Over the last 5 years, starting right around the time I joined professional services powerhouse PwC as a senior management consultant, I found myself increasingly addressing rooms full of business leaders and industry captains.
Prior to this period, I had been well-versed in addressing groups where I was either the most senior person in the room or was among peers. For an introvert like me, going from that, to routinely speaking to rooms full of folks far more professionally accomplished than me was a challenge that compelled bursts of professional and personal growth spurts. I look back to those times with gratitude to a handful of fantastic bosses who saw I had a lot to offer the firm and its clients, and encouraged me to deliver value by getting in front of people I naturally would be staggered by.
Since then, I have stayed on the path of continued education for this skill which has helped me win as an independent consultant, and is now helping me win as MD at Shulph; where I routinely have to present, explain and persuade the most senior executives at the world’s largest publishing companies to do business with my unproven start-up.
This week, I have been roundreading a brilliant book titled Executive Presentations (Practical Inspiration Publishing, 2018) by Jacqui Harper aka The Presentation Doctor. And I’d love to tell you a bit about it.
Early on in the book, the author makes the case that “effective presentations cannot happen without executive presence”. My experience wholeheartedly agrees with that notion.
I have been looking to evolve my executive presence for some time now, as I’ve felt it needs work. This is acutely important for me because I am often informally dressed during work. I will then ‘dress up’ when attending a high profile business meeting, a pitch, a panel or public speaking engagement. While dressing up might help people take me more seriously, I have often found it to feel inauthentic and untrue to myself. Those feelings in turn feed my imposter syndrome.
Chapter 9 of the book is titled Signature Style, and it addresses many of my niggling physical appearance questions. I was looking for answers around how a less formally dressed person can still maintain executive presence. Is it even possible? Is it a reasonable expectation?
The author proposes a method called The Presence Audit, a succinct summary you’d like to form the basis of an authentic presentation of your physical self. The method is also used in other aspects of Executive Presentations. Quite frankly, I can’t wait to try this out.
The concept of Vocal Presence is another area I found fascinating, and an aspect where I still experience some self-doubt. It turns out that listeners often judge a voice they’re hearing for the first time after hearing just the first word. What’s more? A cluster of different listeners will have similar perceptions of any particular voice. We often decide, subconsciously, if a person is aggressive, attractive, competent, confident, likeable, trustworthy (among others) – after hearing only one word of their voice.
Each of us carries a unique voice signature, and Jacqui Harper encourages us to develop this for the benefit of compelling business communication. Her past experience as a news anchor at the BBC shines through in her tips and prescribed vocal exercises for building vocal competence.
The book of course also covers the usual suspects: audience stimulation, body language, managing nerves, graphics & illustrations and storytelling. It’s a fine book for everyone ranging from those recently thrust into a manager role for the first time, or promoted into executive management and experienced leaders looking for new ideas that might help improve their business communications.
This has been such a great read for me, and I am pleased to add Executive Presentations to my other favourite business communication reads. While you’re here, allow me to recommend my other business comms favourites, namely:
Resonate by Nancy Duarte (John Wiley & Sons, 2010)
The Introvert Entrepreneur by Beth Buelow (Virgin Books, 2015)
Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers (Vermilion Books, 1987)
Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo (Pan Macmillan Publishers, 2017)
Jacqui Harper’s Executive Presentations is available as a Shulph roundread for £19.99.
About Shulph
At Shulph, we believe that your reading experience should fit seamlessly into your lifestyle, whether you’re on the move or curled up on the sofa at home. We’re here to ensure you never have to choose between the print and digital copy of the book ever again. To buy your book once and receive both print and digital copies at the same time.
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Jump into any of these titles today, and elevate your colleagues and employees. Happy Reading.
Emmanuel
Founder & MD of Shulph