Executive Presence Coaching: How to Strengthen Your Leadership Impact
July 11, 2024
Updated November 2025
What is executive presence? How can you build your executive presence? How can executive presence coaching help? What does our executive presentation training cover? What to do to develop your executive presence?
Meet the Author: Benjamin Ball
Ben is the founder of Benjamin Ball Associates and leads the presentation coaching and pitch deck creation teams. Formerly a corporate financier in the City of London, for 20+ years he’s helped businesses win with better pitches and presentations, particularly investor pitches. He is a regular speaker and a guest lecturer at Columbia Business School and UCL London. Follow Ben on LinkedIn or visit the contact page.
Why Developing Executive Presence is So Important For Leaders
Executive presence coaching helps you develop the confidence, emotional intelligence and communication skills that make people see you as a leader. In the corporate world, it’s what turns good leaders into great ones.
Whether you want to handle stressful situations better, command respect in meetings or build trust with colleagues, the right coaching helps you make a lasting impression and become a more confident leader.
At Benjamin Ball Associates, we’ve been helping ambitious professionals develop executive presence and leadership communication skills for over 15 years. Our tailored coaching programmes are practical, fast and designed for real-world results.
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What Is Executive Presence?
The importance of executive presence lies in how it shapes the way others perceive you. It’s the mix of confidence, communication and authenticity that signals leadership. It’s about how you carry yourself, how you connect with others and how you handle complex relationships.
Great leaders have strong communication skills, a clear point of view and emotional intelligence. They know when it’s the right time to speak, when to listen and how to inspire confidence through their behaviour.
When you have great executive presence, people listen. You project calm authority and inspire trust. You make a strong first impression and a lasting one.
According to the Harvard Business Review, the essential elements of executive presence are gravitas, communication and appearance. These are the leadership traits that influence how decision makers see you and whether they want to follow you.
Why Executive Presence Coaching Matters
In leadership roles, technical knowledge and years of experience are not enough. What sets the most effective leaders apart is presence; that instinctive sense that they can be trusted to make important decisions and lead with authority.
Executive presence coaching helps you strengthen your executive presence skills to drive effective leadership. You learn the best way to express great ideas clearly, manage stressful situations and bring team members along with you.
Coaching also helps you improve your interpersonal skills, public speaking and ability to handle large groups with ease. The goal is to help you become the kind of leader who has a positive impact on every audience.
What You’ll Learn in Executive Presence Coaching
Every executive coach tailors the training to your needs, but these key steps are common to most programmes:
1. Confident Communication
Develop clear, effective communication and learn to speak with authority. Coaching helps you prepare and deliver great ideas, ask great questions and hold your audience’s full attention.
You’ll also learn the easiest way to manage nerves and perform confidently, even when presenting to a large group or to senior stakeholders.
2. Leadership Presence
A confident leader radiates composure and decisiveness. You’ll learn how to command respect, demonstrate accountability and project calmness, even when the pressure is on.
Great example: in our coaching sessions, we often show how influential leaders handle bad outcomes with grace and clarity.
3. Body Language and Visual Appearance
Your visual appearance and body language shape how people respond to you. You’ll work on posture, eye contact, gestures and facial expression. All are subtle ways to send strong leadership signals.
You’ll discover how to make a powerful first impression and sustain it, using movement and tone that match your message.
4. Authentic Self and Gravitas
The most inspiring leaders don’t imitate others; they bring their authentic self to every situation. Coaching helps you understand your own executive presence so you can lead with confidence and credibility.
Gravitas means showing decisiveness, staying composed and communicating clearly. These are essential elements of executive presence that can’t be faked — they come from practice and self-awareness.
5. Decision-Making and Influence
Coaching strengthens how you think and communicate under pressure. You’ll practise handling questions, presenting new ideas and influencing decision makers with confidence.
By combining expertise with clear communication, you’ll develop exceptional executive presence: the kind that builds trust and drives greater impact.
How Executive Presence Coaching Works
Our executive presence programme begins by identifying what’s holding you back — perhaps nerves when presenting, uncertainty about tone, or difficulty connecting with senior audiences.
Then, through practical exercises and expert feedback, your coach helps you transform how you speak, move and think.
Sessions are flexible — one-to-one, in groups or online. You’ll work with an experienced executive coach who understands the challenges of leadership positions in the corporate world.
You’ll leave each session with actionable tools to improve leadership presence and influence.
How Executive Presence Training Builds Confidence
Confidence is a skill, not a personality trait. The best executive presence training gives you the structure and techniques to perform under pressure. You’ll learn to:
- Speak clearly and with gravitas
- Manage stressful situations calmly
- Communicate complex ideas simply
- Inspire team members and build trust
- Use emotional intelligence to connect with others
Extensive research shows that confident, authentic leaders make better decisions and deliver stronger results. Coaching helps you become one of them.
