Discussion

Executive Presence and Communication Skills

Your executive presence and communication abilities have grown by leaps and bounds this term. Outside of this course, you have so many opportunities to expand both of these skillsets. You can enhance your personal brand by maintaining an active blog, for instance. You can also demonstrate your skills at work by hosting workshops on skill development. Considering the course materials for this week, reflect on your own skills. Use the prompts below to organize your thoughts:

• Reflecting on your first video in the course, what changes did you make for Assignment 3 to improve your executive presence?
• What have you learned this term about how you communicate in the workplace? Include both positive and negative aspects of your communication style. 
• Going forward, what steps will you take to expand your communication skills and executive presence?

Post your initial response by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates’ initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone.​

1st response

 Laquita Mitchell RE: Week 10 DiscussionCOLLAPSE

Hi Professor and Class,

In Assignment 1, I was extremely nervous, but with Assignment 3, I relaxed more and enjoyed my presentation. I was speaking on a topic that I am familiar with, which helped me to relax also. I also felt confident delivering a strong message while being relatable and telling a story that would resonate with the audience. For Assignment 1, I was also more concerned about not exceeding the time limit. Even though I had to forward the PowerPoint manually, I am not too close to the camera. In Assignment 1, I was too close to the camera, so my hand movements were not clear. Before taking this class, I struggled with my confidence level, and one of the things I wanted to improve was my confidence. Having to submit videos coupled with the presentations I attend at work; has helped me become more comfortable speaking with groups of people.

I have learned to lead by example and to speak with honesty and be authentic. Since we are all working remotely, I will call an employee that I have not had the opportunity to get to know and generate small conversations, to get to know them. We also have zoom meetings that we call Watercooler talk, which is randomly selected employees that are grouped, and we ask questions that would help us get to know one another on a personal level. It is crucial to have eye contact and to be present. I am always present at meetings and on time. Most importantly, I must continue to be deliberate. I will give more thought to the things that I say and do instead of speaking freely without understanding the consequences.

The steps that I will take to expand my communication skills and executive presence will be to continue working on my confidence and gain as much knowledge as I can. I will also continue to get to know my teammates and move myself to the next level.

2nd Response

 
12 days agoMaria Reyes RE: Week 10 DiscussionCOLLAPSE

Executive Presence and Communication Skills

Improving my Executive Presence

Executive presence is one of the most important attributes one can have as an individual and a leader. It involves the ability to display a managed and confident image that warrants admiration from other people. Most people with executive presence attributes and excellent communication skills are considered outstanding leaders that can handle different situations (Carrion, 2021). Improving my executive presence required a few changes and considerations. To begin with, I changed my headshot and background image because I realized that first impressions matter when it comes to enhancing my executive presence. Since many people will be looking at my LinkedIn profile, I have to ensure that I have the right information. For example, I provided my background, character, and reasons for being passionate about the things I do. The headshot and background image is vital in presenting a first impression that improves my executive presence.

Another thing that I resorted to changing in assignment three was my narrative. Previously, I had not defined my narrative, which meant my executive presence was somehow weak. Defining one’s narrative is important because it provides people with an overview of who I am and my background information. I also considered writing this narrative in the first person as a strategy of humanizing myself, which keeps the audience active. Executive presence can be enhanced by exploring the narrative, which is in the ‘about section.’ In this sense, these two changes were necessary for assignment three to improve my executive presence.

Communication in the Workplace Lessons

I have learned several things regarding how I communicate in the workplace, including my positive and negative communication styles. First, I learned that effective communication in the workplace is important because it defines the outcome of different situations. Communicating poorly can impact the team members and even hinder the successful execution of tasks. Secondly, I learned that leaders play a significant role in workplace communication. During a crisis, the leaders are expected to develop a solution that solves the present issues effectively. Failure to communicate during a crisis or a change in the workplace may impact the working force negatively. Thus, communication must be effective at all times.

One positive aspect of my communication style is that I engage people when communicating. Instead of doing all the talking, I allow people to talk and contribute to the conversation. In other words, I have collaborative tendencies, which are good competencies for communicating with other people. Secondly, I also display logical reasoning when communicating with other people. Logical reasoning during communication is important because it helps avoid bias. Nonetheless, I also display negative elements in my communication style. For example, I tend to be very defensive when talking about certain things in the workplace. Defensiveness in communication presents an engagement challenge because I may brush off things other members have to say. I am working on this negative aspect to ensure I become a better communicator in the workplace.

Expanding Communication Skills and Executive Presence

Going forward, I intend to take several steps towards expanding my communication skills and executive presence. For example, I intend to engage other people with high energy levels. Engaging with people intensely allows me to develop my communication skills and executive presence because it helps me learn how to be confident, steady, and strong during communication (Joshi, 2019). Furthermore, analyzing how I show up to meetings and other places that require communication will help me prepare for how to communicate.

References

Carrion, E. (2021, January 24). How to Build your Executive Presence on LinkedIn. Retrieved 22 February 2021 from https://builtin.com/recruiting/best-tips-stand-out-LinkedIn

Joshi, M. (2019, September 10). Five Ways to Develop your Executive Presence. Retrieved 22 February 2021 from https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/leaders/5-ways-to-develop-your-executive-presence-20190723-p52a1r

Additional information

Take a deep breath and let it out. We are in Week 10, our last week, and all of your major assignments have been submitted. So, let’s relax, reflect, and enjoy our last week of learning together in this class.

You might enjoy this article as you prepare your topic:

“3 Areas You Need to Focus on to get “Executive Presence”” – Look at how this includes two things we have done a ton of work on this term – Communication and Confidence.

http://www.businessinsider.com/3-areas-you-need-to-focus-on-to-get-executive-presence-2013-2?MixPanelId=160be77a49b0-0468d8411-6a25300b-49a10-160be77a49d0

In your initial posting, please address:

• Reflecting on your first video in the course, what changes did you make for Assignment 3 to improve your executive presence?
• What have you learned this term about how you communicate in the workplace? Include both positive and negative aspects of your communication style. 
• Going forward, what steps will you take to expand your communication skills and executive presence?

Thanks,