Delivery & Voice
Executive Presence
Project authority, competence, and leadership through vocal delivery, body language, and content choices.
What & why
This is a cluster of signals (vocal, verbal, non-verbal) that our brains are evolutionarily wired to interpret as competence, authority, and trustworthiness. A speaker with executive presence reduces uncertainty for the audience, making them feel they are in capable hands.
Before & after
“Um, I think maybe we could possibly consider trying to, uh, look into this issue if everyone's okay with that?”
“Based on the data, I recommend we reallocate budget to address this immediately. I'll take responsibility for implementation and report back Friday.”
When you’ll use it
Leading high-stakes meetings with senior executives and board members
Representing the organization in external conferences and media appearances
Managing crisis communications and difficult conversations
Building influence and authority in competitive professional environments
Pro tip
Speak with conviction, take ownership, use declarative statements over questions.
Questions & answers
3 questionsLearn more
Practice this concept
Practice your delivery
Record yourself speaking and get AI feedback on pace, fillers, clarity, and the parts of your delivery an audience actually notices.