On Presence: 1 Move to Project Confidence Before You Even Speak
Move 2 in the On Presence Series
Image by Leizle Blanco
In our first article On Presence, we broke down one tactical move to own the room without saying more.
We focused on presentation delivery: how to rehearse your message like a performance, not a script.
This next move goes even deeper.
It's about projecting comfortable command. This is the kind of presence that speaks before you do.
This matters because
If you don’t feel grounded, your audience won’t either.
In the first few seconds of seeing you, they’re already scanning you for answers:
Do I trust this person?
Are they confident?
Can they lead this room?
Why this Matters
In high-stakes situations, you don’t get extra time to earn trust. You either signal leadership in the first few moments or you spend the rest of the meeting trying to catch up.
Executive presence isn’t simply about being polished. It’s about being perceived as in control, tuned in, and worth listening to before your first slide, before your first word.
If you don’t command the room early, you risk:
Getting overlooked, even if your ideas are strong
Losing buy-in before you’ve made your case
Being seen as competent but not compelling
Presence is a silent filter.
It shapes who gets heard, trusted, and remembered.
Move 2: Comfortable Command
Great communicators don’t just deliver with power.
They enter with presence.
Before a single word is spoken, they project calm.
Stability. Confidence.
It’s not about being loud or polished.
It’s about being settled.
Your Move
Here’s your move before your next big moment:
Take a full breath into your lower belly.
Drop your shoulders. Unclench your jaw.
Pause. Let stillness speak first.
Then begin from your breath, not your throat.
When your body is calm, your voice follows.
When your voice settles, your message lands.
This is how leaders earn trust before they speak and hold it long after.
Reflective Moment
If your presence walked into the room five seconds before you did
what would it say about you?
What’s Next
Move 3: Responsive Presence
How to read the room and lead its energy in real time.
Presence isn’t just about how you enter the room.
It’s about how you adjust to it, moment by moment.
Watch for Move 3 next week.
Go make your next moment count!
Joselle
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