Professional presence or gravitas is one of those things you know when you see it, but can be hard to describe. A colleague solved that problem, though, with this description: On a remote call, does their box seem larger than the others, or, conversely, does someone who lacks it always seem to have a box that’s too small?
Think about how you carry yourself in situations and whether you fill the room with energy or shrink your presence. On a remote call, are you learning forward and engaged, or meekly waiting in the background as a listener instead of a participant? Do you display initiative or wait to be told? Are you confident or unsure?
It may be hard to quantify these characteristics or to identify the traits in yourself, but the next time you are on one of those calls with Brady Bunch-like squares, pay attention to the contributions others (and yourself) make. How big does your square appear?
