Ty Hoesgen

Do you ever try to explain something in a meeting,
but it doesn’t come out as clearly as you want it to?

You over-explain.
You're not concise. 
Or you leave the meeting overthinking:

“I should have said that better.”

Most people assume they just need "more practice"
That’s rarely the problem.

It's actually about a lack of structure.
And how your brain responds to pressure. 

That's why I work with professionals who want 
to be seen as more clear, confident, and credible.

(especially in high-stakes situations)

So far, I’ve coached 330+ professionals with a 99% success rate. 

Many are managers, directors, executives, and founders. 
People in positions where clarity matters. 

Our work focuses on 3 things:

1.) Clear, concise speaking on the spot

2.) Confidence and composure under pressure

3.) Executive presence in important situations

Everything is customized and built around 
the real-life meetings, presentations, and 
conversations you'd like to speak better in. 

If crystal clear speaking would be helpful 
for you and your professional life,

DM me “CLEAR" to learn more.

Founder & CEO / Communication Coach

🧠 Advanced Growth Institute is dedicated to helping individuals and organizations from around the world master their communication and people skills. 

🏆 1.) Elite Private Coaching — for individuals who want to gain a positively unfair advantage in their life and career. 

💬 Our Elite Communication Accelerator is a private coaching program for growth-minded individuals who want to:

✅ Advance their career
✅ Become strong, influential leaders
✅ ​Get more respect
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✅ ​Live a less stressful life 

📈 AGI works closely with clients on their communication and people skills, helping them overcome unique challenges and accomplish their personal and professional goals. 

⭐ 2.) Custom Corporate Trainings — for organizations who care deeply about their team members and clients, and want to maximize their success in every interaction. 

🎤 Attendees are taught practical, science-backed communication strategies to boost sales, form deeper relationships, build trust and influence, listen with intention, and connect better with clients, co-workers, and customers.

✍️ Our captivating presentations have attendees smiling, laughing, rapidly taking notes, and leaving with a ton of actionable takeaways. 

📖 3.) Other Resources — best-selling books, courses, guides, video trainings

Have you heard about the 7 
deadly sins of speaking? 💀

1. Gossiping
2. Judging
3. Negativity
4. Complaining
5. Excuses
6. Lying
7. Dogmatism

In the video, I added 7 silly 
(& less deadly) examples of each. 

They're all about big arms 😅

This is from Julien Treasure's famous TED talk: 
How to Speak so that People Want to Listen

Which deadly sin are you making?

And if you’re a perfect angel:

Which one do others do that annoys you the most?

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Helping leaders & teams communicate with clarity & confidence 🏆 World Class Certified Speaking Coach / 3x Bestselling Author / TEDx Speaker / Trusted by leaders at Amazon, Microsoft, & More

Welcome, I appreciate you being here. Quick question - can you relate to any of these?

→ You don't always explain your points clearly and concisely.
→ You sometimes feel nervous when speaking or presenting to groups.
→ You don't feel as confident in difficult situations (or around certain people).
→ You find it hard to organize and articulate your thoughts on the spot. 

If so, I totally get it. 

Even the lifetime overachievers and high performers feel this way sometimes. 

But what if you could make these 3 changes?

1) Learn to speak with unshakeable confidence
2) Master charisma to captivate any audience
3) Learn to organize and articulate your thoughts clearly and concisely 

(Especially on the spot or in high pressure situations)

If you do, you could gain:

— The ability to stay calm under pressure
— The power to own the room when speaking
— Increased respect from everyone you meet 
— A strong reputation in your company and industry 
— Open doors to new career/business opportunities

Now you might be thinking, 

"This all SOUNDS good Ty, but how the heck do you actually get there?" 😅

Great question. That's where coaching comes in! 

There are 3 key parts of my coaching program: 

1.) Personalized 1-on-1 coaching sessions tailored to your needs
2.) Step-by-step weekly plans to ensure constant improvement
3.) Messaging access for additional support and questions throughout the week 

Everything in the program is backed by science (and has been done with hundreds of people)

Because I know everything works, there's a 100% money back guarantee.

