and further vocal impact will help balance his relaxed style with audience engagement and emphasis on key points.

Where to from here; find opportunities to use this stuff, continue the physical techniques, prepare the structure, message and close, pause for impact. And importantly build on the confidence he is starting to feel, to prove to himself he can do it again, with more ‘fight’ than ‘flight’.

 

Glen Hancox is the director of Actreal, drawing upon acting practices to coach people develop sustainable personal and professional presence, to present and be present. Key to his approach is guiding people to communicate within The Inter-Personal Space, TIPS©.

Self-Confidence

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I’ve been thinking a lot about self-confidence and the role that plays in someone’s ‘presence’ and also happiness. And how much is appearance or perception – fake it til you make it or perhaps become it versus intrinsic feelings of self-worth. Then of course there’s feelings of over importance i.e. arrogance or lack of self-awareness. Certainly the ability to project confidence is an important component of being a leader and also key to being a strong presenter.

Let’s start with not having self-confidence – you doubt your worth, opinion, how you come across, a lack of self-belief and even an inferiority complex; thinking everyone is or knows better than you. So is confidence something you are born or raised with? Is it environmental? Can it be learned?

First of all, what is it? I came across this definition – self-confidence; a feeling of trust in ones abilities, qualities and judgements – the minds state of positive thinking. How confidence comes across can be speaking with sureness and certainty, body language, posture or the way someone holds themselves, validity of opinion and calmness in delivery. Sure you can fake this stuff but belief in self or ‘trust’ which is the word I like, is powerful and comes from a place of honesty, integrity, authenticity and comfort in ones own skin. It also means it’s free of comparison, worry of what others think and the assumption that they know better or more. And there is always someone that will.

How does someone attain self-confidence? Part of it is the messages we tell ourselves. In acting, when we study our character, we look for clues in the script; what do I say about myself, what do others say about me. What do I want and how do I react to the barriers that get in the way. Though life is not a script, it is a series of dialogues, with others and ourselves and many conversations that only occur in our own minds, often playing out never held conversations with others. So what are you telling yourself? What are others telling you and how much more weight do we put on perceived negativity versus positive feedback, comments or recognition. And why do we place so much more emphasis on what others think of us rather than what we think of ourselves. Really, who cares and what do they know? There is no right or perfect, everyone has an opinion, no one really knows everything, no one is ‘better’ than you or anyone else. And the truth is there is always someone taller, smarter, successful (insert any word here) than you. So, cease the comparisons and do a little internal work.

Again it comes back to confidence in your own skin, no matter how imperfect that shell may be. Being sure and true to your own values, beliefs, who you are, your knowledge, gifts,

 

contributions. Your own yardsticks and self-assessment and development. Not that of others. Confidence also comes through action. This is what guides and propels us and is what the ‘audience’ sees. Doing, not just thinking about it, challenging ourselves, not waiting til its perfect or the time is right. Because it never is. The more you act, the greater the momentum, direction, practice, experience and acting is more than a lot of people do! It’s a hell of a lot easier to sit back and criticise the actions of others.

Get up, stand up, have a voice, let it be heard, present your ideas, take opportunities to stand up in front of others, get out of your comfort zone. This is what builds confidence and becomes a part of who you are. For me acting, getting up on stage, feeling that awful fear and anxiety built my feeling of confidence over time and the thoughts of “I’m up here doing this, I feel strong and most people out there can’t or won’t do what I’m doing”. Poor performances, bad nights, negative reviews? Absolutely. Putting less weight on others opinions and increased resilience to the knocks? You better believe it. Doubts and fears? Always present to varying degrees, yet they don’t reduce me to inertia.

What is it for you that makes you bigger and stronger? Sometimes outside in works – our ‘costume’ or what we wear. Try standing up straight, holding yourself higher, exercising your body. For years insecurity about my height held me back from being an actor. And yes it has and will prohibit me from some roles but not all and look how short many stars are! In her Ted Talk Amy Cuddy talks about power posing and faking it until you become it and how this external exercise links to the brain and increased confidence. Try something, do something that makes you nervous, take action and a small step towards that think that you’re waiting for the right time to start. Put your hand up to run that meeting or presentation at work. Exercise your body and mind, through gym or yoga and meditation.

So act, in all senses of the word, take action, give it a go, put your character on the stage, stay in the moment and assess yourself, rather than imagine the judgements of others. Hold yourself higher and have a voice, starting with your internal one. Don’t wait to feel assured or confident or until you are certain it will turn out perfectly. The most successful people have failures behind them and they set out on their ventures only with the benefit of hindsight, not a crystal ball into the future. They may seem confident or positive that they would succeed but I bet they faked it a lot too and still do. And I’m damn sure they still don’t know it all. Believe in yourself, what you do and have to say, then get up there and act real, feel real and live your life with confidence.

