Communication Skills

Congratulations, you’ve been sought out by the media to provide your experience and industry knowledge. Pause and think about the achievement. You’ve been chosen because you’re seen as an expert who can provide an insider’s view for their audience. As an interviewee, you have a perspective that few others do. So don’t panic. Take comfort in knowing that interview skills don’t come naturally to most people. Doing media interviews with polish, confidence, and ease is certainly something you can learn. As a communication coach, I’ve helped many professionals prepare for media appearances. Knowing what to expect and how to prepare effectively makes all the difference. Follow these media interview tips to ensure you’ll be able to speak confidently, be understood,

Every day, women face barriers at work… “I’m not heard.” “I speak up, but my contributions are ignored. Or appropriated.” “When I’m direct, I’m called a bitch.” “If I soft pedal, people tell me I’m weak and ineffective.” I often hear these kinds of statements from my clients. These statements are barriers to them being promoted. And they impede them from being perceived as having “executive presence.” In my twenties, I optimistically thought that by now women would have reached work parity. That everyone would recognize that leadership presence wasn’t something primarily found among men. Decades later, I realize how mistaken I was. Female executives (and all women leaders) know the unspoken rule—you’ll walk a tightrope, without a net. Whether

What is Executive Presence? Executive presence is hard to define. It’s filled with nuance. It’s judged less on logic than on emotion. But even if executive presence is a slippery concept, it’s real. So real that successful careers are built on it. Have you ever felt stung, passed over for an opportunity? Did you think to yourself, but I’m more qualified than they are.  Perhaps you rationalised that it’s because your colleague is such a smooth talker, but likely they were chosen because of their executive presence. Executive presence is the path to opportunity … especially plum opportunities that require others seeing you as confident, poised, and genuine. The good news is that you can develop your executive presence. You

What Is Executive Presence?  Who comes to mind when you think about executive presence? Public figures such as United States President Barack Obama; President of The European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde; Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, or media mogul Oprah Winfrey have the presence you expect from leaders. Although known as true leaders for their accomplished careers it’s not what they’ve done that defines them. It’s their presence. Their very being and essence. Their ability to command respect and influence people deeply.  Executive presence (or EP) is how others see you and the image you portray.  It embodies confidence, poise, and genuineness.  Executive presence is another’s perception of success…how a successful leader looks, speaks, and acts.  Executive presence is important

I got a shock when I returned to university. I was in my early 50’s and had naively thought that lecture hall dynamics would have changed since the decades before when I had sat in a classroom.  They hadn’t.  Taking into consideration the ratio of men to women, men held much more power in that cohort. There was one man for every ten women. The power dominance was a rude awakening.  I’ve worked in male dominated fields for most of my career. Usually in autonomous roles where I ran my own ship and managed small teams where I built strong relationships and collaborative teams. I felt heard and respected.  During the last decade working in the field of communication—as a