Executive Presence Seminar with Arcadia Consulting in London

On the 18th of May we held our second HR seminar of 2017 in partnership with Arcadia Consulting where our network of senior HR professionals explored Executive Presence and learnt techniques to help them strengthen their presence as leaders.

Andy Wolfe, Director at Arcadia Consulting presented on the topic, which true to Arcadia’s form was energised and interactive, involving activities where the audience participated in small groups; bringing a high level of engagement to the room. It is true that leadership comes more naturally for some than others but the reality is, everyone can work on developing Executive Presence and have a powerful impact on their ability to influence others. Executive Presence responds to the need for culture or strategic change and links a company’s external brand promise with their internal behaviours. It’s something we can all work on individually and is about developing our personal brand and believing that we have the power to bring about change. 

One of the most important factors in establishing Executive Presence is your gravitas. In a survey it was found that people are most likely to follow those who have confidence and grace under fire rather than those who have a vision. A technique that Arcadia Consulting has created to develop Executive Presence is the SAFE model: 

State – Own your confidence.

One technique to help boost your confidence is to adopt a power pose a couple of minutes before a presentation (in private, not in front of your audience!) this is shown to increase testosterone, the assertiveness and dominance hormone, and decrease the stress hormone cortisol. 

Anchor – Your mind and your body need to be in sync.

Work on your body language and be aware of your eye contact, gestures and voice. 

Flex – Know your audience.

Tailor your approach to different people based on what you know and observe about them. 

Engage – Say it once and say it well.

Develop your flow and ability to story tell, if you are a persuasive speaker people will engage with you. 

This model will help you to overcome any fears and provides you with conscious tools to work on your presence as a leader so you don’t freeze or worry about how you are being perceived during presentations or discussions, ensuring you can communicate effectively. 

You should also have a ‘Trait F’ strategy. When you meet someone they make an evaluation and form an opinion of you in just a minute. There are six traits that go into this but ‘Trait F’ is the most prominent and the one that you should appeal to. ‘Trait F’ is emotional perception and is already either a profound strength of yours or a fatal flaw. Your self-awareness and understanding of others is an essential part of being a leader. The ability to control your emotions, identify emotion in others and manage your response to them is imperative. Use and master your ‘Trait F’ strategy to have effective Executive Presence. 

These were just a couple of important points taught to the audience to help them improve their Executive Presence.  After the seminar guests held discussions at our networking reception while enjoying drinks and canapes. 

We will be holding two further HR seminars this year in London with Arcadia Consulting. If you would be interested in attending please get in touch with Kirstin MacLaren at km@elliottscotthr.com