Having impact and owning the room

- When I was early in my career, I got a large promotion. It was two positions more senior than the level I had been. My boss informed me that whilst it was unusual for someone to jump up this many levels, she was convinced I would be able to do it, not because of my specialisms in the field, but because of my ability to, as she phrased it, "Own the room." She said that whilst I still had many skills to learn, I'd already developed the most important, of being able to command a room of senior stakeholders, get buy-in from my ideas and communicate compellingly. I was surprised, but humbled, and took the opportunity and gave it my best shot. What became more and more apparent as my career developed was that whilst I was not an expert at systems or processes, I was an expert at presence. I was an expert at walking into a room and commanding attention. Put it this way. I come from a large family with four older brothers where we were all constantly fighting for either food, attention, or often both. I went to stage school and grew up dancing. So without really knowing it, I'd spent an entire lifetime learning to be seen amongst all the noise. Fortunately, this is not a talent that is uniquely mine. It's not a fixed trait that some people just do or do not have. It's a skill, a learned ability, I would then apply in different situations. So how can you make sure that when you enter a room, whether that is physical or virtual, that your voice is heard? I got you. First is your body language. So what are you communicating non-verbally? Are you entering a room and projecting that you feel comfortable and in control. Are you taking up space? Roll your shoulders back and hold your head high. Visually articulate that you are absolutely worth listening to. Secondly, be mindful of your thoughts before you enter meetings. Early in my speaking career, I would sit in the audience before my presentation, thinking about all the difficult questions people were going to ask me. I would run through all the reasons in my head as to why they wouldn't trust me or wouldn't believe me. As a result, I became defensive and annoyed with the audience at the imaginary questions I had convinced myself they were going to ask. Instead, remind yourself of how capable you are. Play out in your head your previous wins. Acknowledge your expertise in the job that you have been hired to do. Go into a situation thinking it will go your way. And whilst of course we can never control external outcomes, it will increase your presence in that moment. Lastly, use your voice if you're able to, really use it. Your voice is likely the most powerful tool you been given. An exercise I learned at stage school to improve projection, was to speak with the intention of my voice hitting the back wall. Whilst we don't want to shout, don't be afraid to project. Breathe into your lower diaphragm and practice, noticing what happens when you picture your voice carrying throughout a whole room. Notice how you enter spaces when you feel confident, or observe how those you admire project themselves and allow yourself, even if just for a few moments, to truly embody that. Good luck.