Barbara Busey

Show up. Show energy. Show off.
Projecting the Power of Presence

When a client recently called on me to help her strengthen her presence, we started with a definition from a book about, of all things, the archetypes of ancient indigenous peoples. In the book The Four-fold Way*, author Angeles Arrien explains that there are three universal powers essential to the “Warrior” or “leader” archetype:
(1) The Power of Communication
(2) The Power of Position
(3) The Power of Presence

I found the definition of “presence” in this context to be one of the most relevant I’ve ever seen. Arrien’s research revealed that indigenous societies recognized this capacity called “presence” as “choosing to be present and visible.” You exhibit the power of presence by bringing forward all four of the intelligences: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. She says, “When we choose to ‘show up’ energetically, with all four intelligences, we express the power of presence.”

Let’s analyze the three components here and see how they conspire to impact our presence:

(1) Choosing to be present and visible.
We’ve all been guilty of drifting off, of having our mind wander, instead of paying attention. We’re “not all there.” And, as long as we’re nothing but a bump on a log, we have no power because we’re not contributing anything. In order to project the power of presence, your presence needs to add value. Pay attention to yourself in meetings, in conversations, at social gatherings, in a classroom. Identify whether or not your presence is adding value. How do you do that?

A couple of years ago, a client contacted me with a great deal of concern over a new job with a large corporation. Not only did she know nothing about the business and feel clueless about the subtleties of corporate culture, but she was an immigrant for whom English was not her first language. She felt lost, embarrassed, and certain that they would fire her within weeks once they knew how utterly ignorant she felt. I assured her I had the perfect solution to her dilemma. I could make her feel more comfortable and confident, could boost her esteem in the eyes of her colleagues and supervisors, and could, by default, improve the power of her presence. All in two words: Ask questions.

I told my client she would accomplish four things by following my advice.

(1) She would show her associates that she was genuinely interested in learning, a real crowd pleaser in a business environment.

(2) She would, as a result, actually learn things that would speed up her acclimation to the new culture.

(3) She would make those she asked feel important and helpful and special as they shared the benefit their knowledge; and that, in turn.

(4) Would result in positive feelings about her.

This young woman found that advice transforming. And in a little over a year, she has been promoted twice to bigger responsibilities. Because she asked questions, her presence added value—and enhanced her value.

What are other ways you can add value with your presence? Aside from not being negative—complaining, blaming, criticizing, arguing—more positive contributions would include things like listening actively (hearing both content and intent), responding appropriately to other people’s comments (not with your agenda, but with an acknowledgement that you heard and understood them), asking meaningful questions, making suggestions, offering input, and praising others’ participation.

(2) Showing up with energy.
Energy, or enthusiasm, is a powerful attribute of presence. We generally don’t look to shy, reserved, “wallflower” types for leadership and guidance. People’s enthusiasm is contagious. It makes their presence motivating.

It’s worthwhile to note that credibility—or believability—includes three elements:

(1) Competence—your knowledge, experience, expertise;

(2) Trustworthiness—your honesty and reliability;

(3) Dynamism—your enthusiasm and passion.

Keep in mind that you may possess the knowledge and be scrupulously honest, but if you don’t possess that third element, dynamism, people may not perceive you as credible. So showing up with energy is crucial—it reflects on your credibility and impacts your presence.

(3) Bringing forward all four intelligences: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual.
I can’t do anything about your mental intelligence, and your spiritual intelligence is your own personal journey. But physical and emotional aptitudes are learnable and improvable.

Physical presence is everything people see about you. It is composed of: your posture, facial expressions, hairstyle and grooming, clothing choices, gestures, physique, and vocal qualities.

Emotional presence is how you handle yourself and others. It includes everything from your social graces, presentation power, and people skills to your teamwork, dining manners, and tech etiquette. Popularized by Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional Intelligence**, the term EQ (Emotional intelligence Quotient) refers to people’s ability to collaborate, network, socialize, negotiate, and cooperate—qualities crucial to success.

So show up. Show energy. Show off—your intelligences. You’ll be projecting the power of presence.