Everyone desires to create a presence that is powerful, unforgettable yet relational. As already successful individuals, there are a few ways we can manipulate our communication to achieve an authoritative presence that signals credibility within the crucial first four seconds when we make a presentation.

The 10 ways I propose would fulfill the four languages of human communication, namely the visual (e.g. excitement), auditory (e.g. eloquence and clarity), auditory digital (e.g. data or evidence driven) and kinesthetic (e.g. feelings). If all four languages of human communication are spoken, you would have managed to captivate 100 percent of your audience.

1. Check your posture and stance

In the animal kingdom, the fastest, strongest and biggest survive. We can mirror this by standing up straight and tall to take up as much “space” as possible. How we place our feet makes a difference, too. The champion stance for ladies is recommended, with one foot in front of the other, 4 to 6 inches apart. Men should adopt a stance which is 8 inches apart.

2. Adopt a the power position

Your hands should be clasped and placed in front of your navel. This is what is called the power position and all hand gestures must come from this position and back when they are not needed. With this position, you will exude a sense of calmness, similar to the “ready” position in martial arts such as the “choombi” position in Tae Kwon Do. Hand gestures must never be excessive and too big. They should be kept within the power zone which spans horizontally across the shoulders, and vertically between your shoulders and waist.

3. Smile and nod less

You wouldn’t want to appear overly eager by overdoing the smiling and nodding. Excessively doing so would signal the impression you are desperately trying to impress and please your audience.

4. Establish eye contact with everyone in the room

If you are speaking to a small group of about 30 people, make it a point to look at everyone at least once during your speech. Spend one to three seconds or move on when you notice a colour of the person’s eyes. No one should be left feeling ignored or neglected.

5. Be expressive

An expressionless speaker brings no joy to his or her listeners. Connect with your audience as if you are in a conversation with them by being animated. Move your eyebrows or scrunch up your nose, for example. Express your emotions according to the message that you are delivering.

6. Look the part

Dress sharp, and dress beautiful (for the ladies). Invest in clothes that look expensive but do not burn a hole in your pocket.

 7. Enunciate and articulate words clearly

As mentioned in one of my earlier blog posts, there has to be a clear distinction made between long and short vowels (e.g. “caught” and “cot”). Deliberate articulation involves having a sufficiently open, mid or closed articulation. It is our responsibility to speak with clarity, and consonants, for example, would need to be deliberately enunciated. An example would be the distinction between the words ‘ghost” and “ghosts”.

8. Language accuracy

Mispronunciations and grammatical errors such as those in subject-verb agreement (e.g. The people “is”…) damages our credibility. You would need to avoid this at all costs.

9. Speak with a down tone, not an up tone.

If you do record your voice and discover that you have been ending every sentence with an up tone, stop. In the English language, an up tone is usually used when asking questions. If an up tone is used in a sentence, the impression generated could be that of immaturity, unintellectual ability and lacking in conviction. Use the down tone to enhance your credibility and to mean what you say.

10. Use a low-pitched voice and vary your voice tone

It is proven and used by many charismatic speakers that a lower-pitched voice suggests credibility, intelligence, reliability and trustworthiness. In addition to voice pitch, vary your voice tone though pace (e.g. fast and slow) and volume (e.g. loud and soft). Pauses should be used for dramatic impact or suggesting that you are thinking or that you are “listening” to your audience. To demonstrate more conviction, try placing greater emphasis or stress on important content words.

If the above 10 ways prove too many, my advice is to try one strategy a day. Within the next 10 days, you will be on your way to creating an even more authoritative presence.