I Yam What I Yam – The Power of Self Acceptance

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“I yam what I yam and tha’s all what I yam”, said Popeye the Sailor. Now there’s a guy who has a certain presence, oft associated with bulging forearms and a penchant for spinach. Another screen personality and author Willard Scott perhaps said it more eloquently: “Positive feelings come from being honest about yourself and accepting your personality, and physical characteristics, warts and all”. And then there’s my yoga meditation teacher who talks about people finding the level of comfort they have with themselves.

The point being, there is incredible power in being yourself and being comfortable in your own skin, and mind. The more I research presence, the more I am convinced it starts within, not just the stuff you do with others. Of course how you behave and project yourself to the world plays a key role but you need a strong base or platform to be able to do this effectively. The way I see it, presence is about being totally in the moment, focussed on the person you are with, the situation you are in. And that is very hard to achieve if you are worrying about yourself, how you’re coming across, what others are thinking about you. The more you can eliminate the self focus, the more present you can be, the more presence you project.

To look at it another way, top performers have incredible focus. Magnetic stage and screen actors who you can’t take your eyes off, sports stars who appear to effortlessly cope with pressure and dazzle with their ability, presenters who engage the audience and take them on a journey, even the person at the party you could talk to all night. These people are fully absorbed in what they are doing, not in themselves. This is often referred to as being in the flow, in the zone and it begins with full focus. This doesn’t mean these people don’t work damn hard. A top baseball coach, Joe Girardi, put it this way, “If you think too much, you fail, because the game happens too quickly. The key is preparation… The data has to become instinctual. You can’t think about it in the middle of a pitch.” Daniel Goleman, author of ‘Emotional Intelligence’ and ‘Focus’ puts a more scientific spin on it: “When the prefrontal cortex activates and we start thinking about how we’re doing, how to do what we’re doing-or, worse, what not to do-the brain gives over some control to circuits that know how to think and worry, but not how to deliver the move itself. Whether in the hundred meters, soccer, or baseball, it’s a universal recipe for tripping up”. I know for myself the horror nights on stage were when I was thinking about my next line, how I was coming across, what the audience were thinking and almost watching and critiquing myself from outside my body. Present? No. Stage presence. I very much doubt it.

 

I often talk about shifting the focus from self to the audience when presenting, to manage nerves and engage. I would take this further to say that in life, in business, those that have presence have the ability to forget about themselves and focus on others and in the task they are engaged in. To be able to do this, you need to work on yourself, be comfortable with you are and what you offer to the world.

To borrow from Greek philosophers and the perpetually present William Shakespeare, “Know thyself” and “to thine own self be true”.

Being in the Moment – Breath & Meditation

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It’s hard to promote, write about and coach presence, executive or otherwise, without talking about meditation. In fact it’s probably been present (pun intended), when I’ve discussed breathing, calming nerves, pausing and connecting in the moment, but it goes deeper than that. Throughout my acting career, my whole career in fact, I had never practiced any meditation or yoga, and like many, thought it was a bit ‘out there’, sitting on a mountain top with too much time on your hands. Sure I’d done stretching and breathing to warm up before a show but I couldn’t see how moments of doing nothing could have any benefit and surely action is where it’s at. Until last year, when the fast paced world, stress, anxiety got on top of me and I decided to give it a go.

I signed up for yoga meditation classes and what I liked straight away was the mix of and link between yoga and meditation. Concentrating and being focussed on practicing the postures, combined with breath, followed by breathing techniques, meditation and even chanting. Just having that hour and a half session, or half an hour at home to close off the rest of the world and be in that room, in that moment. And you have to admit that in itself is pretty rare. In essence what we do is listen to and focus on the breath in the back of the throat, in and out, letting thoughts come and go, in fact ‘stepping back’ and observing them. It’s not always easy or relaxing but being able to stop for that time works for me and its only with practice benefits will come. So what are the benefits? For me its reducing anxiety, negative thoughts, being able to focus on what I’m doing, dealing better with stress and anxiety and changes in how I react to situations. It’s turning me into a deeper breather (I’ve always been short and shallow, a fast paced person in general) which helps with nerve management (useful for acting and training) and also with being present and more focussed on the moment, instead of a mind that’s firing off in all directions. This to me is the key; whether an actor, a presenter or executive, those that have the ability to be completely present and connected in the moment and to the people they are with, have presence.

But don’t just believe me. Andy Puddicombe in his Ted Talk ’10 Mindful Minutes’ talks about refreshing your mind for 10 minutes a day “simply by being mindful and experiencing the present moment” and that this can be a preventative for stress. He says we spend so much time outside the present moment that we miss out. In fact he references a Harvard study that says our minds are lost in thought 47% of the time. His approach is to step back and see thoughts clearly, witness the thoughts and emotions without judgement, rather than getting anxious about feeling anxious. He too says this gives us a different perspective and though we can’t change all of the things that happen to us we can change the way we experience them. So, 10 minutes a day to “refresh”, reboot if you like, step back, focus on the present moment and experience calmness and clarity.

