The Observable Behaviors That Make Up Executive Presence

5 min

There are seven observable behaviors that people associate with executive presence:

Posture

Gestures

Movement

Language

Voice

Facial Expressions

Dress

People unconsciously evaluate others’ executive presence based on these observable behaviors.

When you walk into a room, people take a “snapshot” of you and make their judgments based on that idea.

Luckily, you can change the way you present to others. Improve your posture, gestures, facial expressions, voice, language, movement, or dress, and you can improve your executive presence.

Here’s a handout that explains how these observable

behaviors are employed by people with executive presence.

Time for a quiz.

Jamie is known for having executive presence. What’s something that she does that might contribute to people’s impressions of her executive presence?

Quiz 1 of 1

What is something Jamie does that might contribute to peoples’ impressions of her executive presence?

a
She has a very flashy, expensive watch that people pay attention to.
b
She has close relationships with many other executives in the company.
c
She pauses before she speaks. Every word she says seems to be intentional.
d
She’s a ruthless negotiator.

The correct answer is C: She pauses before she speaks, which allows her to avoid using “filler words” like “um” or “well.”

Intentional language is one of the key observable behaviors associated with executive presence.

Next Time:

Observe someone who you feel has executive presence. Notice how they sit. Or how they use their voice.

Lesson complete

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