Developing Leaders & the ‘It’ factor

Recently I had the fantastic privilege of being a judge at UTS for the Clayton Utz Intervarsity Negotiation Competition and also to present training on Developing your Personal Presence for NSW Young Lawyers at their mid- year assembly. Both very rewarding and fun for me. Being in the observation seat of so many talented speakers and presenters was great. It’s always fascinating to me to see who has the ‘It’ factor.

What is the IT factor?

The ‘It’ factor is more than a speaker’s ability to speak clearly and professionally, which of course definitely provides a strong foundation to build on, but there are some people who have the power to engage an audience and hold their attention, take them on a journey and exert influence. They have ‘It’.

‘It’ is hard to define but given that most of what we communicate is non-verbal, you’re not likely to develop your ‘It’ behind a desk or with your head researching endlessly, making writes and rewrites of your speech. Your audience, whether an audience of one or hundreds, will likely make a judgement call on your authenticity before you even get a chance to open your mouth. So it is important to understand the physicality of success.

Know your strengths. ‘It’ is aligned with your ability to be authentic.

Your ability to know your strengths and find your own personal style of communication. ‘It’ draws people to what you have to say, gives you influence; and influence is fundamental to leadership. Most leaders are aware that their ability to lead is intrinsically linked to their ability to communicate. I’ve been helping clients develop their communication skills and personal presence for the past 27 years. Many of these clients were leaders or if they weren’t before many are now! There isn’t one way to secure your ‘It’. It’s a process of trial and error and risk taking.

These are some of the areas we explore in our executive coaching and specialist workshops.

If you’d like a consultation about your professional development needs or to discuss your organisations needs contact consultants@voiceadvocates.com or call (02) 9231 1954.