Leadership Presence In Virtual Meetings

Applying online is one of the slowest ways to land a job, so try this instead: Digital Proximity. This means being virtually near people at companies you want to work for and getting to know them. It's about building genuine connections in the digital space where these professionals spend their time. Here's how to leverage Digital Proximity: 🍊 Identify your target companies and the key people within them. 🍊 Research which online platforms these individuals frequent - whether it's LinkedIn, Slack, Discord, industry forums, or niche Facebook groups. 🍊 Engage meaningfully with them. Ask questions, share insights, and contribute to discussions. 🍊 Gradually build authentic relationships through thoughtful interactions and direct messages. Your next job is more likely to come through a person than a database. So by focusing on building relationships, you're not just seeking a job - you're creating a network that can propel your entire career forward. This approach requires more creativity and initiative than traditional job hunting, but is faster. You'll gain industry insights, expand your professional network, and position yourself for opportunities that may never be publicly advertised. And if you're ready to land more job offers your job search, I've created a free Job Shopping class that dives deeper into this strategy and other innovative job-seeking techniques. You'll find the link in the comments below! Have you ever used this type of strategy before? #Networking #JobSearch #CareerTips #Inspiration

Here’s a new phrase for you “PERSUASION BOMBING” - the tendency of an AI system to respond to scrutiny by increasing the intensity of its persuasive tactics rather than simply correcting its answer. 🤯   Or in other words: when you challenge the results given to you by an LLM, the AI responds to criticism with increasingly credible, logical, and emotionally compelling arguments which are designed to convince you it is right.    According to this fascinating new study, researchers analysed over 4,300 prompts related to real business problems where consultants were trying to validate the AI’s output in three ways:   🔎 Fact-checking (“Review your work.”) 🤷🏻♂️ Exposing inconsistencies (“This doesn’t make sense…”) 🙅🏽 Pushing back (“I disagree with your conclusion…”)   Instead of simply correcting itself… GPT’s often became a better advocate for its original answer. What is really interesting is that they use Aristotle’s three classic forms of persuasion: Ethos, Logos, Pathos, outlined in his paper Rhetoric from around 335BC!   ⚖️ “Ethos” – The Credible Argument The AI strengthened its own credibility. Apologised. Explained its reasoning. Talked about how carefully it had analysed the data. And then projected competence.   🧠 “Logos” – The Logical Argument It produced more comparisons, statistics, more structured arguments, and more evidence, making the response felt increasingly rational.   ♥️ “Pathos” – The Emotional Argument The AI became warmer. It mirrored the user’s language, reassuring and affirming, creating a feeling of collaboration.   This paper is fascinating from a STORYTELLING and comms perspective because it argues that GPT's use all three forms of persuasion. It doesn’t just make logical arguments (logos). When challenged, it also tries to increase trust in itself (ethos) by apologising, explaining its process, and emphasising its careful analysis, and it builds rapport through affirming and mirroring the user (pathos). Rhetoric, like AI, is a tool which can be used for good (to give a great talk) or bad (political manipulation). And like AI, rhetoric is subject to the ethics and morals of the person using it.   If you’ve got a moment, the paper is well worth a read, as it might completely change the way that you interpret whatever your favourite LLM is telling you.  

Think about the last presentation you sat through. Do you remember anything from it? Probably not. Most presentations fail because they are: ❌ Overloaded with bullet points ❌ Devoid of emotion ❌ Data dumps with no clear story The good news? You can make your presentation unforgettable with these 7 simple shifts: 1. Start with a Hook, Not an Intro Most presenters begin with "I'm excited to be here today..." and lose the audience immediately. Fix: Grab attention from the start. Example: “Your company is losing $10M a year—and you don’t even know why.” 2. Tell a Story, Not Just Data People remember stories, not statistics. Instead of listing facts, wrap them in a compelling narrative. Fix: Use the “Problem → Struggle → Solution” technique. Example: "Before using our system, Sarah’s team spent 3 hours a day on reports. She tried different tools, but nothing worked—until she found our solution. Now? Just 15 minutes a day." 3. Use Contrast & Surprise The brain is wired for novelty. If your presentation sounds predictable, people will tune out. Fix: Vary your tone, pace, and visuals. Drop in an unexpected question, statistic, or pause to keep them engaged. 4. Say Less, Mean More Too much information overloads the audience. They’ll remember nothing. Fix: Cut the fluff. Stick to one core message per slide, per section, per speech. 5. Make It Visual Bullet points don’t inspire. Images and metaphors do. Fix: Instead of saying “Our product is faster,” show a race car next to a bicycle. 6. End with a Bang, Not a Fizzle Most presentations end with “Thank you” and no real impact. Fix: Leave them with one key idea and a clear next step. Example: “If you only take away one thing today, let it be this…” 7. Master the Pause Most speakers talk too fast and leave no room for ideas to sink in. Fix: Silence is power. Pause after key points to let them land. 💡 A great presentation isn’t about information—it’s about transformation. Make your next one impossible to forget. What’s the most memorable presentation you’ve ever seen? Drop a comment below! ⬇

