Have you ever met someone and you immediately clicked or there was something about them that made you want to get to know them more, perhaps you were smiling as they were talking …they said something or interacted in such a way that made you feel comfortable or valued? Or you just feel better when you’re around them?
That person is someone who has ”presence”. Presence is about being comfortable, passionate, authentic, confident, enthusiastic, confident and captivating.
Amy Cuddy, author of the book Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges shares that Presence stems from believing in and trusting yourself—your real, honest feelings, values, and abilities. That’s important, because if you don’t trust yourself, how can others trust you?
To Enhance your presence to overcome your challenges:
- Encourage yourself. When doubt creeps in to sabotage your confidence Remind yourself of past victories. Reflect on your accomplishments and understand your potential.
- Become more aware. When you know your strengths you are more purposeful in leveraging them to your advantage. On the flip side recognizing areas of development helps you to navigate around those pitfalls.
Or do this…Find someone who embodies presence and model their behaviors. I did this often as I was growing in my career. When I admired a leader I mimicked their behaviors to grow my skills.
And if none of this works, as Amy says, ”fake it until you become it”. Our bodies change our minds, and our minds can change our behavior and our behavior can change our outcomes.
