Your Greatest Advantage Isn’t Your Title; It’s Your Presence

I often get asked by clients preparing for a presentation, “What do I need to do to have impact?”

The answer is not to memorize another chart or adopt a new trend, but rather to look inside.

The way to have impact is to get comfortable with what you have to offer. I’m not talking about achieving another certification or spending late nights at the office.

It’s about getting comfortable with yourself.  Looking within to discover your special way of connecting and communicating.

This will allow you to spark connection through vulnerability, thus creating an undeniable presence.

What does that mean?

Creating a presence is the ability to walk into a room, command attention, and connect with an audience. For some this is having the right “look” to nail that first impression, for others its well-placed pauses, or use of humour and story. 

How can you recognize your gifts?

This is done through embracing your unique style, creating intentional moments, and weaving in stories to show your vulnerabilities. In essence, you are using your voice, body language, energy, timing, and personal moments to make people feel something special.

Something that is you.  No one else.  Just you!

When you do this, you become impossible to ignore.

One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter is that becoming a better speaker means becoming someone else. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Every person has a unique voice, personality, and leadership style. The challenge is that many professionals have spent years hiding those qualities behind corporate language, cautious communication, and fear of judgment.

When working together, we identify the strengths you may not even realize you have. Once those strengths are identified, we amplify your natural presence.

When I work with clients, one of the first exercises we complete is designed to uncover those natural strengths, passions, and interests. The results become the foundation of a detailed speaker profile.

Getting to Know Yourself Creates Presence

I remember one client looking at her completed profile and saying, “This isn’t me.”

I smiled and replied, “It absolutely is you. These are your words, your experiences, and your values.”

What surprised her wasn’t the profile itself. It was seeing, often for the first time, what was already inside her. We frequently underestimate the qualities, experiences, and strengths that make us unique. Yet these are the very things that help us connect with others when we speak.

That is why the most rewarding part of what I do is watching someone discover the capabilities that makes them unique. This could be pace of speech, hand movements, facial gestures, humility, or any number of characteristics.

Think of a few stand-up comedians you know.  Most likely, their styles are completely different, yet their results are similar.  They have each embraced their style of storytelling, body language, audience connection, and humour to create a presence all their own. Once we know and embrace our style, we can tap into a calm energy that flows with our natural tenancies.

Every presentation has the potential to be memorable by including:

• A powerful story
• A meaningful pause
• A perfectly delivered insight
• A shift in energy that captures attention

When professionals learn how to create these moments naturally, their presence is felt.

Embrace What You Know

Years ago, during a theatre rehearsal, a director gave me a piece of feedback that I have never forgotten… “Chris, I need you on the other side of the stage. Find an honest reason for your character to move there.”

Not a technical reason. Not because the script said so. An honest reason.

The lesson was profound. Audiences can sense when an action is genuine and when it is simply being performed. The same is true for speakers. If we use a story, pause for effect, ask a question, or move across a stage, there should be an honest reason behind it.

True presence comes from honesty. It comes from saying what you genuinely believe, moving with purpose, and communicating in a way that feels natural to you. When we stop performing and start expressing what is true, people feel it.

That is presence.

Presence is not about adding something to yourself. It’s about revealing what is already there.

Let’s find the Greatness that Awaits in You

I’ve watched clients transform from nervous presenters into confident executives by embracing their experiences and unique qualities. This is why I love what I do!

There is greatness inside every leader I’ve worked with. Sometimes it’s buried beneath self-doubt, imposter syndrome, or years of playing it safe. My role is to help bring that greatness to the surface.

When you learn to communicate with confidence, connect authentically with audiences, and own your unique leadership presence, opportunities will show up.  That’s often the difference between staying where you are and stepping into the next level of your career.

Your greatest leadership asset has always been inside you.

It’s time to let it out!