Chapter 1Gravitas
Joan came to me three years ago in a state of complete distress. She had an important position as a thought leader in her field and had been asked some time ago to present at a major conference.
This was an important occasion for her. It represented the culmination of years of work and demonstrated how she was now being appreciated by her community. She felt pressure to showcase her thinking and leverage her success, while at the same time being humble — all the while delivering a presentation that would leave the audience captivated and motivated.
Unfortunately, when she walked out on stage to deliver her presentation, she saw the audience and froze. She was struck with a tremendous case of performance anxiety.
After mumbling a few words, sweating, losing all the moisture in her mouth and fumbling, she left the stage. No one knew what to say. No one wanted to speak to her. She went home and her journey with performance anxiety began … until we met.
Today, after our work together on communication and gravitas, Joan speaks to thousands internationally. She is a key thought leader in her field, and she is seen and heard as such. She is able to lead with gravitas — and if it works for Joan, it can work for you.
Understanding how to lead with gravitas begins with understanding what gravitas is, and how it works together with the terms oratory (the art or practice of speaking in public) and rhetoric (the art or practice of persuasive speech or writing).
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