Archive for July, 2009
Can anybody have presence?
There is one question I can guarantee I will be asked when I am running courses on presence: How can you teach someone presence? Isn’t it just something you have or don’t have?
I would reply by first of all exploring a definition of presence which usually includes: standing out in a crowd, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, the ability to calmly and confidently influence a discussion.
It seems that presence can be defined as an energy – think of Barack Obama. An energy which sets him apart. So if we want to acquire that, we have to define it further. How does that energy manifest itself?
Steady and direct eye contact, controlled movement without nervous fidgeting, a confident smile, open and relaxed body language, a compelling and resonant voice…and so on.
So if we seek to increase our presence in any situation – for example when chairing a meeting, making a presentation or being interviewed for a job – then it is necessary to be aware of the technical skills that can be developed.
So in answer to the question, ‘Can anybody have presence’, the answer is a resounding yes. But there are skills and capabilities which have to be developed and practised to achieve this.
Why do they always ask about your weaknesses at interviews?
It does seem to be the question dreaded most by interviewees: ’so tell me what you consider your weaknesses to be.’
As with all interview questions, the place to start is to imagine what it is they are trying to discover. Contrary to what most people think – interview questions are not designed to torture us – but to get important information.
So an awareness of your weaknesses would show a general self-awareness, and also the desire to develop and change. Anyone who thinks they have no weaknesses is not going to be great at taking feedback.
It is important though to select your weakness with care. “I steal things” is not going to put you to the top of the list of candiates…
So think of a weakness that could also be seen as a covert strength. And also make sure you say how you are working at overcoming the weakness. For example:
‘I pay a great attention to detail which sometimes in the past has meant I’ve lost a sense of the bigger picture. So now I make sure I always keep the big picture clear in my mind.’
‘I work very fast and demand a great deal of myself. Sometimes this has caused conflict with colleagues when they have struggled to keep up to my pace. I realise now that everyone has their own speed and style of working and that working in a team means that people contribute in different ways.’
So make sure you have taken some time to brainstorm your qualities – both positive and negative, so that you will never be thrown by the ‘What’s your weakness?’ question again.