Sure but where’s the science I hear some of you cry! I’m glad you asked. Bloomberg recently published an article ‘Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefits’. In a five year study they are finding a “True biological effect…The kinds of things that happen when you meditate do have effects throughout the body, not just the brain”. The research focuses on stress and how the mind body techniques of yoga meditation “can switch on and off genes linked to stress and immune function”. Interestingly the lead researcher emphasises the importance of breath and inhabiting the present moment and while a daily regimen is best, “simply knowing breath management techniques and having a better understanding of stress can help build resilience”.

So how does this help you, where can you use it? Well regular practice appears to have some strong ongoing benefits, as illustrated above, but there are certainly situational uses as well. Breathing really is the key to managing nerves and this is a fundamental technique I teach for those anxious about giving presentations or even those that find their presentations undermined by what’s going on in their body and mind. These techniques also give you the appearance of calmness which elevates your presence and most importantly it grounds you, connects you to the present moment and assists you to focus fully on the situation and person or people that require your undivided presence.

So, find time to stop, breath, connect with yourself first of all and bring this presence into all of your interactions. Try it, adapt it, apply it and you be the judge of the results.

Vulnerable Self – The Power of You

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As an actor, exercises in acting class or standing in front of an audience involve and invokes a huge sense of vulnerability. Letting go and trying something completely new or at least uncomfortable is scary and also exhilarating. I remember a ‘risk night’ exercise we had to prepare for an acting class. I was asked to present a classical ballet piece! Now I’m no mover, and I’m sure I looked ridiculous (I even bought long Johns to wear) but once I committed to it and let go I felt liberated and strangely, more confident. Not about dancing per se but within myself. I came face to face with vulnerability and felt courageous as I confronted it.

When we stand on stage in front of an audience it is daunting and we tend to focus on questions like “will the audience like me?” This translates to presentations, pitches, meetings and boardrooms, where the focus is often on ourselves. The question we need to be asking is “Do I really like or believe in myself?” My first acting teaching used to say “if you do not believe in yourself then it is doubtful anyone else will”. He would also add that doubts are normal, healthy even, though somewhere along the line the actor must grow and have faith in their own abilities. So, you need to know your abilities, you need to like yourself but also and fundamentally you must know and confront your flaws.

A famous acting teacher Uta Hagen wrote, “First you must learn who you are. You must find your own sense of identity, enlarge this sense of self, and learn to see how that knowledge can be put to use in the characters you will play on stage”. Of course in the ‘real’ world the character is you, your character, though I would argue that we do portray different versions of ourselves depending on the ‘stage’ we are standing on and the audience we are with.

We all have flaws or things we don’t like about ourselves and it is inevitable that at times we compare ourselves to others. It may be that we wish we had their charm, charisma, and way with people, presence. To achieve presence we need to achieve comfort in our own skin, that quiet confidence people exude when they are solid and secure in who they are and what they offer. It is not the “look at me” people who have a presence about them; in fact it is the opposite. What we are working towards then is to accept yourself with pride, the things that make you different, unique and special. It is how you feel about yourself that is important. Sometime actors with a powerful stage presence are said to bare their soul to the audience, which is the true essence of vulnerability and creates a powerful connection to the audience. We are not watching a character, we are seeing and feeling a human being, complete with emotions and flaws, and that vulnerability is the very thing that seems to attract an audience. Am I suggesting that you bare your soul and express your emotions at every possible opportunity? No, I am making the point that you have something to offer, flaws and all and it the combination of self acceptance and being your true self that gives you presence and the ability to connect with others. Wearing a mask is tiring, often or eventually obvious and on some level a barrier to connection.

Yakim Moni, in ‘Creating a Character’ says “Society has also set up psychological portraits of the ideal person and citizen whom you are encouraged to emulate. If you have been scolded as a child for being overly aggressive, overly withdrawn, overly emotional, overly trusting, then you may feel you are different, imperfect. Perhaps you retreated or covered up to prevent society from knowing your weakness and to protect yourself from feeling pain. As an actor you must look at yourself and into yourself. The work on the vulnerable self will help you uncover and dispose of layer after layer of concealing shrouds…without coming to terms with your flaws, real or imagined, the best in your talent is immobilised. Your ability to express yourself is blocked”.

The journey to building presence, then, starts with awareness of your faults and qualities, your ‘character’ if you like. The next step is how this character interacts with the rest of the world. This means working on your body, speech, mind, emotions and importantly, your behaviour. In the words of acclaimed acting teacher Stella Adler, you must say aloud “I am myself and I have my own standards”.

 

Special thanks to my Actors Showcase teacher Peter Stephenson Jones.

