In high-stakes moments, gravitas defines you.
This July, I’m running a high-intensity catalyst – Gravitas Unleashed – for three senior executives. This is not a workshop. It’s a half-day communication catalyst, designed to replicate and surpass the pressures of boardrooms, investor scrutiny, and strategic conversations.
If you know someone who needs to be at their best when it counts, pass this on.
If not, reflect on this: how does gravitas show up when the stakes are real?
Steven Spielberg once gave George Clooney a piece of advice on the set of ER:
“If you stop moving your head around, you’ll be a movie star.” At first glance, it sounds like acting advice.
It’s not. It’s advice about how human beings judge certainty. I was reminded of it recently while watching an interview with actor Hugh Laurie. Here is the link to the clip
Laurie is a captivating speaker. Not because he dominates the conversation. Not because he speaks quickly. And not because he performs confidence in an obvious way. What stands out is how settled he is.
His shoulders remain still. His body moves with intention rather than nervous energy. He looks comfortable holding space. That matters more than most people realise. In high-stakes environments, audiences are not just evaluating the message. They are evaluating the messenger.
And stillness is often read as certainty. The opposite is true as well.
When leaders become unsure, pressure often leaks physically before it appears verbally:
Clooney described this perfectly when reflecting on Spielberg’s advice. Early in his career, he realised that uncertainty made him “do too much”. Movement became compensation.
I see the same pattern with senior executives. Most prepare heavily for what they plan to say. Very few prepare for how they will be read when the pressure shifts, when the questioning becomes difficult, or when the room becomes uncertain.
Under pressure, unnecessary movement is rarely interpreted as energy. It is usually interpreted as reduced certainty.
This does not mean becoming robotic or suppressing personality. It means moving with purpose. The leaders who come across most strongly are often the ones who look most comfortable doing less.
Stillness signals that you are not rushing to escape the moment. And in board discussions, investor presentations, analyst Q&A and difficult conversations, that signal carries weight.
Over the next week, pay attention to moments where your body becomes more active under pressure. Observe whether the movement is intentional or whether it appears when certainty drops.
Most people never notice the difference. Senior leaders usually do.
Recently, an executive client of mine shared a scenario that will feel familiar to some.
His CEO was coaching him for an important client presentation. The CEO had scripted the entire presentation.
He then delivered it himself – demonstrating exactly how he wanted it done.
Then came the instruction:
“Do it how I did it. Word for word. Mimic me.
Not just the content.
The tone. The cadence. The delivery.”
My client was frustrated, and rightly so.
He knew his delivery would come across as forced and inauthentic.
Others in the team knew it too. And this wasn’t theoretical.
They had seen it before. Presentations delivered in the CEO’s “voice” that landed poorly with clients.
Because when delivery is borrowed, not owned, it shows.
There’s a tension here that many leaders don’t fully appreciate:
When leaders over-index on control, they often undermine the very outcome they want.
I didn’t have a perfect answer in the moment.
Because the truth is:
Some CEOs won’t change. And some environments reward compliance over effectiveness.
Still, there are ways to handle this more intelligently.
Don’t launch straight into disagreement.
Ask for permission to share your perspective.
“I’d value five minutes to share a perspective on the presentation approach and get your thoughts. Is now a good time?”
This does two things:
Avoid: “This doesn’t feel natural to me.”
Instead anchor to impact:
“When I deliver in my own voice, the message tends to land more clearly and credibly with clients. My concern is that a fully scripted delivery may come across as less authentic.”
You’re not rejecting the message. You’re protecting the outcome.
This is often where the breakthrough happens.
Instead of:
Propose:
“What if I stay close to your structure and key phrases, but deliver it in my own words so it lands more naturally?”
You preserve intent while reclaiming ownership.
Don’t expect immediate agreement.
If needed, come back with evidence:
“I’ve thought more about this and tested a version. Could I run it past you and get your reaction?”
Change often requires more than one conversation.
Some leaders won’t adjust.
And as Jeffrey Pfeffer points out in Leadership BS:
Which means:
You won’t always “win” these conversations.
But you still have a choice. To stay silent. Or to engage thoughtfully. To comply. Or to influence.
