The 3 Ps of Executive Presence for Women
Preparation Practice Presence
Ever noticed how someone can walk into a room and instantly command attention with their first five words? That magnetic quality isn't just luck or natural talent—it's a skill you can master too.
Landing our message clearly and succinctly creates impact.
Let's face it: in today's fast-paced world, we have too much other “noise” competing for our audience’s attention to do otherwise.
Whether you're speaking to colleagues in a boardroom, pitching to clients, or addressing a public audience, mastering the art of confident executive presence is essential for our influence.
Fortunately, this skill can be developed through what I call the "3 Ps" framework: Preparation/ Practice/ Presence.
Preparation: The Foundation of Confidence
We need to establish our confidence long before we utter our first word.
Thorough preparation goes far deeper than the words on your slide deck. It involves researching our topic, organising key points, creating a clear throughline, and anticipating questions that may be asked.
But what is as important is preparing our mind, body, and voice.
Here's a bookmark: over 90% of your communication happens beyond your words. When nervousness kicks in, what I call "emotional leakage" happens—those tiny tells that undermine your message: the fidgeting hands, the rising pitch, the rushed pace. If we only concentrate on writing our scripts these belie our confident message.
Before your next big presentation, try this complete preparation approach:
Find stillness in your mind through focused breathing exercises
Create flexibility in your body through gentle stretching
Build vocal strength through deliberate warm-up and projection exercises
When you prepare holistically, you're building confidence, strength and variety in our voice.
Practice: Setting your Leadership Behaviour
"I know my stuff, so I'll wing it"—how many times have you told yourself this? It’s often said get wisdom, but even more get understanding.
We learn by doing, and this isn’t solely through crafting our message. Knowledge alone isn't enough—it must be transformed into skilful delivery through deliberate practice.
When we physically and vocally practise our presentation, we create muscle memory in ourselves, which is essential for establishing executive presence. Practising sets it in our body and voice so that this part of our presentation becomes automatic, reducing our cognitive load and amplifying our presence.
We should rehearse our presentation multiple times, ideally in conditions that mirror the actual environment.
Try these practice power moves:
Record yourself speaking and watch it back (yes, we all hate how we sound, but push through!)
Practise in front of trusted colleagues who will give you honest feedback
Recreate the actual environment—stand if you'll be standing and use the tech you'll be using
Each repetition builds neural pathways that make your delivery more automatic and polished. Remember: getting it wrong creates the opportunity to get it right with practice!
Presence: The Power of Connection
The final P—presence—is what will up your game from adequate delivery to compelling action.
I always tell clients to think of their presentation as a dialogue rather than a monologue. That means being focused on the audience not trapped in your head in self-conscious rumination. The dialogue becomes “What do they need? How are they responding?” This audience-centered approach is transformative.
When you are fully in the moment —making genuine eye contact, adjusting your pace based on audience reactions, using purposeful gestures— you can create connection and trust, making your message more impactful and memorable.
Presence practices to try today:
Before speaking, ground yourself with three deep breaths
Pick friendly faces in different parts of the room to connect with
Use purposeful movement to emphasise key points
Your Executive Presence Journey
At Vermillion, empowering women to communicate with confidence, clarity and charisma, is more than a passion. We believe every woman deserves to be heard, respected, and remembered when she speaks.
Master these 3 Ps because they aren't just presentation techniques—they're leadership behaviours that will elevate how you're perceived in every professional interaction including one-on-one conversations.
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