Picture this. You’re about to present to a roomful of executives senior to you. How can you ‘stamp your ownership’ on the room?

Here’s one way…

(1) Get to the room early and ‘walk’ the room.

That is, walk from the middle front of the room to the right front corner of the room. Look back to the middle front of the room and imagine your voice ‘traveling’ to that corner. Then walk to the back right corner of the room. Turn around and imagine your voice traveling from the front of the room to that corner. Walk to the back left corner. Look back to the front and do the imagining. Walk to the front left corner; Look to the front and do the imagining.

(2) As the executives are seating themselves radiate warmth and acceptance and calm enthusiasm through your facial expression. Because that’s how people first know you.

(3) Once one of the most senior executives is seated, walk over to them and say something like: “It good to have you in the room today”. Shake their hand if appropriate. Just before you walk away from the executive lightly tap the elbow of the person. This elbow touching is a subtle yet powerful yet subtle to signal to the executive, and other executives watching you, that ‘This is my room. I ‘own’ this room.

Own the Conversation

Implementation suggestion

Trial the above steps, first in safe interactions. Perhaps with your direct reports and with your peers. When you are at the ‘auto-pilot’ stage of doing the steps use them with executives senior to you.