Professional Keynote Speakers in Colorado

While visiting Colorado as a professional keynote speaker, I delivered a speech on my most-requested topic: “Executive Presence.”

When the event organizers—a team of HR professionals—first reached out to me to request the speech, they had a number of questions:

• Is everyone capable of developing executive presence? If not, what key traits does someone need to have in order to grow it?
• If none of our leaders have truly mastered executive presence, who can aspiring leaders look to as a role model?
• If we ourselves don’t embody executive presence, how can we nurture it in others?

We talked at length about each of these questions, which I have often heard in my many years of experience as a professional keynote speaker. I assured the Colorado team that anyone with the skills to advance to the stage where they can contend for a leadership position can develop executive presence. It’s all about mastering a specific combination of skills and demeanor that commands respect and confidence from others.

Furthermore, even if you don’t have the right role models in your organization, a great executive trainer and speaker can teach leaders how to develop an executive presence that shows them that they belong at this new level in the company.

My answer to the third question—how to nurture executive presence in your leaders—was more complex. Here are a few tips:

• Give them opportunities to take on higher-profile projects, so they can stretch their capabilities and prove what they can accomplish. Challenge them to push their own limits.
• If they have great ideas and are articulate, invite them to the table at higher-level meetings. Their insights might bring a fresh perspective that benefits the whole organization.
• Provide them with quality executive coaching focused on improved leadership presence.

In my presentation on executive presence, I give leaders actionable advice on how to cultivate this trait within themselves. Here are a few key tips I give them:

• Build relationships throughout the organization—then you’ll feel comfortable and articulate in every situation, from team brainstorming sessions to high-level meetings. You’ll also grow your influence exponentially.
• Pitch your own ideas. If you’ve just been going along with ideas that your boss or others suggest, take more initiative and do it with confidence. If you feel like you’re faking that level of confidence, that’s fine! Everyone does at the beginning. Acknowledge that “imposter syndrome” is par for the course—you belong at the table as much as any leader there.
• Try to step outside of your comfort zone often. If you’re stagnating, set a goal of stepping out of your comfort zone at least once a week. Suggest an idea to a senior exec, or tackle a project that stretches your abilities.
• Find a stress-management technique that works for you. Even the most capable executives get stressed out. They just know how to conduct themselves in a way that keeps them from seeming frazzled and at their wit’s end. Use a breathing technique that calms you, for instance, and look for other ways to alleviate stress and help your creativity flow—for example, taking a walk midway through the day and learning to manage time better. As you manage your stress better, you’ll become calmer and clearer-headed even amid the inevitable storms of life.
• Make others feel good about themselves. By nurturing others’ growth, you’ll position yourself in a leadership role. Give people advice paired with genuine complements or words of gratitude—and practice your own motivational speaking skills!

As a motivational speaker, I catalyze lasting change that transforms budding leaders into commanding visionaries. Your people will be in capable hands when you enlist me as your keynote speaker or executive trainer. You’ll get a measurable return on investment due to the tremendous increase in morale and productivity that occurs when your leaders hone their executive presence.

Hire Joel Garfinkle for a speaking engagement. He is everything you need in a professional keynote speaker, whether you’re in Colorado or California. Consider reading his book Executive Presence as well, which will deliver a wealth of actionable insights on how to cultivate this vital skill set.