What difficult conversation are you currently avoiding with a senior leader?
In the next seven days, take one step toward it.
Not perfectly. But deliberately.
Imagine this.
Your division or department is a sailing ship, moving across open water.
Now picture yourself on that ship as you reflect on your behaviour over the past week.
With that image in mind, ask yourself:
When people do this reflection honestly, most place themselves in the Passenger category. A few recognise moments where they may have acted as an Anchor.
Very few see themselves as the Wind.
And yet, every workplace could use more of it.
Being the Wind isn’t about status or authority.
It’s about behaviour; small, deliberate actions that move the group forward.
Wind-like behaviour looks like this:
None of these actions are heroic.
All of them are outward looking.
They reduce friction.
They increase momentum.
They improve camaraderie.
In the coming week, on purpose, choose one moment to be the Wind.
Just one.
Then notice:
A recent Rear Window item in the AFR noted Ross Du Vernet struggling to find words during a press conference (17 February). The stumble itself is understandable. The more instructive issue is how such moments are handled under pressure.
A brief mental blank can happen to anyone. Fatigue, cognitive overload, or an unexpected question are common triggers, specially in public, high-stakes settings. What matters isn’t the lapse; it’s the recovery.
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Most people think effective communication is about what you say.
In reality, it is far more about when, how, and to whom you say it.
A useful working definition of effective communication is:
Saying the right thing, to the right person, at the right time, in the right place, in the right way, for the right reason.
You won’t get all six right every time.
But the closer you get, the more likely your message will be heard — and acted upon.
And nowhere does this matter more than when you’re communicating upwards.
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“You have 20 seconds to increase my heart rate.”
I read this statement in a document entitled Revealed: The 6 Laws of Successful Pitching by the Archaeus Organisation.
What does this mean?
When entrepreneurs pitch to investors, they have 20 seconds to excite them—to make them want to hear more. If the investor’s heart rate hasn’t increased by the 20-second mark, the entrepreneur isn’t getting the money.
This mantra applies to any presentation opening: quickly hook people to listen.
Since this month’s blog focuses on hooking audiences – particularly for kick-off meetings – today’s post offers practical techniques to do exactly that.
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(I first shared these thoughts on LinkedIn over the weekend, but wanted to ensure they reached my regular readers here)
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett’s first major speech: 8/10
I analysed new AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett’s National Press Club speech on 29 October against what matters most in a senior public official’s first major address: believability, credibility, and presence conveyed through body language, speaking style, and manner.
Barrett’s serious demeanour, measured cadence, even vocal tone and disciplined gesturing matched the gravity of her content. This speech will be a defining point in her career.
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Why is Jon Hamm (Don Draper in Mad Men) such a captivating speaker and presenter?
Here’s my analysis of the first 14 seconds of his performance (view the 22 – 38 second section of the clip) in The Carousel – and why it’s gold.
Sometimes presentations don’t go as planned. In this case, the client asked Hamm a question. Hamm answered it and then segued seamlessly into his opening:
“Well, technology is a glittery lure, but there is a rare occasion when the public can be engaged on a level beyond flash, if they have a sentimental bond with the product.”
If he hadn’t been asked the question, he could have just opened directly:
“Consider this… technology, like your cutting-edge technology, is a glittering lure. But there is a rare occasion when the public can be engaged on a level beyond flash, if they have a sentimental bond with the product.”
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We’re told that AI will change everything. In some areas, it already has.
What strikes me most though is not the rise of AI, but the quiet rise in value of something far older – human presence. Specifically, how a person shows up, communicates, and holds attention in a room.
As someone who began life as a speech pathologist and who has spent over 20 plus years helping leaders speak with more clarity, certainty, and presence – I believe the leaders who will remain irreplaceable are those who communicate in ways no machine ever could.
Let me explain.
The illusion of “communication”
We live in a time of over-communication but under-connection. Messages fly faster than ever yet understanding often lags behind. The bar for superior communication feels higher, not lower.
This is where many leaders struggle.
They confuse saying a lot with saying something of value. They rely on slick slides or overworked scripts, but real influence – especially under pressure – requires more than that. It requires you.
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