And if you're curious, here's a bit more about me:

→ Former shy, awkward farm kid who was a TERRIBLE speaker and loved avoiding people 

→ Today, 330+ professionals coached 1-on-1 across tech, sales, healthcare, finance, and more

→ World-Class Certified Speaking Coach
(Trained by Craig Valentine, former #1 ranked public speaker in the world) 

→ 3x best-selling author on communication skills 

→ TEDx speaker (recent talk given April 2025)

With all that said...

If you're ready to elevate your speaking skills and advance your career...

DM me the word “COMMUNICATION” 

Happy to have a quick chat about how everything works.

***Please mention whether you're interested in:

- 1-on-1 coaching programs
- Corporate group trainings

Book Your Free Strategy Session

Speak Like a Confident Leader in 7 Days

Heart of the City Piano Program (HCPP) is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization that provides music lessons to underprivileged youth.

Speak clearly and confidently under pressure in 90 days (guaranteed) / World Class Certified Speaking Coach / 3x Bestselling Author / TEDx Speaker / 330+ clients coached

Loud voices get attention.
But calm clarity creates real success.

Today, many professionals want to stand out. 

But they're going about it the wrong way. 

They speak quickly.
They give long answers. 
They don't allow space for silence. 

This urgency can get you attention, 

but it's the wrong kind of attention. 

And it often scrambles your thoughts and weakens your message.

The people who stay calm under pressure 
and speak clearly on the spot...

Are the ones who've learned to balance peace with power. 

What are they doing?

→ Staying composed
→ Controlling their pace 
→ Starting points with clarity
→ Finishing points with authority
→ Listening fully before responding

They don’t treat these as speaking 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴.

They treat them as speaking 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴.

And the people around them feel the difference.

Do you think you've learned to balance peace with power?

As a kid, I was shy, awkward, and introverted.

My favorite activities were:

1.) Climbing trees
2.) Reading books
3.) Playing piano

What do these things have in common?

‭→ I was by myself
‭→ I didn’t have to talk to anyone

Luckily, I grew up on a farm near a small town of 800 people.

Which made avoiding people a little bit easier.

But not speaking became difficult when I grew up. 

In my first professional job:

‭→ Small talk made me anxious.
‭→ I'd avoid answering the phone. 
‭→ I’d throw up before meetings.

Flash forward years later, and I gave a TEDx Talk.

About 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, of all things…

I felt calm leading up to the talk. 
And confident when I stepped on stage.

Much different than my younger self. 

This was possible for 3 reasons: 

1.) Speaking is a skill.
2.) Staying calm is a skill.
3.) Showing up with confidence is a skill.

I obsessed over communication for 10+ years
to learn the best ways to build these skills.

And now I’m blessed to be able 
to help others to do the same.

(But my programs aren't 10 years long, I promise)

Remember this: 

You're not "stuck" at any level.
No matter how high or low. 

You can always improve your skills and get better.

And I'm rooting for you.

Once I stopped making this communication mistake, 
everybody started listening to me more. 

What was it? 

Using complicated/fancy words. 

Here’s why:

Studies show people consider messages 
more honest and trustworthy when a person 
uses simple instead of complicated words. 

This means if you use simpler language:

There’s a greater chance people will believe you. 

And buy into what you're saying. 

It also takes less brain power for your listeners to understand you.

So you’re doing everyone a favour by 
making it easier to absorb your message. 

I give an example of complicated vs. simple in the video. 

If you think you should be using big words
and developing a complex vocabulary...

There are better ways to spend your time. 

You’d be better off using that time learning 
to explain things in a simple, clear way. 

Have you ever thought "I need a bigger vocabulary?"

One of my clients was a VP leading 200 people.
Sharp guy. Good at his job. 
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘀...

→ He’d get interrupted sometimes.
→ His ideas wouldn’t always land.

He told me:

“I know I’m great at what I do, but I'm not 
sure if I always come across that way.”

We worked together on structure, pacing, and brevity.

→ It was like putting his communication on a diet.
→ We trimmed the ramble fat and made him lean.

(His speaking now has visible abs)

1 month in, his COO told him:

“You’ve been coming across better in 
meetings lately. People are noticing.”