Case Study: Coaching a CEO to Strengthen His Leadership Presence
A CEO of a major European retailer came to us after receiving poor feedback from investors. Despite his company’s success, his delivery lacked warmth and confidence. He read from a script and avoided eye contact — the opposite of executive presence.
Through tailored executive presence coaching, we worked on his body language, tone and interaction with audiences. He learned to project confidence, manage pressure and speak naturally.
At his next investor day, the improvement was striking. He made a lasting impression, looked every bit the confident leader and earned renewed trust from shareholders.
This transformation is a great example of how coaching can turn uncertainty into authority.
Developing Executive Presence: Your Next Steps
Building leadership presence is a journey. Coaching gives you the structure, feedback and encouragement to improve faster.
Here are key steps to take:
- Work with an executive coach. They’ll give you expert feedback based on personal experience.
- Practise regularly. The best way to strengthen presence is through repetition and reflection.
- Seek feedback. Honest insight helps you grow.
- Apply what you learn. Use every meeting and presentation to reinforce your skills.
The significance of executive presence grows as you move into more senior leadership positions. Great leaders know it plays a critical role in effective communication and influence.
Why Choose Benjamin Ball Associates
For more than 15 years, Benjamin Ball Associates has helped business leaders develop exceptional executive presence and communication skills.
Our executive presence courses are practical, tailored and built around real-world scenarios. We’ve coached senior professionals from FTSE 100 firms, private equity houses and law firms.
You can explore our presentation coaching, public speaking training and pitch coaching for more ways to strengthen your communication and leadership impact.
How to Start Improving Your Executive Presence Today
To really improve, get help from one of our executive presence coaches. In just a few hours, you can be transformed.
Ask us how we can help you become a much more effective business communicator with our bespoke coaching and training. Call Louise Angus on +44 7018 0922 or click on the button below.
Speak to an expert today about executive presence coaching
Why Choose Us:
Transform your pitches and presentations with tailored coaching
We can help you present brilliantly. Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too.
“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.”
Mick May, CEO, Blue Sky
For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice for leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East. We’ll help you improve corporate presentations through presentation coaching, public speaking training and expert advice on pitching to investors.
Some recent clients
Unlock your full potential and take your presentations to the next level.
Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email info@benjaminball.com to transform your speeches, pitches and presentations.
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FAQ: How Executive Presence Training Works
1. What is executive presence?
At its simplest, if you have executive presence you combine confidence, communication skills and gravitas to help you stand out. It involves projecting authority, inspiring trust and maintaining composure under pressure. It’s a skill we can all learn.
2. Why is executive presence important?
Good executive presence will help you influence others, gain credibility and advance in your career. If you have strong executive presence you are more likely to be seen as capable, trustworthy and ready for senior roles.
3. How can I improve my confidence in leadership situations?
Confidence comes from preparation and experience. That means know your material, practice public speaking and step outside your comfort zone regularly. Maintain strong posture, make eye contact and speak with a steady, clear voice. Get coaching on public speaking skills or presentation skills to develop the right skills.
4. What role does communication play in executive presence?
Clear, concise and persuasive communication is essential. Strong leaders articulate ideas with conviction, listen actively and adapt their message to different audiences. Avoid filler words and speak with intention. All this is covered in our presentation coaching.
5. How can I develop gravitas?
Gravitas is about staying calm under pressure, making sound decisions and demonstrating expertise. Take time to think before responding, manage emotions and exude a sense of control, even in challenging situations.
6. How do appearance and body language affect executive presence?
First impressions matter. Dressing appropriately for your industry, standing tall, and using purposeful gestures can enhance presence. A firm handshake, controlled movements, and an open stance convey confidence. Discover more with presentation skills training.
7. How can I strengthen my presence in virtual meetings?
Sit up straight, use good lighting, and look at the camera when you talk. Speak clearly, avoid distractions, and get involved in discussions. A strong virtual presence mirrors the impact of in-person communication. Our online coaching can help you improve your presence.
8. Can executive presence be learned, or is it natural?
While some people have a natural presence, anyone can develop it with coaching and practice. Self-awareness, feedback from mentors, and deliberate effort in communication and leadership skills will strengthen executive presence over time. Learn more about executive communication training.
9. How long does it take to build executive presence?
It varies, but consistent effort in communication, confidence-building, and leadership skills can lead to noticeable improvements within months. Regular practice and feedback accelerate progress. With expert coaching you can develop these skills within a few hours.
10. How Can I Get Executive Presentation Training
To improve your executive presence call Louise Angus on +44 7018 0922 or click on the button below.
Speak to an expert today about executive presence coaching
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