Presence - you have one but what is it? A Two Minute Blog

The context
A coaching client was told by his boss that he needed "more presence" in order to get to the next level of the organization.In this situation I had a suspicion that "more presence" was code from the boss for "be more like me". However there is no doubt we all individually bring something of ourselves every time we walk into a room, or attend a meeting, or interact with another person. We provoke some form of reaction in others. Peter Bluckert sees presence as "bringing who you are to what you do".

So what?
So what impact do you have on others? Do you bring energy or suck it away? Do you draw people towards you or put them off approaching you? Do you seem open or closed? One of us or apart from us?

Most of us will have two responses to the above questions. The first is that we kind of know the answers about our presence but are not 100% sure. The second is that how we are will depend on the situation.

The call to action
To really get a handle on your presence you have to ask others about it. You may know 70% but by asking others you will get validation on what you know and you will also probably hear a few things you are not fully aware of (nice things too!)

So go find 3 or 4 people you trust and ask yourself and them the following questions (borrowed from Dr. Geoff Pelham):


What is my presence?

What do I evoke in people?

What would extend my range?

Only by learning about how we impact others can we be intentional about how we show up to different people in different situations. It allows the possibility of range and repertoire while still being authentic to ourselves.

Be curious, be brave!