Leadership Communication

PRESENCE

To be successful in our personal and professional lives, we need to know in our bones who we are and how to communicate what we think and feel in a way that invites people to listen and take us seriously. This is what someone with a strong presence can do. Although “presence” may sound intangible, this essential competency can be developed, for presence is really about what we do, how we behave, and in turn, how we are perceived by others.

TRAINING AND COACHING

Anthropologist Angeles Arian describes presence “as our ability to bring all four intelligences forward: mental, emotional, spiritual and physical.” Drawing on my training and experience as an actor and a musician and over 30 years experience working with business and academic professionals, I gently guide individuals in developing this ability. The communication skills that inform a strong presence are concrete and operational and include the capacity to:

  • Build trust and credibility with others
  • Become an expert listener
  • Use voice and body with range and purpose
  • Use language in a concise, compelling manner
  • Integrate story and metaphor to elucidate your message and inspire your listeners
  • Think quickly on your feet and sustain your presence in challenging moments
  • Express emotion appropriately
  • Connect with and read your audience
  • Work collaboratively with others
  • Manage your nerves and stress
  • Develop strategies to deal with your inner critic
  • Take a risk in the interest of authenticity
  • Use visual material to serve you rather than serving it.
  • Create a clear, compelling structure
  • Give and receive feedback with skill and sensitivity

Leadership Communication Training is offered in workshops and individual coaching in business, educational and community settings. Training is customized to meet the specific needs of the group and the individual and is driven by an experiential methodology based in theater arts.  Clients engage in exercises and activities that engage the body, voice, intellect and imagination to develop the specific skills listed above.  Reflection, dialogue and journaling complement the experiential component, as clients apply their learnings to the situations and relationships that constitute their lives.

The work is fun, challenging, and can be transforming.

ENDORSEMENTS

I’ve known and worked with Patricia for 30 years at the Ariel Group in her capacity as a leadership presence coach and facilitator. Patricia is creative, insightful, and highly skilled. She was very successful with a variety of clients, often being requested for further work. Patricia’s integrity, wisdom and empathy shine through as a person and a professional. She has my highest endorsement.

-Kathy Lubar, Cofounder
The Ariel Group

I’ve been a colleague of Patricia’s for over 25 years, and I cannot be more passionate in my endorsement of her. As a specialist in communication and leadership, she has had a long career of helping others realize their human potential. Patricia’s energy, empathy and extensive understanding of the voice and its workings are the skills that have made her of such great value to her clients. She makes her coaching both fun and demanding, which is a wonderful combination for learning!

-Kenny Raskin
Leadership/Communications Trainer and Coach

Patricia is a seasoned and diverse leader, with high standards of excellence, who brings 30 years of experience teaching and coaching to her clients. During her 26-year tenure at The Ariel Group, she participated in the training of new facilitators, served as an account manager with critical clients, and represented her affiliate colleagues as Liaison to the Leadership Team. She brings creative energy, intelligence and a deep sense of integrity to all her endeavors. I heartily recommend her.

-Pat Dougan
Former Vice President, Training and Development
The Ariel Group

 

Words That Inspire Me

You show your humanity by how you see yourself not as apart from others but from your connection to others.

– Desmond Tutu

 

Attention is the rarest and purist form of generosity.

– Simone Weil

 

Leadership is about how someone else experiences themselves in your presence.

– Josh Margolis, Professor, Harvard Business School

 

I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

 – Maya Angelou

 

We convince by our presence.

– Walt Whitman