What the 2020 Hopefuls Can Teach Us About Commanding a Room

January 23, 2019

If presenting makes you uncomfortable, consider that the 2020 presidential candidates will give hundreds of speeches over the next two years. Watch closely, and you’ll see that a great presentation isn’t about “confidence,” but rather about comfort…and having the courage to draw your audience in.

Watch the video below to see how NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is trying hard to be "presenterly," heartfelt, and serious. She's talking to the crowd, trying to rouse them with the content of her remarks. Gillibrand

Now watch the genuine emotions that roll across CA Senator Kamala Harris's face as she makes her announcement. She is fully present with the crowd, comfortable in their presence, and completely in charge. Harris

What makes the difference? Harris instinctively understands that a presentation is a conversation with the group of human beings who have come to hear you speak, and that when you are the one at the podium, you are in charge. Presentation-giving is an act of leadership, of engaging and inspiring and compelling. To be great at it, you have to be comfortable in the presence of your audience, and comfortable with the authority your audience has given you to lead them.

Learn more in a Julie Zuraw Group Voice and Power Event.