It’s not about saying more.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 
𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Because being great at what you do isn’t enough.

You have to be able to communicate it.

Do you agree?

Sometimes you have to look back

and remember how far you’ve come…

Even if it’s just passport photos. 😅 

-

P.S. How much do you look
like 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 passport photo?

How I removed filler words for good
(and how you can too)

3 Proven Techniques:

1.) Speak in shorter sentences. 

Long, run-on sentences 
= harder to control 
= more filler words 

2.) Slow your speaking pace. 

Faster speech 
= harder to control 
= more filler words 

3.) Proper breathing. 

At the end of your sentence, 
take a breath and inhale.
Then speak as you exhale. 

This forces you to pause more.

Anyone can remove their filler words. 
I've seen it with hundreds of clients over the years. 

That means you can too.

Which filler word do you use the most?

Day 1: Terrible workplace environment. 
Stressed, overwhelmed.
Unclear communication. 

Day 60: Landed new job. 
Optimistic, excited. 
Clear, structured communication. 

Some of the changes we've seen:

→ Enhanced clarity when explaining points
→ Stronger, more confident nonverbal presence 
→ Large reduction in filler words and softeners 
→ Less doubt and overthinking about what to say 
→ Long answers are now tight and concise 

There's still some work to be done, 

But this client has made a lot of progress. 

Enough progress to rock those tough 
interviews and land the job she wanted. 

Can you remember the last time you wanted 
a fresh start and were applying for jobs?

And then you finally got the role you were hoping for?

This 1 thing I learned makes me 
immediately sound more credible
any time I speak.

(Especially in high pressure situations)

It’s strategic pausing. Which is: 

1.) Pausing to gather your thoughts
2.) Pausing after saying something important. 

But I used to be TERRIBLE at this.

One day after giving an update in a team meeting,
my boss looked at me with a dead stare and said:

“Ty, slow down. You don’t get any prizes for finishing quickly.” 

I was incredibly embarrassed, but he was right. 

I needed to slow down and pause more. 

A well-timed pause does 3 things:

1.) Shows a high level of composure. 
2.) Gives your listeners time to absorb what you’re saying.
3.) Makes your words land with more weight. 

Silence is not weakness. It’s emphasis. 

It reminds me of a quote from Mozart: 

"The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between."

Agree?

"How do you help me build my confidence?"
There's a reason this is on my FAQ page. 

Think of your brain like a computer. 

Over time, different 'programs' get installed in your brain…

that cause you to think, feel, and speak a certain way. 

So if you’re confident in certain situations
but less confident in others, there are programs 
in your brain that are causing this. 

(Same goes with overthinking, doubt, etc.)

Most people think they can fix this by:

1.) Getting a ton of tips and tricks 

2.) Just practicing a lot

Most coaches will teach you that way as well.

But the problem is:

It’s like trying to add new software to a computer 
when you haven’t removed the bugs. 

That's why we need to:

1.) Uninstall the programs that are holding you back.

2.) Install new ones that help you feel more confident. 

We do this using neuroscience-backed techniques to reprogram your subconscious mind. (that fun nerdy stuff)

Which is kind of like reprogramming 
your system so it runs smoothly.

This is what allows you to overcome 

the nerves, doubt, overthinking...

And feel more

confident, calm, and in control when you speak. 

Have you ever thought of your brain like a computer?

My client saw my post 
about her yesterday and
sent me a message...

When you work with awesome people, 
they always want to give 𝘺𝘰𝘶 a lot of credit. 

And you always want to give 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 a lot of credit.  

Especially when you work with 
kind, genuine humans (like this client)

It's pretty wholesome. 

Now when it comes to confidence, 

Even people like this in senior 
positions can still have challenges. 

I see it daily. 

So if you've ever thought: 

"I'm experienced. I should feel more confident." 

You are not alone.
And you can always get better. 

I'm rooting for you.

Many professionals ruin their points when speaking. 
Are you one of them?

If you ever catch yourself using 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀
you might be in this group. 

(I definitely was)

It's not that you need more knowledge. 

