10 Executive Presence Training Activities (With Debrief)
Are you in search of some executive presence training activities?
Training your teams to develop a strong presence is crucial for effective leadership. It involves communicating confidently, making a good first impression, and commanding respect in any situation.
In this article, let’s see 10 valuable activities to help elevate your team’s executive presence and influencing skills. These exercises can help your employees become more dynamic, influential, and successful leaders.
10 Executive Presence Training Activities
Here are some executive presence exercises that you can implement with your team:
#1. Elevator Pitch Practice
This is a vital exercise devised to sharpen an individual’s ability to concisely convey their professional essence. It demands clarity, confidence, and the aptitude to communicate one’s value succinctly.
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: Timer, notepad, and pen for each participant
Participants: Groups of 3-8 people
Instructions
- Begin by asking each participant to jot down key points about their professional background, strengths, and what makes them unique.
- Divide the participants into smaller teams, and give each person a chance to deliver their elevator pitch to the group. Use the timer to ensure each pitch is kept within the 60-second limit.
- After each pitch, encourage group feedback focusing on what was done well and areas for improvement. Highlight the importance of body language and tone as much as the content itself.
- Have the participants refine their pitches based on feedback and try again.
Debrief
Discuss what elements make an elevator pitch compelling. Focus on the importance of clarity, brevity, and the ability to articulate unique value confidently.
#2. Body Language Awareness
The Body Language Awareness activity is designed to enhance participants’ non-verbal communication skills, crucial for developing executive presence.
Time: You decide
Materials: Room with sufficient space for role-playing, video camera for recording (optional), notepad, and pen for each participant
Participants: Groups of 4-8 people
Instructions
- Start with a brief introduction on the importance of body language in professional settings.
- Engage participants in role-playing exercises where they act out various professional scenarios, emphasizing the control and awareness of their body language.
- Record these role-plays if possible, allowing participants to see themselves and receive constructive feedback from the group.
- Facilitate discussions on improving body language, focusing on posture, eye contact, hand gestures, and facial expressions.
Debrief
During the debrief, reflect on how body language impacts the reception of a message and underscores the spoken word. Discuss strategies for improving awareness and control over one’s non-verbal cues to bolster professional presence and effectiveness in communication.
#3. Listening and Response
This activity aims to sharpen participants’ active listening skills and improve their responsiveness in conversational settings. It is one of the easiest executive presence training activities for any workplace.
Time: You decide
Materials: None
Participants: Pairs or small groups
Instructions
- Begin with a short presentation on the principles of active listening, highlighting the significance of understanding, empathy, and engagement in effective communication.
- Organize participants into pairs and assign them roles as speaker and listener. The speaker shares a personal story or professional experience, while the listener focuses on understanding and absorbing the information, without interrupting.
- After the exercise, have participants switch roles. This allows both parties to practice their listening and speaking skills.
Debrief
In the debrief session, emphasize the value of listening not just to reply, but to understand and connect. Explore strategies for improving listening skills, such as minimizing distractions, maintaining eye contact, and using affirming gestures or verbal acknowledgments.
#4. Self-Reflection Journaling
This activity combines listening exercises and self-reflection journaling to enhance leadership presence. It focuses on the cultivation of self-awareness and effective communication skills.
Time: 5 minutes in the morning and evening
Materials: Journal or notebook, and pen
Participants: Any number of people in a group
Instructions
- Encourage participants to make time for self-reflection journaling in their daily routine.
- Provide prompts for the morning session, such as “What are three qualities I want to bring into my interactions today?”
- For the evening session, prompt them to reflect on their day and identify one area where they exhibited strong presence and one area for improvement.
Debrief
In the debrief session, discuss the impact of self-reflection on building executive presence. Encourage participants to continue this habit outside of the workshop for continued growth and development.
#5. Feedback Circles
Organize feedback circles where participants can give and receive constructive feedback about each other’s leadership presence. This exercise provides valuable insights into how individuals are perceived by their peers.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Materials: None
Participants: 4-6 people per circle
Instructions
- Instruct the group to form small circles and focus on positive aspects of each participant’s presence, as well as kindly offered suggestions for improvement.
- Each participant takes a turn to speak and listen, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to receive feedback.
