Professional Presence In A Pandemic World

 

What does having a professional presence look like in a world full of zoom calls, masks and working at home? 

Let’s start with presence. Presence is letting the most powerful version of yourself shine through. I like to cite the renowned leadership expert Sylvia Ann Hewlett, who defines “presence” as a combination of gravitas, communication, and appearance. Together, these elements form an impression of trustworthiness, competence, and authenticity.

Now let’s look at professionalism. Many people tie this to how one dresses. But it is more than that. It is confidence, communication and how you dress. 

Confidence. If you want to learn how to be more confident, you must be willing to change your state. Your state is essentially your mood at any given time of day. Your mood is influenced by how you feel about yourself at that point in time. The great news is you are in full control of your choice. Confidence is a matter of choice. You can let go of the stories you hold at any moment and create a new experience within yourself that will directly affect your state of mind and thus, your confidence.

Communicate. To communicate effectively, it’s important to regulate your reactions, recognize emotions in others, and manage your responses. Let other people speak first. Ask questions and make them feel understood. Remember to smile, make eye contact, and lean forward. By staying in the moment and maintaining focus on the conversation, you can ask the right questions and lay the foundation for trust and openness to your influence. 

Dress your part. There should be a strong connection between who you are, who you want to be, and how you look. If you want to be successful in the financial sector, for instance, you need to look like someone who understands and can be trusted with money. Identify the people who are successful where you work, and study how they put themselves together. Focusing on your appearance can also go a long way toward boosting your internal confidence.  Best,

Manal (This article was published first in the Locala Magazine Oct 2021 Issue on page 29)

How You Show Up Matters

 Some people are of the opinion and adage that how you show up matters. I am one of those people. 

If you want to be taken seriously, I believe you should dress the part. 

In a world where working at home is the new thing, it can also be easy to dress more casually. Though many people are still meeting in person, there is something to be said for looking great and feeling great in your clothes. It gives the wearer confidence and others believe that you care about your appearance. 

What I have found in talking to many professionals is that when you dress with confidence,  you also do a few other things. You keep your weight in balance. You will know if your best clothes are getting tight sooner than if you wear your more comfortable clothes. 

You walk and speak with confidence. There is nothing like a well groomed, well dressed professional who makes their presence known just by being who they are. 

You have that power too. So put aside the flip flops, shorts, tshirts, stretchy yoga pants. I am not saying get rid of those as all of those have their time and place too but in the professional part of your life in 2021, get gussied up. 

Gals put on your dresses, blouses, dress pants, skirts, dress up shoes and jewelry. Gents, iron your trousers, shirts, pull on your socks and buff up your shoes. 

I always feel great about myself when I do my self-care routine, fix my hair, and then dress for the day. 

You never know who you’ll run into and you always want to make a great first impression. Other people aside, you want to feel amazing every single day. 

You are worth the energy of showing up as your most powerful self.

Best,

Manal

Professional Presence in 2021

What does having a professional presence look like in a world full of zoom calls, masks and working at home? 

Let’s start with presence. Presence is letting the most powerful version of yourself shine through. I like to cite the renowned leadership expert Sylvia Ann Hewlett, who defines “presence” as a combination of gravitas, communication, and appearance. Together, these elements form an impression of trustworthiness, competence, and authenticity.

Now let’s look at professionalism. Many people tie this to how one dresses. But it is more than that. It is confidence, communication and how you dress. 

Confidence. If you want to learn how to be more confident, you must be willing to change your state. Your state is essentially your mood at any given time of day. Your mood is influenced by how you feel about yourself at that point in time. The great news is you are in full control of your choice. Confidence is a matter of choice. You can let go of the stories you hold at any moment and create a new experience within yourself that will directly affect your state of mind and thus, your confidence.

Communicate. To communicate effectively, it’s important to regulate your reactions, recognize emotions in others, and manage your responses. Let other people speak first. Ask questions and make them feel understood. Remember to smile, make eye contact, and lean forward. By staying in the moment and maintaining focus on the conversation, you can ask the right questions and lay the foundation for trust and openness to your influence. 

Dress your part. There should be a strong connection between who you are, who you want to be, and how you look. If you want to be successful in the financial sector, for instance, you need to look like someone who understands and can be trusted with money. Identify the people who are successful where you work, and study how they put themselves together. Focusing on your appearance can also go a long way toward boosting your internal confidence. 

Best,

Manal