Focuses during communication to improve executive presence.

Things to focus on:[^r11]

  • Ask questions & then wait—don’t add to them. Count if needed.
  • Ask for feedback about executive presence.
  • Improve writing by putting more attention into editing.
  • Tailor communication style to discussion context: executive discussions are action-focused and brief, other types may allow more exploration.
  • Avoid responding immediately where deeper thought offline is needed.
  • Speak definitively (remove “I think”), but enable disagreement by asking for weakenesses in ideas.

Similarly:rS13

  • Show confidence where experience/data/logic allow; okay to have no opinion.
  • Don’t destroy confidence by freaking out—freezing, anger, lashing out.
  • Avoid defensiveness. Consider all angles of your role, even if indirect. Avoid whataboutism. Take control of problems leading to excuses.

Continued.


  1. “A Practical Guide to Executive Presence,” May 27, 2023, https://staysaasy.com/leadership/2023/05/27/executive-presence.html. (See notes.)