Executive Presence (1/4): The Components

In our elocution lessons, we don’t focus only on speech and accent. We also help students develop a stronger presence and greater confidence overall.

This is something many of our students actively want to work on — what is often called executive presence.

With this article, I’m starting an Executive Presence series based on more than 20 years of teaching and coaching top-level professionals and diplomats.

In this edition, I’ll walk you through five core components of executive presence, explain why they matter, and show how they work together.

The five core components are:

• Authenticity
• Physical presence
• Confidence
• Body language (eye contact, gestures, posture)
• Speech and voice

The key point is this: to look and feel truly confident, a person must be authentic. Confidence is communicated through body language — gestures, eye contact, and tone of voice. Clear speech and good articulation further strengthen executive presence and how others perceive you. In just a few seconds, your physical presence communicates a great deal about you, including energy level, health, and overall status. All these components send signals about who you are and determine how people treat you.

In the next editions of this series, I’ll share practical techniques you can use to build executive presence and show you how to remove the obstacles that often get in the way.

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com