5 actions that give you commanding stage presence

Business people often talk about the value of bringing a commanding presence into the room or onto the stage.

Some people have been given special genetic advantages in this area, having been blessed with a dashing physique, or a voice as rich and deep as Hollywood actor Sam Elliott.

That doesn’t mean the rest of us are out of luck. There are things we have control over that can make us more commanding figures in the boardroom and on the dais. They include:

• Being well dressed, always with an eye toward what is appropriate for the venue, audience and topic.
• Making eye contact, and making it direct and persistent enough that it says to audience members, “I see you and I’m paying attention to you.”
• Enlarging and animating our physical selves with arm gestures above the waist and extending away from the body.
• Pausing after delivering key statements or phrases. Among other things, it demonstrates that we are poised and in command of the presentation’s tempo.
• Speaking at a volume that fills the room. That increases the energy level and keeps your audience more alert. If you have a soft voice, use a microphone and make sure your sound engineer knows you want the speaker system kept on the loud side.

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