After analyzing hundreds of the world's most iconic speeches and presentations, I discovered a presentation framework that changed my life... I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in my office mapping this presentation framework over famous speeches like Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and Steve Jobs’s presentation of the first iPhone. Over and over, these iconic presentations DIRECTLY aligned with this framework. It was so startling that I actually cried (a little). This discovery changed everything for Duarte and led to the creation of a framework that’s at the core of our business. We call it the Presentation Sparkline™. Whether you’re launching a new product, you’re trying to close a big contract, or you’re giving a keynote, this framework delivers results. …and it has for (literally) hundreds of years. Here’s how you can begin using it for your next high-stakes presentation: 1. Start by acknowledging your audience's current reality (make THEM the hero). Begin your presentation by describing specific challenges your audience faces, using their language and perspective. Interview stakeholders beforehand to understand their frustrations, concerns, and goals so you can reflect these accurately. This demonstrates you understand their world before attempting to change it. 2. Create a stark contrast between this status quo ("what is") and the future they desire ("what could be"). Paint a vivid picture of what success looks like after implementing your idea or solution, focusing on concrete benefits and outcomes. Use sensory language that helps your audience feel, see, and experience the transformation you're proposing. Make this future state emotionally compelling, not just logically sound. 3. Toggle between these states throughout your presentation to create the BIGGEST possible gap between them. Deliberately alternate between describing pain points and their corresponding solutions throughout your presentation, rather than grouping all problems at the beginning and solutions at the end. This helps create tension and builds up your audience’s desire for the future you’re painting. 4. End with a clear choice: remain in the status quo or take action toward transformation. Conclude by framing a specific decision point that puts the power in your audience's hands. Make the call-to-action concrete and immediate - something they can do within the next 24-48 hours to start moving toward the "what could be" state. Remind them what's at stake if they choose inaction. Remember: Your presentation is only as effective as the action it inspires. And I’ve seen this framework deliver time and time again. P.S. I have a YouTube video where I break this framework down in far greater detail. I left a link in the comments. #BusinessStorytelling #CommunicationSkills #PresentationSkills

In a world where attention is fleeting and virtual fatigue is real, how can you successfully host online events? Here are 9 essentials to keep in mind: 1. Start with a Compelling Opening Your opening should grab attention, set the tone, build anticipation and give people a reason to stay. 2. Make Eye Contact Look directly into the camera to create a sense of connection. If you're using a teleprompter or script, keep it at eye level to maintain that engagement. 3. Mind Your Facial Expression People are paying close attention to your face. They can see when you’re smiling, or when you appear bored, upset, or frustrated. Be conscious of your expression. 4. Manage Your Energy Your energy drives the entire experience. If you seem disengaged or flat, your audience will tune out. 5. Build Emotional Connections Use personal stories, relatable examples, and analogies. These human elements help your message resonate on a deeper level. 6. Engage the Audience Make your audience part of the experience. Use polls, Q&A, or chat prompts to keep them actively involved. 7. Be Clear and Concise Attention spans online are shorter. Get to the point quickly, and use clear language. 8. Use Visual Aids and Multimedia Use images, short videos, graphics, and animations that support your message. However, don’t overload your slides with text. 9. Check Your Tech Setup Poor lighting, audio, camera quality, or an unstable internet connection can lead to frustration and reduced participation. Test in advance. Hope this helps. I’m Temi Badru, a professional event MC for physical, virtual, and hybrid events. I also train individuals and teams in public speaking and effective communication. #temibadru #voicesandfaces #eventhost #mc #moderator #speaker #events

Is your leadership's management philosophy stuck in the 1960s? Let's redefine it: Leadership by Being Engaged. The concept of "management by walking around" came from Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard (HP founders) in the 1960s, popularized by Tom Peters in 1982, and gets used today to describe what's missing in #remote work. "The expected benefit: by random sampling of events or employee discussions, managers are more likely to facilitate improvements to the morale, sense of purpose, productivity and and quality... compared to remaining in a specific office area, or the delivery of status reports." The literal concept doesn't work if your managers have people who are working in multiple locations, now the majority case. 60 to 80% of all "enterprise" company managers now have #distributed teams. 100% of Fortune 500 Execs have teams that are #distributed today, according to Atlassian (kudos Molly Sands, PhD). #RTO mandates rooted in this philosophy are trying to return to a world that no longer exists. Leaders need a both/and approach. Get employees together to jump-start #belonging, and build better #culture and #performance by being involved in the digital #collaboration tools that your teams use every day. Let's redefine a philosophy rooted in co-location into one for the #digital age. Four starting points for leaders looking to get digitally engaged: 🔸 Increase transparency. Internal transparency around clear goals and realistic progress against them drives focus on outcomes, and builds trust. 🔸 Get engaged in the work. Execs need to stop saying "Teams/Slack etc are for the kids; you'll find me in email" and get into the tools people use every day to work through account issues, project updates, and problem solving. 🔸 Participate in digital communities. Social forums at work build belonging. That cuts across everything from an Abilities ERG to Sneakerheads. Finding community at work boosts retention; even leaders need to find that. 🔸 Get a reverse mentor. Being available and engaged digitally can feel foreign as a leader, and initially scary to a team. Find a digital native in your organization who can coach you! What's your take? Retire the phrase, or revive an important concept?