- Encourage honesty, respect, and confidentiality within the feedback circle to foster a safe environment for growth.
Debrief
Highlight the importance of giving and receiving feedback graciously as a pathway to enhancing executive presence. Discuss ways to incorporate the feedback constructively into their professional development plans.
#6. Leadership Shadowing
In this exercise, employees can be partnered with established leaders within the organization. So, they can observe and learn from their leaders in real-time. It is one of the amazing executive presence training activities.
Time: You decide
Materials: None
Participants: Pairs of employees and leaders
Instructions
- Match employees with leaders based on their areas of interest and development.
- Employees shadow the leader during meetings, presentations, or any other relevant activities.
- Encourage employees to ask questions and seek advice from the leader on how they can improve their own executive presence.
- Set up a follow-up session for employees to share their progress and receive additional guidance from the leader.
Debrief
Conclude the leadership shadowing activity with a group session where participants can discuss their observations and insights. Encourage participants to identify key behaviors and strategies that contributed to the leaders’ presence, and how these can be adapted to their own style.
#7. Role-Play
Create real-life business scenarios where participants can practice their executive presence in a safe, supportive environment.
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: Scenario cards
Participants: Whole group
Instructions
- Participants draw scenario cards that detail specific business situations requiring strong executive presence. For example, delivering a presentation to senior executives or handling a difficult conversation with a team member.
- They then role-play these scenarios in small groups, focusing on body language, speech, and decision-making.
- Feedback is shared among group members after each role-play to highlight strengths and areas for improvement.
Debrief
Discuss common challenges and strategies for maintaining presence in difficult situations. Encourage participants to apply these learnings to their future interactions.
#8. Leadership Vision Board
Creating a vision board is a powerful way to visualize goals and inspire positive changes in leadership style.
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: Whiteboards, sticky notes, and markers
Participants: 3-8 individuals in a group
Instructions
- Begin by asking each group member to reflect on their goals, values, and aspirations as a leader.
- On the whiteboard, create different categories such as “Values,” “Goals,” “Leadership Style,” etc.
- Ask each member to write down their thoughts on sticky notes and place them under the relevant category on the board.
- Encourage them to share their vision with the group and discuss any common themes or areas of overlap.
Debrief
Facilitate a conversation around how these leadership goals and values can be translated into daily actions. Encourage each participant to identify at least one concrete action they can take to start embodying their desired leadership style.
#9. Gravitas Game
This interactive game is designed to help leaders practice their executive presence and gravitas in a safe and supportive environment.
Time: You decide
Materials: Deck of cards with different scenarios, and timer
Participants: 4-8 individuals in a group
Instructions
- Divide the participants into small groups and give each group a deck of cards.
- Each card contains a leadership scenario, such as “You’re presenting to a group of senior executives, and one interrupts you mid-sentence. How do you handle the situation?”
- Set a timer for 2 minutes and ask each participant to take turns drawing a card and responding to the scenario.
- After each response, the other participants can provide constructive feedback on how the leader could improve their executive presence and gravitas in that situation.
Debrief
Facilitate a group discussion on common challenges as well as effective strategies for maintaining poise and confidence in high-pressure situations. Encourage participants to continue practicing these skills outside of the game, and provide resources for further development.
#10. Leadership Styles Assessment
This assessment will help leaders identify their preferred leadership styles and understand how to adapt to different situations.
Time: 15-20 minutes
Materials: Prepare a leadership styles assessment handout
Participants: Group of 3-6 people
Instructions
- Provide each participant with the leadership styles assessment handout.
- Ask them to read through the descriptions of each leadership style and select the one that best describes their natural approach to leadership.
- After selecting a primary style, ask the participants to choose a secondary style that they can adapt to depending on the situation.
- Each group can discuss how different styles may be more effective in certain situations and how leaders can develop flexibility in their approach.
Debrief
Encourage participants to reflect on their personal leadership styles and how they can adapt to different situations. Discuss the benefits of being a versatile leader and provide resources for further development.
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Final Words
In conclusion, crafting effective leaders is an ongoing process that requires self-awareness, adaptability, and a commitment to growth. These exercises are designed to be both reflective and interactive, providing employees with the opportunity to improve their executive presence. Remember, leadership is not about being perfect, but about continuously striving to be better for yourself and those around you.