Executive Presence Tips to Speak With Authority in Any Room

You do not need the deepest voice or the tallest frame to own a room. Executive presence is a skill that can be learned at any stage of your career. Jamie McKinney's guest this week has spent more than a decade teaching it to Fortune 10 leaders, yet he developed those same skills himself as a self-described shy kid who once wanted to disappear.Jeff Davenport, an executive communication coach at Davenport Communications, joins the Leadership Lab to share how to build confidence in public speaking without faking a thing. He breaks down the opening framework he uses to earn an audience’s trust from the first sentence. It is a step many speakers skip when they begin with a topic instead of giving people a reason to listen.Jeff and Jamie also cover how to sound confident at work when your body wants to shrink instead of stand tall. He explains a simple physical reset borrowed from research on power poses, one that shifts your voice and posture in seconds, and shares a four-step approach to what to say when you don't know the answer, one that builds trust instead of exposing a gap.For anyone who wants to command a room without changing who they are, this conversation offers practical language and physical cues you can use in your very next meeting.Press play and start practicing before your next high-stakes moment.Episode Breakdown:00:00 Why Executive Presence Has Nothing to Do With Height or Volume03:07 The Shy Kid Who Became an Executive Communication Coach04:49 Why Imitating Great Speakers Builds Your Own Voice Faster07:31 The Top Button Rule for Opening Any Talk09:52 Empathy Authority Agenda for Audiences Who Do Not Speak Your Language12:32 The One Question That Should Drive Every Presentation15:07 How to Build Confidence in Public Speaking Before You Walk In17:00 Becoming the Subject Matter Expert in the Room18:02 A Four Step Script for What to Say When You Don't Know the Answer21:07 The Body Brain Feedback Loop for Instant Confidence24:00 How to Stop Mumbling With Your Hands and Take Up Space28:25 How to Stop Nervous Tells Like Shaking Knees30:46 The Three Ways People Show Up in a Room and Which One Wins33:21 What to Do the Moment You Make a Mistake39:11 Why Raising the Stakes in Your Head Makes You Worse Not Better42:21 Teaching the Next Generation of Women to Speak With Authority45:13 One Experiment to Practice Executive Presence This WeekAbout Jeff DavenportJeff Davenport has more than a decade of experience as an executive communication coach, acclaimed speechwriter, and keynote speaker. During a long stint at the legendary leadership communication agency Duarte and now at Davenport Communications, Jeff has worked with Fortune 10 C-suite executives, engineers, and sales teams, improving their communication skills. Whether he’s doing 1:1 coaching or leading dynamic workshops, Jeff helps diverse professionals enhance their communicative impact.Connect with Jeff Davenport:Visit ⁠the Davenport Communications website⁠Get Jeff's communication courseConnect with Jamie McKinney:⁠jamiemckinney.com/lab Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm