Some mysteries are much easier to solve than others.
Like when my nine-year-old tries to sneak Oreos without realizing the evidence will be visible every time he smiles for hours afterward.
Or the time he grabbed a handful of cheese puffs and left a trail of orange fingerprints around the house — caught, quite literally, orange-handed.
The other day I saw him sitting quietly in a corner watching something on his tablet, unaware that I had approached.
“What are you watching?” I asked.
“Nothing!” he blurted, startled, clutching the device to his chest.
The wide eyes. The overacted nonchalance. The professed innocence delivered with a face that screamed guilt louder than a grin full of oreo remains.
Needless to say, the jury of Mom reached a swift and unanimous verdict, as he sheepishly delivered the tablet into my outstretched hand.
Why Nonverbal Communication Matters in Leadership
Now, we’ve all been there — probably on both sides of that exchange at some point.
Whether you're concealing nerves in a boardroom, downplaying frustration in a team meeting, or navigating a high-stakes conversation, your body language and voice often say more than your words do.
And sometimes, the tiniest signals tell the biggest truths.
Once, while working with a client team preparing for a massive investor pitch, I stopped the speaker mid-rehearsal. She had been quite polished and composed—until one particular section.
“You’re uncomfortable with this part, aren’t you?” I asked gently.
She paused. “Yes,” she confessed with a little smile. “What gave it away? Did I start saying ‘um’ again?”
“No,” I said. “It’s your left thumb.”
You could hear a pin drop. Everyone looked at me with identical expressions that silently asked: How the heck did you know that?
I pointed to her hand holding the presentation clicker. “You were totally steady for the first half. But the second we got to this topic, you started fidgeting—opening and closing the battery cover on the back of the clicker with your thumb.”
It’s a dead giveaway that you’re not as confident with this section as you were before, and it undermines your authority.”
And that’s the kind of thing we regularly work on in executive presence coaching.
It’s not about catching people doing something wrong. It’s about identifying the gaps between your words and your signals—and learning how to close them.
How Misalignment Undermines Your Message
When your delivery (face/voice/body) says one thing and your words say another, the audience will believe your body every time.
You may not realize you’re giving off signals. But your team, clients, or stakeholders are picking them up—and drawing conclusions.
That’s why executive presence coaching is not about teaching you to “fake it.” It’s about building awareness, authenticity, and alignment between your message and your presence.
The Leadership Blind Spot: Believability
You can say all the right things. But if your face, tone, and timing say otherwise, your words won’t matter.
Whether you’re announcing change, rallying a team, or managing conflict, being believable is more important than being perfect. That’s the true core of executive presence.
It’s not about charisma. It’s about consistency—between what you say, how you say it, and how it makes people feel.
Can People Read YOU Like a Book?
Let’s flip the question.
If someone saw you in action at your next big meeting would they see :
- Confidence or hesitation?
- Curiosity or defensiveness?
- Engagement or distraction?
If you’re not sure what they are seeing, I guarantee you your audience is 100% sure about what they think they saw.
The good news? You can learn to manage your presence intentionally. In fact, that’s exactly what we work on in executive presence coaching sessions:
✅ Aligning your message with your tone, body language, and timing
✅ Increasing trust and clarity through strategic delivery
✅ Commanding attention without having to demand it
✅ Speaking with confidence—especially when the stakes are high
Want to Know What You’re Really Communicating?
Don’t let unconscious signals undermine your leadership. Let’s elevate your influence by aligning your communication inside and out.
If you’re seeing your own “orange fingerprints” all over this post, and realize it’s holding you back from achieving your fullest potential, drop me a line here.
Because if they’re going to read you like a book…
Let’s make sure it’s a bestseller.