In today's interconnected world, virtual networking has become an essential tool for professionals seeking to expand their horizons and forge meaningful connections. As we navigate through digital spaces, the ability to make a great first impression is more important than ever. So, how can you ensure that you leave a lasting impact in the virtual realm? Let's delve into some strategies that can elevate your professionalism and make you stand out in virtual networking events. Before diving into any virtual networking event, take the time to curate your digital persona. This encompasses everything from your profile picture to your bio and even your background. In virtual networking, active engagement is key to making a memorable first impression. Take the initiative to introduce yourself to others in the event, utilizing features such as chat boxes or breakout rooms to initiate conversations. Remember to actively listen to what others have to say, offering meaningful contributions and fostering authentic connections. One of the most effective ways to make a great first impression in virtual networking is by showcasing your expertise. Share valuable insights, industry knowledge, or relevant experiences that highlight your unique perspective and capabilities. The true value of virtual networking lies in the follow-up. After the event, take the time to follow up with individuals you connected with, whether it's through a personalized email, LinkedIn message, or virtual coffee chat. Lastly, remember mastering the art of virtual networking requires a combination of preparation, engagement, expertise, and follow-up. By implementing these strategies, you can make a great first impression that resonates with your audience and sets the stage for fruitful relationships and professional growth. So, the next time you find yourself in a virtual networking event, seize the opportunity to showcase your professionalism and leave a lasting impact. Your future self will thank you for it. #virtualnetworking #professionalism #networkingtips #expertiseshowcase #careergrowth #businessnetworking National University of Singapore

I succeeded as an executive in part because I knew how to command a room. Today, it’s not enough to show up strong in person. Here are 3 ways to build a strong video presence: Note: video presence isn’t just for people aiming for leadership roles. Video interviews are the default, so presence on video matters to anyone looking for a new job. Here are three direct actions I recommend to increase your online hireability: 1) Image and Location Don’t take video calls from the car or train, and turn your camera on. Make sure you are in a quiet, peaceful location with a neutral backdrop. You don’t need to be in a professional studio, but your environment should say “I am taking this seriously.” Practical truths: --If it is a small call and you already have credibility with everyone on it, you can get away with the occasional call from bad locations. Make this choice intentionally and sparingly. --You can go off camera only when you are truly a lurker, with no expectation of being asked anything or needing to say anything. You cannot have presence as a black screen. 2) Be animated Make eye contact, use gestures and facial expressions, and don’t speak in a monotone. If you want people to be engaged with what you are saying, you also need to be engaged. 3) Enjoy the conversation and be present If it seems like you would rather be somewhere else, your team (or the interviewers) will notice. They will be less compelled to support you, work for you, or hire you. Your energy and excitement is a lever- use it. In today’s newsletter, startup founder Simran Dua has packed in pages of specific tips for how she projected presence as the new CEO of a team just as COVID forced everyone onto Zoom. She explains how to inject your virtual meetings with more energy for you and the team, how to get engagement from the group (and avoid the dreaded Zoom silence), and how to structure each piece of the meeting (including your background) for maximum impact. The piece is filled with tactical advice that you can begin using in your meetings today. Find the article here: https://lnkd.in/gZfS9HB9 Readers- What is the biggest virtual meeting mistake you regularly see?

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁” 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲. That version of executive presence is outdated. Today, the leaders people trust are often the opposite. Smart casual. Human. Clear. Able to speak with sincerity instead of performance. In my Executive Presence session with the National University of Singapore CXO Programme, we explored how presence is no longer about sounding impressive. It is about being understandable. Not jargon. Not corporate theatre. Not trying to sound intelligent. But speaking in a way people can actually connect with. The leaders who hold attention today are often the ones who: • tell stories instead of presenting slides • simplify complexity instead of amplifying it • speak like humans instead of corporate templates • remain grounded instead of performing status But the deepest form of executive presence is not communication. It is 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆. Teams watch: * Do your actions match your words? * How do you behave under pressure? * How do you handle disagreement? * How do you treat people when things go wrong? Trust is built in consistency. And lost in contradiction. One principle I shared during class: “𝘼𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.” Healthy disagreement is necessary. Diverse views create better thinking. But when conflict escalates publicly inside meetings, leaders often damage morale without realising it. * People stop contributing. * Sides begin forming. * Psychological safety drops. Strong leaders know when to continue debate in the room, and when to step outside privately to resolve tension before it infects the culture. Executive presence is not dominance. It is the ability to create trust, clarity, calm, and movement in a room. And to me, increasingly in the AI era, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺? I’d love to hear your perspective! #Leadership #Speaker #Coach #Coaching #LeadByDesign #ExecutivePresence #Communication #StoryTelling #Trust #FutureOfLeadership National University of Singapore