3 Professional Presence Strategies That Work

By Jeanne Masseth

Professional Presence. It's the WOW factor that gives your career an extra boost. It’s an elusive “we know it when we see it” quality. Most professionals want more of it, but many are unsure exactly what “it” is or how to gain more of it.

At its core, professional presence is a way of speaking and acting that makes other take notice and listen.

Professional presence is a combination of:

1. How you act.

2. How you speak.

3. How you look.

Improving presence is about aligning how you speak, act and look in order to the have maximum impact on those around you. Here are three tips to polish your professional presence right now.

Tip #1: Stop Phubbing

When your actions don’t match what you say, others see only your behavior and overlook your words! Focusing on acting with intention is often the best way to uplevel your presence. A derailer to intentional action is your cell phone! It often stops us from being fully present. Consider how you view others who are consistently on their phone. What assumptions do you make about them? Too busy to care. Distracted.

Stressed out. Insightful research came out this year around phubbing. (Combine the word phone with snubbing.) It means snubbing the people you’re with while looking at your phone.

Phubbing is a range of behaviors. From glancing at your phone in the middle of a conversation, to checking your phone when the conversation stalls, or simply keeping your phone close by. Looking at your phone can make people around you feel insignificant and they may start to distrust you. What can you do? Implement a phone boundary. Consider putting away your phone when you’re around real people. Make sure the phone is out of sight. Physically place your phone into your handbag or coat pocket to reduce your temptation to look at it. 

Tip #2: Ask More Questions.

Asking questions is a powerful way of speaking that shows others you’re listening and present. Plus, it fuels connection. Posing questions uplevels your presence because it slows your Advice Monster. Most of us have a habit of slipping into the advice giver, expert, and fix-it so-we- can-all-get-back-to-work mode. This is your advice monster. It comes out of nowhere. Before you know it, you’re giving suggestions, ideas, and recommendations. Level up your presence simply by asking questions a little more often and giving advice a little less often.

Tip #3: Show Poise with Posture.

Posture is a critical component of professional presence. Power and authority are expressed by expanding your space.  To project presence while sitting, sit tall and claim your territory. Think open postures. Legs uncrossed. Arms held away from your body, with palms exposed or resting comfortably on the desk/table. Feet placed feet firmly on the floor.  When standing, move your hands and arms away from the front of your torso to show sincerity and security. Be aware of your feet. If they’re too close together, you may appear hesitant or unsure. Instead, widen your stance, relax your knees and center your weight.  Bolster your professional presence with these three tips you can implement right now back at work. We love to hear quick tips you have for improving professional presence. Comment below or message us privately.

Visit www.legacytalentdevelopment.com for more information on Legacy Talent Development and tips like this!

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