Hi, everyone, 

Let's talk about presence. 

"I'm speaking. Mr Vice President, I'm speaking." This firm response was repeated at least four times by Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris over the course of the 90-minute debate last week. By the end of the debate, "I'M SPEAKING" was trending on Twitter with over 44,000 tweets quoting Senator Harris' words.

Harris reminded viewers that women in leadership roles walk a tightrope wound with societal expectations of decorum for women.

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP

The conversation about obstacles female leaders face is nothing new. Social science has identified a likeability penalty: while male leaders are rewarded for being strong, assertive, and direct, women are judged on their likeability. In the case of Senator Harris, she was respectful, she was commanding, she was prepared, and she was a great role model for what it means to access personal power, or what Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy refers to as “presence”. To have presence, Cuddy advocates, means to stop worrying about the impression we’re making on others and instead adjust the impression we’re making on ourselves in order to approach challenging situations with your biggest boldest self.

THE WEEKLY FLOURISH

(Article, 3 Minutes)
5 Strategies to Stop Coworkers From Interrupting You All the Time

So what does it mean to have presence when you’re in a situation when you’re repeatedly interrupted? Interruptions are unpleasant and can be damaging, particularly for professional women. And yet, with a few simple tips you can actually use the occasion to shine. This excellent Fast Company article outlines five simple strategies to regain control after you’ve been interrupted. Here are a few of our favorites to tuck in your back pocket today: 

• Speak strongly. Make it difficult - jarring even - for somebody to have the opportunity to interject and cut you off.

• Just keep talking. Remember, they interrupted you! So go ahead and finish that thought.

• Stay in the conversation. Let’s say the interrupter manages to claim the stage. Once the other person finishes, come back to your original thought. You want to show you haven’t been undone by the interruption. 

GREATNESS TAKES GUIDANCE

In Activate, you’ll learn to lead with presence. Over the course of 8 weeks, you’ll have access to proven frameworks that lead to more effective communication plus the opportunity to practice those skills during LIVE group coaching with myself. It’s amazing what simple tweaks to our body language, mind-set, and ability to access our personal power can do for both our professional and personal lives. 

What’s on your mind this week? 

Speak to us. We’re always listening. 

— Carrie & Team Leadology