You just need a particular set of skills. 

The skills of organizing your thoughts quickly
and then explaining them clearly and concisely.

Because if you can't get to the point quickly...

People will assume you have none.

They'll stop listening and zone out. 
(especially with attention spans these days 😅)

So if you want to sound more credible, trim the fat.

Make your messages lean. 

After all, why spend 3 minutes delivering a point 
that could have been made in 30 seconds?

If you're not super skilled at this 𝘺𝘦𝘵, it's all good. 

It's a skill that can be learned just like anything else. 

You got this.

"Why am I like this?"

I used to ask myself that all the time.

Whenever I: 

➙ Struggled to get my thoughts out 
➙ Didn't explain myself clearly 
➙ Responded poorly to a difficult person 
➙ Overreacted under pressure 

I'd get really down on myself. 

Thankfully, I eventually learned something important: 

These weren't personality traits. 
They were skills I could get better at. 

That's why I spent over a decade obsessing over: 

1.) How to organize my thoughts 
2.) How to explain them clearly and concisely 
3.) How to stay calm in difficult moments 

And how to have less of those: 

➙ "Why did I say it like that?
➙ "Why did I respond that way?
➙ "I should have said that better" 

type of moments. 

It added a level of calm, clarity, and confidence
that makes it easier to handle tough moments 
(and tough people)

Which makes daily life feel smoother and more peaceful. 

It's not perfect, but it feels a LOT better than before. 

Have you ever had thoughts like this?

"It feels like I have 10 chrome tabs open in my brain
and when I talk, I don't know which one to use" 

Heard this from a Director on a strategy session yesterday. 

She seemed smart and knew her stuff. 

But there were "too many thoughts" 
running through her mind at once.

Which makes it tough for her to organize 
them and deliver a clear, concise point. 

(Especially with senior leaders or larger groups)

Now has this ever happened to you?

→ You have a bunch of thoughts 
→ You start saying something
→ You realize you're not being clear 
→ You get flustered from noticing 
→ You keep talking to try to make it clear 

Why does this happen?

Because you've never learned how to properly 
organize those thoughts under pressure. 

Then explain them in a way that's 
clear and easy to understand. 

Ultimately, you just haven't learned the skill of “choosing one tab.”

Can you relate to this at all?

Turn Your Anxious Moments into Confident Conversations | Executive Communication & Speaking Coach | Host: Your Five Letter Word Podcast 🎙 | Helped 500+, on a mission to help 500K more 🏅

You know that your leadership presence doesn't match your competence, but you haven't figured out why (especially because the generic advice you're reading online feels superficial).

That's where I come in.

Maybe you ramble in meetings, then feel disappointed you couldn't articulate your thoughts clearly so your suggestion wasn't implemented.

Maybe you stay quiet due to nerves & self-doubt, then notice others second-guess your work and impact.

Maybe you hate stepping on people's toes and feel uncomfortable giving your team members feedback, so you beat around the bush and drop hints of what you want, but feel like you're wasting time when they don't listen and implement your clues.

I get it. 

But the chronic disappointment of knowing you're capable of more, but feeling like you're getting in your own way? 

That's what I help you eliminate.

I blend leadership psychology, communication science, and executive presence coaching to help you:

1) Feel like a competent leader that matches your title
2) Develop executive presence (and actually understand what it means)
3) Speak with confidence and certainty to highlight your competence
4) Become influential in how you show up and lead

Think of this work as leadership therapy (without the therapy):
You get the depth, precision, and emotional intelligence of working with a Social Psychologist paired with practical, behaviour-led strategies you can use immediately.

Through my coaching, we'll improve:
• your presence under pressure
• your communication patterns
• your interpersonal leadership
• your ability to self-regulate and stay composed
• your natural leadership identity

So that at the end, you're proud of who you are, how you lead, and the skills you demonstrate 
(both in and out of work).

My work is rooted in psychology, and tailored to your personality and natural strengths, not on any pre-existing cookie-cutter formulas. It's built around the way you think, speak, and operate - so that you meet your goals and exceed your standards, using strategies that work for YOU.

