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5 Ways to Improve Your ExecutivePresence and Increase Your Influence

While not a gender issue specifically,executive presence is especially criticalfor women who are still struggling to get

a seat at the decision­makers table in manyindustries and organizations. In fact, executivepresence has been estimated to account for as muchas 28 percent of a woman’s success, according toSylvia Ann Hewlett, the author of ExecutivePresence: The Missing Link Between Merit andSuccess.

For those of us in sales and leadership roles,executive presence can perhaps best be describedas the ability to influence with confidence, credibilityand clarity. Without the ability to successfullyinfluence others, your sales or leadership career willbe short­lived. Can you influence people withoutexecutive presence? Sure. But it’s like trying to makea jump shot with a weight belt on ­ it’s harder than it

needs to be and you’re going to miss a lot of shots.A handful of salespeople have approached me

because their manager specifically said they need towork on their executive presence. But mostsalespeople and sales leaders are unaware that alack of executive presence is at the root of theirproblem. They are much more likely to recognizetheir lack of influence in statements like these:

l “I have a hard time controlling meetings.”l “I am more qualified than my peers yet they’re

getting promoted before me.”l “My team acts like they’re listening to me, but

they don’t take my suggestions.”

The good news is this: If you improve your executivepresence, you improve your influence. Here are fiveways where you can quickly and dramatically

Executive Presence is a fuzzy term that’s often used to describe a host ofsoft skills and qualities, from body language to dress to emotionalintelligence, deemed necessary for selling to the C-suite, moving up in anorganization, or motivating a team or individual to adopt new ideas orbehaviors.

Julie Hansen

increase your EP – and your influence ­ in sales.

Five Ways to Increase your ExecutivePresence:

1. Assume equal status. Authentic executivepresence starts on the inside and radiates outward.Status, or the way you feel about yourself in relationto another person, affects everything from yourbody language (eye contact, gestures, facialexpressions) to the sound, quality and strength ofyour voice, to the words you choose.

You convey status subconsciously to yourlistener before you even open your mouth. Whenyou assume a lower status, your body, voice andwords reflect that low status, and your listener treatsyou like someone with lower status. And vice versa.

To be treated as an equal, you need to assumeequal status with your audience. Seeing yourself as atrusted advisor, subject matter expert orexperienced leader is a vital first step to developingexecutive presence.

2. Cut to the chase. Steve Jobs captivated audiencesby slowly winding his way to a final dramatic revealin his presentations. Abraham Lincoln led thecountry with long, detailed stories before finallymaking his point. But you and I live in a fast­pacedworld where clarity and succinctness is not justappreciated, it’s demanded, especially the higheryou go in the organization.

How long does it take you to get to the point? Isyour prologue to help the audience – or is it simplyto make you more comfortable? Increase your EPinstantly by cutting to the chase and starting withwhat’s of greatest interest to your listener. Thatcould be a key issue, a benefit, or an insight.Whatever it is, get there fast – within thirty seconds.

3. Move with purpose. Movement has a hugeimpact on other people’s perception so managingyour executive presence means managing yourmovement. Many business people who try to

emulate the seemingly casual wanderings of SteveJob’s don’t realize that Job’s movement wasanything but casual. His presentations andmovement were purposeful and planned down tothe micro­second.

While you don’t need to plan out every move,your movement also needs to be purposeful andsupport what you’re saying, not compete with it.Your purpose can be simple, e.g., to connect with anaudience member, or to write on a whiteboard.Whatever it is, tying your movement to a purposewill amplify your executive presence.

4. Eliminate vague language. Be purposeful in yourword choice as well. Decisiveness and confidenceare key leadership traits and language peppered withvague words like “maybe, sort of, kinda…”communicates uncertainty to your listener. Get clearon your message and commit to it 100% by choosingstrong, specific language.

5. Speak with intention. What lies underneath yourwords – your intention – influences as much as thewords you use. Think of all the different ways thewords “I’m sorry” can be said. It’s meaning changesbased on what the intention is. People who speakwith intention are very clear about how they wantyou to feel about what they’re saying. Whether it’sexcited, convinced, or reassured, strong, clearintentions produce strong emotions and passion inyou – and strong reactions in your audience. n

Women in Sales: Want to Unleash YourExecutive Presence?! I’m excited to team up

with Women Sales Pros to help women in salesdevelop their executive presence and

communicate with greater influence, and helpcompanies promote women into leadership and

grow revenues. For information on ourExecutive Presence for Women in Sales

Workshops, coaching and sponsorshipopportunities, click here

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