3 Lessons I learned on webucational programs in the last 20 months! Develop your Online Executive Presence

3 Lessons I learned on webucational programs in the last 17 months! Develop your Online Executive Presence

“The male lion isn’t the smartest animal in the jungle: great apes, elephants and parrots are all more intelligent. Nor is he the largest animal or, for that matter, the largest cat (the tiger is). He isn’t even the best hunter among his own pride; it’s his female mate that tracks and subdues prey. Why is the male lion considered the king of the jungle? Because he has the impressive mane and an even more impressive roar,” writes Harrison Monarth of New York Times.

He continues: “This doesn’t mean the lion is a fraud. If called upon, he can back up the roar in spades. However, what makes the lion special is the combination of genuine power with the image and the related behavior that effectively communicates that power to the world.”

If you need to be a lion, you need to adopt the same approach. That is your Executive Presence. And that’s what is needed in today's corporate jungle.

Today, your online executive presence is equally important. Your online appearance?includes everything there is about you online. And the goal is to make sure that that content sends the right message. Online executive presence is not equal to offline executive presence is what I have learned in the last 18 months! The future, as we just discussed, is phygital – hybrid. This is inevitable. Learning & development programs, cycle meetings, or seminars for doctors could be online. What you now need is an online executive presence.

You surely want participants in your webucational programs to be engaged, and participate at a high level. So first, ?ask yourself: “Am I ‘speaking with the audience’ or ‘speaking at the audience’? Am I monotonous? Is there warmth in my voice?”

Analyze your past recordings of webucational programs and introspect.

1. Are you “speaking AT” the audience or “speaking WITH” the audience?

If you are “speaking AT” the audience, you are lecturing them. You perhaps do not want them to respond. You send a silent message that you aren’t speaking for anyone’s benefit but your own. You are least interested whether the other person understands or not.

Now the perception of the listener is you speak because you like to hear yourself talk and often because you think you are superior to the other.

In other words, you are detaching from the audience.

“Speaking WITH” someone is different.

You engage with the other person. You are in a conversation.

You are exchanging ideas. You are listening and responding to one another. You are not assuming that you are superior to the other.

And this needs a lot of courage and humility.

2. Are you monotonous?

Do you sense that the audience is leaving the program? Avoid monotony.

You are monotonous when you pronounce all words with the same vocal power, with the same tone of voice, and at the same pitch. Varying or inflecting your pitch adds color and excitement to what you say.

To enliven your talk, pause before and after the word or phrase you want to stress. Pauses work wonderfully to create suspense, emphasis, to bridge ideas, and to transition between points.

And silence, by itself, is one of the most powerful tools in your speaking arsenal.

Literally “throw-away” unimportant words. Cut off the fat in the meat.

Prepare well before the webucation. Develop self-confidence. Self-confidence will add zest and energy. When speaking on a new subject, I rehearse at least 10-12 times.

3. Does your voice have warmth in it?

Your voice is your most powerful performance tool for motivating and engaging your online audience. How you sound when you speak will ensure either your success or failure.

When there is warmth in your voice, you sound energetic and friendly. And this sends positive vibes.

You show you are genuinely interested in the audience and want they must be benefitted.

Warmth will also include all the elements of tone, richness, pleasantness, and emotional connection that create the subtleties of human speech.

This will increase your likeability, credibility, and trustworthiness.

Warmth in your voice will convey that you are an expert in the subject. Speak with people, avoid a monotone and bring warmth in your voice.?These are some tips to enhance your online executive presence.

4. Does your online appearance in sync with the occasion?

Your online physical appearance matters a lot. This doesn’t mean you have to always be formally dressed. It should suit the occasion and the audience.

When you are delivering a keynote address, do don formal wear. Often, the organizers may ask you to have your own artificial background. The color of your shirt and trousers should blend with the color of the background.

Even otherwise, develop your own background but do not expose your home or office settings.

Take care of your facial expressions. It should display power and energy. Wear a genuine and warm smile. The audience?must know that you are delighted to meet them.

When you aren’t speaking, make sure that your audio is off. Of course, not when you are a panelist or a moderator in a panel discussion or if you are the host.

?5. How should be your display photograph?

You have put that display photograph (DP) on social media because you want to stand out, right?

But standing out can be pretty tough these days, especially when everyone has access to the same tools as you do. A good camera on your mobile, willing friends ready to ‘shoot’ you, and so on.

If you want to gain attention and earn the respect of your followers on social media, you DP matters a lot.?Through your DP, you are branding yourself. Your personal branding efforts must make people take you seriously.

Here are a few tips.

·??????Show your face. If your face is not seen, you may be overlooked.

Of course, you have your habits, your passions. You love dogs or cats or cycling. But your profile picture isn’t the place to make this point.

·??????Frame your headshot

Your face should be visible. Some headshots are too close to the camera, others too far away. Your face should fill most of the image, not too close, nor too far. However, do not crowd the camera.

·??????Wear a genuine smile

A genuine smile will trigger off more engagements. A false smile or a scowl will put people away. ?

You are the face of ‘Brand Me’ and your profile photo is the first impression and a long-lasting impression. ?

Take home points from this deliberation

In this phygital age, your online executive presence is as important as offline.?Since in future you may be spending sixty to seventy percent of your time digitally, online executive presence can be a key driver of your ability to inspire confidence, motivate commitment, and enable others. Decision-makers across in your organization will find these skills and practices invaluable to communicating with diverse stakeholders within and beyond your own organizations.

This would include how you make your presence in online interactions. Learning to project self-confidence, clarity, and credibility even under conditions of stress, pressure, and uncertainty will go a long way in building relations with your Key Opinion Leaders. You also need to take cognizance of Digital Opinion Leaders (DOLs).??A DOL in essence, is a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) on a digital platform; an e-influencer The DOL has a significant influence on online platforms and frequently shares original content online which achieves high reach (direct followers) and depth (wide audience).

Your challenge now is to transform the KOLs and DOLs into your brand advocates and for that, you need to have an impeccable online executive presence.

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