Presence: Its A Mind Game

Think of someone who has presence....

Are you imagining Barack Obama right now? Put a yes in the comments, if I got that right :)

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to run a workshop on Presence for fashion brand Theory after running a live Q&A with the incredible Kate Stephens CEO of Smart Works Charity on the same subject.

I wanted to give you a little taster of a session here, as I took a different approach, and it'll hopefully give you some food for thought. In fact, I've sneaked in a slide from the presentation too, have a look....

I'm including it, because it's important to think broadly about Presence. Yes, ultimately, it's the feeling you impart in the room at certain (all?) moments. But to get there, so much of the work is internal.

Quietening our self-talk, refining our identity and personal story (values, passion, experience, future) and building for yourself and others a team/business that is based on trust.

When these elements are in order, Presence flows so much more easily.

I finished on some body language advice and breath work inspired by Jude Bolton - the point is though, before you get to thinking about those classic, external expressions of presence, consider working on what's going on inside, how you view and talk about yourself, and the way you make others feel too.

What do you think of my sideways approach to this meaty subject? I'm keen to hear your points of view.