Executive Presence for Poor Public Speakers
Make your leadership felt, even when you speak less
Hi, it’s Ethan & Jason from Level Up: Make career breakthroughs with AI-proof leadership skills. Congrats to one of our course alumni on their promotion — here are the actions they said made the difference:
“Thank you so much! 1) Doing exactly what the CVP (my skip) wanted and making sure that all of my work aligned with that and was highly visible 2) Trust from my direct manager; him seeing that I can execute independently 3) Being visible with measurable impact across the org (having multiple XYZ directors vouch for my work). 4) Signs that I am working on exec presence even though I am not fully there yet. 5) Learning to like these people and building some sort of connection with them. I am looking forward to practicing everything I learned in the class!”
Executive Presence for Poor Public Speakers
Watch on YouTube.
In this talk, you will learn how to build gravitas and credibility before you speak, upgrade your video and online presence to signal professionalism, and leverage meeting ownership (an underutilized tool for signaling senior leadership).
Key Takeaways
Stop over-indexing on “speaking well” because executive presence is mostly gravitas. Research suggests executive presence is 60% gravitas (e.g. reputation, track record, credibility signals), 30% communication, and 10% appearance. The point: if you are not a natural speaker, do not treat “better speaking” as the only path. Instead, make who you are and what you have accomplished more visible, so your presence is not dependent on verbal performance (or charisma).
Intentionally build your personal brand (or others will define it for you). Decide what you want to be known for (e.g. a few themes you want associated with your name), then reinforce it with consistent signals (e.g. the problems you take on, topics you cover, where you show up, your style of dress, organizations you are affiliated with).
Impostor syndrome is a growth signal, not a character flaw. When this feeling shows up, it is evidence that you are stretching yourself to the next level. Normalize it (nearly everyone feels it), then reframe it as: “I’m building into the next version of my presence.”
Use “soft power” to demonstrate senior-level presence: run the meeting, elevate the room, leverage your team. Calling meetings, setting the agenda, controlling invites, and sending crisp follow-ups (includes assigning the action items) are leadership signals even if you speak less. Amplify your impact by developing strong “ambassadors” on your team (e.g. developand coach your team with tips like these) who create a great impression when you are not in the room.
Engineer your video presence: upgrade the setup and “raise the heat.” Better framing, lighting, camera/mic quality, professional (and non-distracting) background, deliberate eye contact, and intentional gestures dramatically increase your perceived professionalism “without saying a word.” When tech issues happen, recover fast (you can make a joke of it) and move on like it never happened — your composure and calm are executive presence signals.
Treat LinkedIn (and internal directories) as “presence before your presence.” Many people will look you up before they meet you (first impression), so do not be invisible. Use a real photo, banner, and a clear headline that communicates your scope and focus. Then post occasionally to build credibility at scale and get seen by leaders above you without awkward direct outreach. Posts also function as networking — below are testimonials from our Level Up community members on the impact.
If you want to pressure-test (and build) your executive presence, here are five real-world situations you need to be ready for:
The CEO calls on you to address a controversial question in the company All-Hands. Can you handle it?
You’re remote from HQ and often left out of in-room discussions. Can you be heard as the only one in Zoom?
A more vocal colleague often interrupts and jumps in before you finish. Can you reclaim control?
You’re on stage with everyone waiting, and the slides won’t project. What do you do?
Your boss is out (unexpectedly). And you need to cover in a meeting with your skip and your bosses peers. Will you be taken seriously?
If even one of those scenarios made you wince, and you want practical guidance plus live practice to stay confident, clear, and credible in moments like these, consider our next cohort of Stronger Executive Presence: Be Visible, Gain Influence, & Drive Your Career starting April 18 (already half full).
Get 15% off using the above link or code: BeVisibleToday
Here’s what previous students shared:
“Helpful insights on how to understand the challenges facing executives and why and how effective communication with them can be a massive unlock for pretty much anything and everything at work. Ethan provided excellent instruction, and the live practice sessions with immediate feedback were incredibly helpful to zero in on challenges and see the value of the approaches discussed.”
— Director Product Management, Google
“Ethan has great insight into how to succeed in the corporate world, especially when it comes to influencing important people. His candid and specific feedback to participants in his courses is extremely helpful.”
— Director Software Engineering, Salesforce
“I really enjoyed the live mocks and practical exercises throughout the course, I’m confident that emerging business leaders who want to grow their influence and presence will benefit from this course. It was truly worth it.”
— Group Product Manager, Panasonic
“Loved the emphasis on live interactions and feedback, coupled with good slides and references to books and other material.”
— Enterprise Architect AI, Navblue
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Really good point on meeting ownership. A lot of “presence” is not having the cleverest sentence, it’s being the person who creates structure: clear agenda, right attendees, crisp framing, strong follow-up, obvious action items. That reads as leadership because it reduces ambiguity for everyone else. People often confuse airtime with authority, but process control is usually the louder signal.
Loved the presence tip "When tech issues happen, recover fast." Especially as professionals in tech, we like to focus on the details. We believe excellence = perfection.
However, the truth is executives make mistakes too. Executive presence isn't about getting everything right, but adapting quickly when things go wrong - remaining calm and steady no matter how high-stakes or high-pressure the situation.