Mastering Stage Presence: How to Present to Any Audience

Stage presence - the ability to connect powerfully and authentically with an audience - is something we often associate with performers. Great actors, musicians, and public speakers all seem to have it. But this same capacity is something we all need and use in many areas of life, both professional and personal. Any time you present yourself to others, whether in a speech, a public presentation, a meeting, an interview, a class, or a negotiation, your success depends on far more than the words you say. The ability to communicate, to inspire, or to convince is heavily influenced by the way you carry yourself, the way you speak, the way you express what you’ve decided to say, and the way you connect with your listeners and the space you’re in. In any situation where you present yourself, your way of being and interacting with your listeners - your presence - is equally as important as what you say. But is presence something you’re born, are there ways to develop it? Can be learned?