{"id":1136,"date":"2022-05-27T11:00:35","date_gmt":"2022-05-27T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.twentytwo.digital\/ukbodytalk\/executive_presence\/"},"modified":"2025-07-14T16:57:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T15:57:54","slug":"executive-presence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.twentytwo.digital\/ukbodytalk\/resources\/blogs\/executive-presence\/","title":{"rendered":"How to develop your executive presence"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Harnessing executive presence can help to boost your reputation as a leader, making you come across as authoritative, confident and in control.<\/span> “<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

How To Develop Your Executive Presence<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n

When we ask people what makes a great leader, one of the characteristics which comes up time and time again is strong <\/span>executive presence<\/i>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think of someone <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> consider to be a great leader. Chances are, that person will have the \u2018X factor\u2019; that something about their style, manner or personality that seems to elevate them into someone confident, credible and who you are prepared to get behind. That \u2018something\u2019 is executive presence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Author Sylvia Ann Hewlett<\/a>, who helped to bring the term into common business parlance with her 2014 book \u2018Executive Presence\u2019, calls it the \u2018missing link between merit and success’.<\/span><\/p>\n

Harnessing executive presence can help to boost your reputation as a leader, making you come across as authoritative, confident and in control.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is strong executive presence?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Executive presence is a catch-all term used to describe characteristics which effective leaders possess. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Credibility<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Confidence<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> The ability to inspire a team<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Having a clear vision for success<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Communicating in a clear and persuasive manner<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Empowering others<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Remaining calm and composed in stressful situations<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Emotional intelligence<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Knowledge sharing<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Charisma<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Inspiring loyalty from employees<\/span><\/p>\n

These characteristics all form part of a person\u2019s ability to lead a group \u2013 and the more you can develop them, the more likely people are to follow you and your direction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is executive presence important?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Having executive presence is the difference between having the knowledge of what\u2019s best for your business and the ability to make it happen by leading your team.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leading with strong presence will allow you to develop productive, loyal teams and have deeper and more meaningful conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Executive presence will also help you to better engage audiences, including overcoming challenges and objections to gain positive results.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re a seasoned presenter, it\u2019s essential that you develop and practice your executive presence skills to make the most out of your business opportunities as they grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the events, sales pitches and presentations that you attend become more significant, it\u2019s crucial that you work on your presence in line with your business growth so that you can continue to make the best impact with your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key<\/b> benefits of executive presence<\/b><\/h2>\n

Developing your executive presence will improve your ability to lead your team and will reap numerous benefits, including:<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Improved trust in your leadership<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Better performance across your teams<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> A stronger company culture<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> Better customer relations<\/span><\/p>\n

–<\/span> \u00a0 <\/span> A happier, more productive workforce.<\/span><\/p>\n

Improving your executive presence will allow you to come across as stronger, more confident and in control, which will, in turn, increase people\u2019s trust in your ability to lead.<\/span><\/p>\n

A strongly developed executive presence will help you when it really counts: those times when you need to show authority and gravitas on stage so that more people will buy into your ideas and become inspired to follow your vision.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to improve your executive presence<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are three core areas in which you can demonstrate executive presence to those around you.<\/span><\/p>\n

1)<\/b> Say it<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Effective leadership is all about great communication, so your choice of language and how you use your voice can all help to improve your impact and gravitas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n