If you’re ready to lead with more composure, impact, and self-trust, you’re in the right place.


For all coaching, workshop, speaking, or podcast inquiries:

📩 DM me to chat
📧 Email: info@christinaaidy.com
🌎 Website: christinaaidy.com

To explore my coaching program:
https://www.christinaaidy.com/leadership-coaching 

Calendar too busy? Get ongoing async support, so you still see results:
https://www.christinaaidy.com/call-free-coaching

Christina (Lapytskaia) Aidy, PhD

The hardest part about developing executive presence?
Believing you can.

Yes, change can be hard. 
But when it's backed by psychology and behavioural science?

It works. 💥 

Look, I can give you all the basic tips-and-tricks to try this week. But I don't believe in that approach. 

Why? 

Because they typically feel fake and forced.
That makes it too easy to go back to your comfort zone. 

And I'm not here for that. 

I'm here to help you create real, long-lasting change that goes beyond what you even expected for yourself.

Because your psychology *is* your foundation.

Learn to change that, and the entire game changes.

The clients I've worked with have experienced incredible results, like:

→ Senior leadership acknowledging their change (and getting a raise).
→ Finally feeling like the confident expert they are on client calls.
→ Overcoming their fear of networking - and enjoying it instead.
→ Going from fearing the camera to speaking naturally on it (for hours!). 
→ and my favourite one: developing such natural leadership confidence that they don't even recall the old uncertain version of themselves. 🤯 

For the past year, I've worked exclusively with senior leaders, founders, and executives.

But I've always felt called to help more people, especially when it comes to developing confident communication.

→ The coaches who truly help clients.
→ The small business owners impacting their community.
→ The leaders who love their team but haven't "made it" yet.

Executive presence isn't just for executives.
It's in how you show up with your customers, potential clients, and team.


Happy Saturday
💚

Dr. Christina Aidy

Social Psychologist | Leadership Communication x Executive Presence | Helping leaders and founders who second-guess how they come across become confident, credible, and influential in every room.

How common is speaking anxiety in leadership (and how do I finally get rid of it?!)

I speak with many leaders and experts who carry secret guilt 
for not "figuring out" how to sound confident 24/7 (yet). 

There's a self-imposed expectation to be doing better by now.

I hear you.
But, there's also a reason why the other advice & workshops you watched haven't worked for you (beyond a day or two). 

You're overlooking your psychology.

And when you don't consider what's causing the behaviour, changing the behaviour feels impossible. 

For example, one of the most commonly asked questions I get asked from leaders is why they still sound uncertain in meetings, despite knowing their stuff. 

My answer: when you spend 95% of your day having casual conversations, 
it's no wonder that trying to sound formal and polished feels forced and foreign to you.

One of the biggest "aha" moments is when you realize how many informal things you're constantly watching or listening to - and how much that changes your perception of what "normal" communication is.

This is what sets my work apart from many coaches who focus primarily on templates for speaking. 

I believe that in order to have real, sustainable change: 
you have to go beyond the moment. 

You have to change how you think and respond to it, not just how you choose to frame your answer. 

You can follow the template to a tee, and still sound like you don't believe yourself.

Your mindset doesn't lie.
It's worth listening to.

--
I dive into this topic much deeper on today's episode of The Self-Led Leader podcast, where I'm answering the top 5 FAQs I get asked from leaders. 

Watch the full breakdown here: https://lnkd.in/eaXDnEjX

You only respond to doubt in 1 of 3 ways:


1. Doing the thing that moves you toward your goal.
2. Distracting yourself with a task that feels good.
3. Letting the doubt win and not doing anything.

2/3 ways sabotage your progress. 
And most people don't even notice it's happening.

Your reaction matters more than the doubt itself. 

PS. I'll be running an intimate workshop around self-doubt in leadership this month. It's going to help you understand where your doubt is coming from and why you respond to it the way you do. To maintain confidentiality and allow people to share privately, it's limited to 6 seats. DM me "workshop" and I'll share the details to join.

Most leadership issues aren't a skill problem. They're the result of overlooking that your strengths are also your blindspots.

