When you speak, you want others to listen to you, right? Whether it’s a now-or-never event (making a key point in an oral argument, for example) or one in a long series of communications (talking to a colleague about some aspect of a performance), get your point across and make some kind of advancement in what you’re doing is probably at the top of your list every time you open your mouth.

How you present yourself, how you communicate, how you listen, how you connect, and how you respond to the feedback you receive creates leadership presence. Think of stage presence, that indefinable something that works magic as soon as an actor steps onstage. Leadership presence is the business version of stage presence.

Leadership presence can be cultivated. Belle Linda Halpern and Kathe Lubar of The Ariel Group wrote a book titled leadership presence, in which they describe the PRES model. To develop your own presence, consider these aspects:

P – Be present. Being “present” means being fully focused on what is happening in the time and space you occupy, so that you can respond to whatever happens, no matter how unexpected.

R – Reaching. Leaders must listen to others and build authentic relationships. Emotional intelligence plays an important role in reaching out to others in a genuine and effective way.

E – Expressiveness. Use your words, your body language, and the tone and speed of your speech to convey your message, and make sure that each of these communication paths is consistent with the others. We’ve probably all seen someone shake their head in a “no” gesture while saying, “What a great idea,” or a manager getting up in front of a group to announce an “exciting new initiative with lots of opportunities for us.” . get it right,” as his body slumps and his voice is breathy and calm. Harness the power of communication and get your message across clearly.

S – Self-knowledge. Effective leaders tend to be self-aware, authentic regardless of situation or circumstance, and guided by core values ​​and priorities. Bill George uses the True North analogy in his book of the same title. A leader who knows his true north and acts accordingly will exhibit a stronger presence than one who changes depending on the context.

Practice using “PRES” when you speak for the next few days or weeks. Observe how you feel and how others respond to you. Notice where you feel comfortable and where you may need additional practice. And notice, most importantly, the effect your presence has on your leadership.