Crystal's Notes 15 March

The most powerful person in the room is the most comfortable person. When you’re confident in your own skin, it shows in everything you do.

Some tips:

• Be concise and get to the crux of the issue. Don’t overexplain, ramble or repeat.

• Learn to read the room and build connection. If you’re presenting, pause now and then to breathe and smile, and ask if anyone has questions. Make eye contact, and don’t only look at certain people habitually.

• Be aware of your body language . Recording and watching yourself speak really helps.

• Cultivate a sense of humour!

• Speak early in a meeting. The later you wait to speak, the harder it gets for you to overcome self-doubt. It also becomes harder to influence the room.

• Prepare before meetings. Have something of worth to say, or have an interesting insight prepared and ready to go.

I’m largely self-taught and have learnt a great deal through observation, but along the way, I’ve also received valuable feedback from my mentor, Volker, on my speaking journey.

He pointed out that during public events, when someone asks me a question, I tended to laser beam my focus on them during my reply. This could make the rest of the room feel disconnected.

He taught me to be aware of my eye contact and energy, and to spread it over the room. For instance, I could ask for perspectives from the audience, or say something like, “Does anyone else relate to this?”

I also learnt the importance of distributing attention fairly, fostering connection, and creating a “tight container” where people feel safe, seen, and engaged. These are the very principles we teach in our Deep Human Facilitation workshop — the practical skills, tools, and mindsets to help you lead with confidence and create truly impactful experiences.

Having an executive presence is trusting in your worth and showing up with presence, and naturally commanding attention without needing to fight for it. If this is something you’re working on, remember that small shifts make a big difference. Whether it’s refining how you speak in meetings, setting stronger boundaries, or becoming more intentional in how you navigate workplace dynamics, these skills can be learnt.

To find out more about my online course to help you build career visibility and influence in a way that feels authentic, join the waitlist here.

Much love

Crystal