Over the last year, I've been mapping something I call the Presence Profile™,
which looks at the default response pattern leaders rely on under pressure.

This isn't about personality.
This looks at where your focus goes (and how it shapes your perspective) as soon as you feel uncertainty.

I consistently see 4 dominant responses that map onto four different  processing systems. I've called these:

Sight
Sound
Thread
Signal

-
1. Sight (this is perceptual depth)

These leaders notice the nuance and patterns others miss. They're deep thinkers who bring strategic awareness.

But under pressure, they start to overanalyze, hesitate, and doubt their own judgement.

--
2. Sound (this is verbal processing)

These leaders think out loud and bring clarity through conversation. They're great at fostering relationships and talking through challenges.

But under stress, they can start to ramble or talk in circles, over-explaining their points and subtly discrediting their own expertise.

---
3.  Thread (this is relational attunement)

These leaders instinctively track the emotional dynamics within their teams. They're emotionally intelligent and great at creating psychological safety.

But under pressure, they can avoid conflict or having those uncomfortable conversations, as they'd prefer to maintain harmony in the team instead of addressing the ongoing issues head-on. 

----
4. Signal (this is your expressed authority)

These leaders lead through their presence, confidence, and charisma. They naturally bring energy to their teams, leading through example.

But under stress, in moments when they doubt their expertise, they end up withdrawing and feeling like a shell of themselves, or try to maintain their confident facade, feeling like they're performing inauthentically.

-----
Here's what's interesting: most teams don't struggle, miss their KPIs, or have the same annoying points consistently coming up because their leader lacks skills.

It happens because their leader defaults to their natural Presence driver - and their biggest strengths end up being their biggest blindspots that stop the team from functioning cohesively. 

My goal is to help leaders understand their default Presence Profile™
so that influence with their team becomes intentional, not reactive.

If you're curious what your default style is, you can take my free quiz here:
https://lnkd.in/e9WmzqdW

PS. I'm curious, which profile do you think you see most often at work?

The reason you don't sound confident when you speak?
It has nothing to do with your communication skills.

Every time I start working with a leader, 
We spend time talking about their life outside of work too. 

• What their everyday habits are like.
• How they spend their free time.
• Who they spend that time with.
• What they value and care about.

Because how you show up at work is a reflection of how you live your life.

And most of the things you care about and prioritize now?
Those were taught to be important a long time ago.

Sometimes, I can trace back patterns to childhood.

→ Like how your parents putting pressure on you to get all As in school led you to start overthinking and wondering if you're good enough. 

→ Or how wanting to fit in with "the cool kids" made you change who you really are, but now years later you question your own decision-making and judgement, especially in front of your manager at work. 

Other times, there are clear "events" that led you to develop self-doubt or anxiety around speaking up.

→ Like a former boss that kept interrupting and talking over you.
→ A co-worker that never listened to your ideas but took credit for them.
→ A project you were passionate about that others didn't see the value in.

👉 And here's the thing: if you find yourself doubting your speaking skills and thinking you need to sound more confident... but all the advice you read (or watch) online just doesn't seem to work "for you"...

That's a clear sign that it's NOT your communication skills holding you back.
It's your mindset. 

Because before you ever say a word, your mind already determined how you feel about it.

(and how you sound when it comes out)

Start by understanding your mindset towards speaking first.
That's how you start to create real change towards sounding confident.

PS. Have you had a positive "public speaking" experience recently? Share it below! 


If this sounds familiar, I work privately with senior leaders on rebuilding their executive presence and leadership communication. Apply to work with me here: https://lnkd.in/eADQehVU

The workforce is changing, but are you adapting to it? Not if you’re overlooking this:


The modern era of leadership is changing.

Changing how things are done, 
how you are expected to lead, and 
what it takes to show up with authority. 

Many people make the mistake of thinking their executive presence starts to matter once they finally reach senior leadership. 

It doesn't. 
It starts a lot earlier.

Many of the modern millennial leaders I work this are seeing this firsthand: the promotions aren’t going to the most senior or technically skilled colleague. 

If you're waiting for that promotion before you start thinking about your people skills... 

Well ... you're going to keep waiting.

