In St Tropez harbour a wizard sits suspended above a mooring bollard in front of a glamorous yacht. I know it's a trick - but he definitely has "presence".
Presence is necessary to participate effectively in meetings. You don't have to levitate but sitting at the back and not being listened to even if you have a great idea or the solution to a problem is no good.
I remember a partner in a merchant bank joining a meeting full of lawyers and bankers. He sat quietly in the background listening until he understood the problem. Then he pulled his chair forward and offered a solution. He had a kind of natural presence that made everybody listen.
We can't all be gifted with such natural presence but we can achieve presence. One idea is to make sure when you join the meeting that you make yourself heard at the start. I joined one meeting which was quite hostile and talked about visiting Japan as I gave out my business card which had my name in Japanese as well as English. Later when you need to make your point the others will recognise you and give you space to speak. And once you have the floor people will generally listen, at least the decision makers who matter will.
Presence is necessary to participate effectively in meetings. You don't have to levitate but sitting at the back and not being listened to even if you have a great idea or the solution to a problem is no good.
I remember a partner in a merchant bank joining a meeting full of lawyers and bankers. He sat quietly in the background listening until he understood the problem. Then he pulled his chair forward and offered a solution. He had a kind of natural presence that made everybody listen.
We can't all be gifted with such natural presence but we can achieve presence. One idea is to make sure when you join the meeting that you make yourself heard at the start. I joined one meeting which was quite hostile and talked about visiting Japan as I gave out my business card which had my name in Japanese as well as English. Later when you need to make your point the others will recognise you and give you space to speak. And once you have the floor people will generally listen, at least the decision makers who matter will.
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