Why bother with (Executive,Leadership) Presence?

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Presence is important. We want it, we admire those who have it and intuitively we realise it’s a damn useful quality for success, in life and career. But why and how and who says? Isn’t hard work and ability enough? That’s certainly part of the success equation and I’ve come across some research recently which puts presence firmly in the formula for success. The Center for Talent and Innovation ran a survey and 268 senior executives identified executive presence as essential to getting ahead. “In fact, executive presence accounted for, on average, 25% of what it takes to get promoted. The study’s revelations were gleaned from 18 focus groups, nearly 4,000 college-graduate professionals and 50+ one-on-one interviews with high-level executives”. The Key findings were:

  • Executive presence accounts for 26% of what it takes to get the next promotion, according to senior executives
  • Gravitas — confidence, poise under pressure and decisiveness — is the core characteristic of EP, according to 67% of the 268 senior executives surveyed
  • Communication telegraphs you’re leadership material, according to 28% of senior executives
  • While only five percent of leaders consider appearance to be a key factor in EP, all of them recognize its potential for curtailing or derailing talented up-and-comers. Notable appearance blunders, not surprisingly, are unkempt attire (83% say it detracts from a woman’s EP, 76% say it detracts from a man’s) and, for women, too-tight or provocative clothing (73% say it detracts from a woman’s EP).
  • Sounding uneducated proves a tripwire (59% say it detracts from a woman’s EP and 58% say it detracts from a man’s)
  • Women and multicultural professionals tend to struggle with EP due to intrinsic tension between conforming to corporate culture and remaining true to oneself. 56% of people of color feel they are held to a stricter code around EP, compared with 31% of caucasians; 36% deliberately recast the way they tell their stories, compared with 29% of caucasians.
  • For both women and people of color, feedback on EP can be hopelessly contradictory—which may be why 81% say they’re unclear as to how to act on it.

 

So it’s worth working on your presence and there are certainly clear components to focus on which have been further explored in my other articles. Importantly, presence can be developed and there is a strong case for doing so.

Whats so good about role play?

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Working with actors in role plays and simulations gives people the opportunity to practice a skill, situation or scenario which is as close as possible to what they are dealing with in the ‘real’ world. They are an excellent tool to put models and theories into practice, trying them out in a safe environment and getting self insight and feedback as to what works and what needs to be adapted. It also takes the fear out of facing potential difficult situations, as they are played out first in a simulated environment. To get the best out of role plays the actors need to be briefed on the learning outcomes and also any background information relevant to the case, as this adds realism and credibility.  The extent to which this is required flexes depending on the scenario and can be minimal if the focus is on represented behaviours. The key is for the actors to be able to improvise in the moment, taking on the information and behaviours assigned to the ‘character’ and situation they are playing out then flexing in the moment depending on how the simulation is playing out and being driven by the participant. Scenarios can also be acted out between the actors to demonstrate effective or ineffective behaviours, with the participants giving input into what they would do differently. Forum theatre takes this to the next level as participants jump into the ‘hot seat’ and taking over from one of the actors and dealing with the scenario themselves. The actors are trained to give feedback, particularly in terms of the impact the participants behaviour or approach is having on them. The most effective role plays are facilitated by the person running the workshop to ensure program specific feedback and outcomes. Small groups better enhance comfort levels amongst participants and allow for more practice and feedback from the role player, facilitator and group.

Characteristics of Presence

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In my previous article on Presence, we explored what presence actually means and whether it can be learned and developed. Now we’ll look at the characteristics of presence and then why these need to be developed.

Executive or Leadership presence is often vaguely referred to as gravitas, someone that can hold the room, or has a certain ‘something’. It’s also often confused with charisma. In my article ‘Presence’, we broke it down into skills, character and behaviour and the difference between short and long term presence. In simple terms the three pillars of presence are:

  • How you act ( gravitas)
  • How you speak (communication)
  • How you look (appearance)

The Executive Presence Group sums this up beautifully – “The core characteristics of Executive Presence are: the ability to project confidence, to have poise under pressure and be decisive, to be authentic, to be competent in your expertise and always show integrity in your actions. Also, communication — including speaking skills and the ability to read an audience or situation — is key, as is appearance.  Executive presence also means having a clear vision and the courage to pursue what’s important. And lastly, being able to connect with people, read the room and be intelligent with your emotions — all of these contribute to a person’s perceived executive presence”.

Based on my own experience and research, I have broken Presence or ‘EP’ (Executive Presence) into four areas. There are of course crossovers between them. They are:

  • Values, character & personal brand
  • Interpersonal behavioural patterns
  • Presentation skills
  • Physiology & fundamentals of communication

Essentially the key to EP is knowing who you are, being that person and communicating this effectively to the rest of the world. Those that drop the masks and are comfortable in their own skin have confidence, integrity and the ability to connect with others.