Because technical skills are no longer the standard.

There are more skilled workers in every industry.

Which means, you are becoming more replaceable (and that's not even talking about AI). 

So, what sets you apart? 
It's not technical skills.

It's the soft skills.
The YOU skill.

It’s the reputation you create for yourself about how easy and enjoyable you are to work with. 

It's in how you show up and carry yourself.
It's in how you make people feel during a conversation.
It's in how you give feedback, especially "constructive" ones.
It's in how you handle team disagreements while still maintaining unity.
It's in how you hold space for your team when they need support.
It's in how you pay attention to the little things to help others.
It's in how you sound when you speak to others.
It's in how you look when you show up.

Because when the bar is high and everyone is expected to be skilled, what sets you apart isn't more technical knowledge.

It's your understanding of how to interact with people.

Afterall, if you had to pick between the one who’s easy to talk to or the one who’s always a prick - who would you give the promotion to?

That's the power of understanding executive presence.

And the power of developing it before any promotion.

—
Hi, I’m Christina
A social psychologist and executive presence coach. 

I work with leaders and founders who want to change how they show up and speak with others, so that leading with confidence feels natural and their goals start to feel inevitable. If you’re interesting in working together, DM me “executive” and I’ll share more info about my coaching program (including my call-free coaching option for those who have trust issues with their calendar 😉)

PS. If you’re a coach and want to show up with more confidence and authority online for your business, DM me “coach” - I’ve got something special in the works for you.

The biggest part of "working on your communication skills" most people completely forget about? 👇 

What you look like when you're *not* speaking.

I see this too often.

A leader wants to improve their communication skills, so they want all the best tricks to practice speaking.

But that's a one-sided approach to communication.

How you look while listening is equally important as how you sound while speaking. 

Especially when you're running a team, showing up in meetings, and co-ordinating efforts. 

If you're only focused on how you sound, you're leaving a lot on the table, and you're making an impression on others that you're just completely unaware of.

(don't even get me started on how your unconscious biases come through in these moments)

If you're a leader that wants to take your communication skills seriously, it's time to start considering the full spectrum of your skills.

And how you look while listening is the easiest place to start.

---
Hi, I'm Christina
A social psychologist and executive presence coach.

Your communication skills are one of the biggest indicators of your executive presence (or lack thereof). If you want to understand how you're showing up and where your blindspots are right now, so you can change how you show up and the impression you make (even this week), my workshop is the next step for you. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eHFhC5cC

"Executive presence advice just doesn't work for me"
Yeap, it won't. Not until you understand the missing piece.

Most advice given online is tailored to "the average"
- average person
- average problem
- average solution

We speak to the masses so that more people can understand.

Even if you consider research, many research findings are based on average results (the outliers are considered to mess up the data).

But the problem is: you're not average. 
You're nuanced. 

And when all the advice you hear online assumes everyone responds in the same way, especially under pressure, it's not surprising that it doesn't fit for your needs. 

The typical advice you hear is generic:

"Build more strategic relationships"
"Speak with more confidence"
"Command the room"
"Be more precise"

This advice can be a great place to start. But it's far from the finish line.

This is what's being overlooked:
When stakes get higher, all leaders don't default to the same response.

Some leaders start analyzing every possible risk before deciding.
Some leaders ask for input, getting a pulse for everyone involved.
Some leaders talk it out until they feel they've reached internal clarity.
Some leaders take more control, making their presence known in the room.

I call this your Presence Profile.
This is the response style you naturally defer to, especially when you feel uncertain.

From my coaching work with leaders, I see most people fall into 1 of 4 default styles. 

Each one has its' own strengths. 
And equally, the strengths also become the blindspots.

If generic executive presence advice has felt like it's just not quite the right fit for you... 

It's not you, it's them.


Understanding your response style is often the missing piece to get you back on track. If you're curious which response style you default to, I've built a short diagnostic you can take here: 
https://lnkd.in/e9WmzqdW


PS. If you were to guess, do you think you default to analyzing, talking it out, connecting, or projecting?

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Christina (Lapytskaia) Aidy, PhD

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The Battle

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