Building Executive Presence and Connection

S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research via Coursera

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Details

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Effort

5 weeks, 2 hours a week
Sessions

Self-Paced
Level

Beginner
Subtitles

English

Found in

Overview

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Executive presence is often described as the intangible quality that inspires confidence, trust, and leadership credibility. In today’s professional environment, career progression depends not only on technical competence but also on how one is perceived in moments of influence, visibility, and decision-making. This course introduces executive presence as a practical leadership capability that can be developed through self-awareness, deliberate practice, and consistent behavioural choices.The course explores executive presence through the interconnected pillars of gravitas, communication, appearance, and connection, and shows how these shape a leader’s ability to command trust, build influence, and sustain credibility over time. Drawing on examples from business, public leadership, and contemporary organizational life, the course helps learners understand how presence is communicated through clarity, composure, body language, personal brand, emotional control, and the ability to connect meaningfully with others. The course concludes with an integration and action-planning module that translates learning into daily habits, reflection practices, and a long-term development plan for strengthening executive presence in real professional contexts. By the end of this course, learners will be able to: • Explain the concept of executive presence and its relevance to leadership effectiveness, credibility, and career progression. • Identify and apply the key dimensions of executive presence—gravitas, communication, appearance, and connection—in professional settings. • Demonstrate communication strategies such as clarity, storytelling, vocal modulation, and non-verbal alignment to strengthen influence. • Analyze how leaders project authority, composure, authenticity, and resilience in high-stakes situations. • Evaluate the role of appearance and personal brand in shaping first impressions, credibility, and leadership identity. • Develop practical habits, reflection routines, and feedback strategies to strengthen executive presence over time. • Create a personal action plan for integrating executive presence into everyday leadership practice.

Syllabus

Introduction to Executive Presence
- This module introduces learners to the concept of executive presence and explains why it matters for leadership growth, professional credibility, and career advancement. It explores executive presence as the impression leaders create through gravitas, communication, and appearance, and examines how that impression influences opportunities, trust, and leadership effectiveness. The module also introduces the idea of connection as a core leadership capability and highlights how influence grows when leaders shift their focus from self-presentation to valuing and understanding others. Through practical examples, reflection prompts, and foundational frameworks, learners begin to see executive presence not as an innate trait, but as a capability that can be intentionally developed.
Gravitas: Authority, Credibility & Composure
- This module focuses on gravitas as the core of executive presence. It explores how leaders project authority, credibility, steadiness, and emotional control, especially in high-stakes or uncertain situations. The module examines gravitas not as stiffness or dominance, but as a combination of composure, conviction, humility, resilience, and ethical credibility. Learners will examine how authority is communicated through behaviour, decision-making, emotional regulation, and visible steadiness under pressure. The module also addresses the balance between confidence and arrogance, and highlights how passion, integrity, and sustainable energy contribute to long-term leadership presence.
Communication: Tools for Influence
- This module explores communication as a key dimension of executive presence and a central tool for leadership influence. It focuses on how leaders strengthen presence through clarity, conciseness, storytelling, vocal delivery, and non-verbal communication. The module highlights the importance of making complex ideas simple, using stories to create trust and emotional resonance, and aligning tone, pace, posture, gestures, and eye contact with the intended message. By examining both verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication, learners will understand how leaders make their message not only heard, but believed and remembered.
Appearance & Personal Brand
- This module explores appearance and personal brand as visible dimensions of executive presence. It examines how leaders communicate credibility, seriousness, authenticity, and professionalism through attire, grooming, finish, and consistent self-presentation. The module also expands appearance beyond clothing to include personal brand—how repeated behaviours, visual cues, and day-to-day choices shape the reputation others associate with a leader. Learners will understand how appearance and brand should align with leadership goals, values, role expectations, and organizational context, so that first impressions reinforce rather than undermine executive presence.
Integration & Action Plan
- This concluding module helps learners translate the ideas of executive presence into everyday leadership practice. It brings together gravitas, communication, appearance, and self-awareness, and shows how these can be integrated through reflection, behavioural habits, feedback, and deliberate practice. The module emphasizes that executive presence is not a performance reserved for high-stakes moments, but a discipline built through repeated small choices, thoughtful responses to criticism, and sustained alignment across all pillars. Learners will design a practical development plan, including daily habits and a 90-day action framework, to continue strengthening their executive presence beyond the course.