Selection

I was browising books to read on my commute home, and came across Creating Personal Presence by Dianna Booher. One of the topics often discussed in business is an executives presence. The ability to control a room, captivate an audience, and most importantly lead. I thought this one might provide some additional insight.

I did feel as though I was picking up a self help book. When I begin reading I found I was looking over my shoulders to make sure no one was looking at the title. However, within the first couple of pages, the author assured me that by picking up this book I was showing qualities of a leader; seeking help, information. I wasn't convinced.

Main Points

The book breaks down personal presence into the the following topics:

• Look - Physical Appearance
• Talk - Word Choice, Voice Tone, Emotion
• Think - Strategically, On Your Feet
• Act - With Integrity, Humility

Was it great?

No, the topics are what I would expect when talking about presence. The author discuss each by providing coaching examples of how she has applied specific techinques to each of the above. It was easy to read, but the book mentions the author consulting firm at least once a chapter(or so it seems). Over self promotion shuts me down.

Takeaways

A couple of points I well take with me are: * Presence and compusre matter * Presence and leadership are often synonmous * When responding on your feed remember SEER:

* S Summary - Summarize your answer, opion, or update in a sentence
* E Elaboration - Elaborate with the reasons, data, criteria, explanations, or whatever supports your summary
* E Example - Provide an illustration or anecdote to connect emotionally and make your response memorable. The more concreate and specific, the better
* R Restatement Restate your answer in a sentence

And the last thing I will takeaway is the name of the authors firm...booher...booher! Now I am promoting her I. I guess her subliminal messages worked.

Funny Bits

In the section on look. The author displays pictures of people doing an action; folding legs, crossing arms, etc. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw one of the actions was I am attracted to you. Which displayed a women looking over one of her shoulders. The picture and description felt out of context and I struggled to find the context. All I could think of was this: {<1>}