Creating Executive Presence: Thinking on Your Feet in the C-Suite

Personal presence may be difficult to define, but we all know when we see it. Someone walks into a room and heads turn. Conversation opens up to include them. People listen to what they have to say. Their words and opinions have positive impact.

The question is, how do others perceive you? Credible? Competent? Trustworthy? Authentic? Poised? Influential? Their perception determines your influence, your impact, and ultimately your results. And that “results” often means the decisions an organization makes based on your message and your recommendations.

Consider your impact when delivering a presentation, when contributing ideas in meetings, when meeting with your executive leadership team or executive clients: How do you respond to someone citing statistics and data with which you’re unfamiliar? How well do you respond to difficult questions on a sensitive topic? How persuasive are you in selling your ideas, strategies, products, or services? Do you have “the finishing touches” that increase your credibility, connection, and engagement whether communicating with three or 3,000?

Whether you are a new or seasoned leader, here’s what you’ll learn in this program from Dianna Booher, bestselling author of Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader and more than 40 other books on communication. You’ll identify the characteristics, skills, traits, and attitudes that contribute to what your customers, coworkers, and colleagues perceive as executive presence. During the process, you’ll assess your self-awareness as an executive leader and communicator.

You’ll learn to express yourself clearly and concisely under pressure, contribute ideas and recommendations in a way that sets you apart as a strategic thinker, handle tough questions with credibility and confidence, evaluate your body language for subtle messages that may be undermining your words, and build rapport with people at all levels and in all settings within an organization.

As a result, you will gain visibility in the organization as a clear thinker. credible decision maker, and influential spokesperson for strategic initiatives and projects. Additionally, your organization will benefit from its solid decisions based on your clearly articulated ideas and business cases.

Dianna Booher, MA, CSP,CPAE

Dianna Booher is the bestselling author of 47 books, published in 60 foreign-language editions. She works with organizations to help them communicate clearly and with leaders to expand their influence by a strong executive presence.

Her personal development topics include leadership communication, executive presence, and writing.

Her latest books include:

• Communicate Like a Leader: Connecting Strategically to Coach, Inspire, and Get Things Done (Berrett-Koehler)
• What MORE Can I Say? Why Communication Fails and What to Do About It (Penguin Random House)
• Creating Personal Presence: Look Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader (Berrett-Koehler)
• Communicate With Confidence: How to Say It Right the First Time and Every Time (McGraw-Hill)

National Media such as Good Morning America, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Bloomberg, Forbes.com, Fast Company, FOX, CNN International, NPR, Success, and Entrepreneur have interviewed her for opinions on critical workplace communication issues.

Clients include IBM, ExxonMobil, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Chevron, BP, Pepsico, Frito-Lay, Bank of America, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Novartis, Siemens, Sabre, Department of the Navy, and NASA, to name a few. She has worked with more than one-third of the Fortune 500 as clients.

Dianna is also a regular blogger for The CEO Magazine, Huffpo, and FaithHappenings.

Richtopia has named her at #54 on its 2017 list of “Top 200 Most Influential Authors in the World.”