Executive Presence and the Culture of Power Writing about presence,

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(Free-Press-Release.com) April 23, 2004 -- Executive Presence and the Culture of Power

Writing about presence, says Richard Heckler, author of The Anatomy of Change, is trying to put into words what is basically a nonverbal experience. We can experience presence, we can feel it in others, and we can be moved by it, but we have to talk around it to �get it. �Presence comes from knowing who you are � and being comfortable with it. When you have presence, people can tell where you�re coming from. They can see not only what you do, but how you do it.

When leaders with executive presence speak, people listen. Think Rudy Giuliani on September 11, or Police Chief Charles Moose addressing the cameras during the recent sniper events. These are people who command our attention and respect, and inspire trust. Yet they do so in two very different ways, one very outspoken and animated, the other reserved, almost taciturn. The common element is being authentic, being real.



People with presence, says Kathy Lubar, a Cambridge, Massachusetts, consultant, �have a sense of congruence about them � their voice, body, emotions, words and energy all work together.� Considering that research has shown that between 70 and 90 percent of all communication is nonverbal, it�s surprising how many executives focus only on the verbal part of their communications � the content � with minimal thought as to how they use their voice, their body, and the physical space they occupy.

Stuart Heller, in his book Retooling on the Run, writes about the different kinds of presence: physical, mental, emotional, and kinesthetic. Presence is more than just showing up. �Being present with all of yourself is fundamental to effective action�.When you lose active awareness of any part of yourself, you sacrifice presence and diminish your capacity for action.� The kinesthetic aspect of presence � the experience you have of your body � is often the one you lose touch with most readily. Little wonder, then, that we refer to the wandering of attention as an �out-of-body experience.