Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader

by Dianna Booher

"Personal presence is difficult to define but easy to recognize. People with presence carry themselves in a way that turns heads. When they talk, people listen. When they ask, people answer. When they lead, people follow. Personal presence can help you get a date, a mate, a job, or a sale. It can help you lead a meeting, a movement, or an organization.Presence is not something you’re born with—anyone can learn these skills, habits, and traits. Award-winning speaker and consultant Dianna Booher shows how to master dozens of small and significant things that work together to convey presence. She details how body language, manners, and even your surroundings enhance credibility and build rapport. You’ll learn to use voice and language to demonstrate competence, deliver clear and memorable messages, and master emotions. You’ll learn to think strategically, organize ideas coherently, and convey to others genuine interest, integrity, respect, and reliability. Take her self-assessment to measure your progress. With Dianna Booher’s expert, entertaining advice, you can have the same kind of influence as the most successful CEOs, celebrities, and civic leaders."

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Self Help, Leadership, Communication, Personal Development, Psychology

217 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Dianna Booher, MA, CSP, CPAE, is CEO of Booher Research Institute, Inc., a communication consulting and coaching firm.. She works with organizations to help them communicate clearly and with individuals to increase their influence through a strong personal presence--and sometimes with a published book!

She's the author of 49 books (translated into 62 foreign-language editions) and has published with Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books, Warner, Penguin Random House, McGraw-Hill, and Berrett-Koehler. Her latest books include:

-Faster, Fewer, Better Emails: Manager the Volume, Reduce the Stress, Love the Results

- Communicate Like a Leader: Connect Strategically to Coach, Inspire, and Get Things Done

- What More Can I Say?: Why Communication Fails and What to Do About It

- Creating Personal Presence:
Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader

- Communicate with Confidence:
How to Say it Right the First Time and Every Time
(Revised and Expanded Edition 2011)

- The Voice of Authority:
10 Communication Strategies Every Leader Needs to Know

- Booher’s Rules of Business Grammar:
101 Fast and Easy Ways to Correct the Most Common Errors

- Speak with Confidence:
Powerful Presentations That Inform, Inspire, and Persuade

- E-Writing: 21st-Century Tools for Effective Communication

- From Contact to Contract:
496 Proven Sales Tips to Generate More Leads, Close More Deals, Exceed Your Goals, and Make More Money

- Your Signature Work:
Creating Excellence and Influencing Others at Work

Dianna has been interviewed by Good Morning America, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, FOX, CNN, CNBC, National Public Radio, Dr. Laura Radio Show, Washington Post, New York Newsday, Bloomberg, Boardroom Reports, Investor’s Business Daily, Industry Week, Success, and Entrepreneur, among other national radio, TV, and newspapers.

Her work has also won its share of recognition. Several titles have been major book club selections, and others have won national industry awards:
-American Library Association: Best Young -Adult Non-Fiction of the Year
-Executive Soundview Summaries: Best --Business Book of the Decade
--Axiom Award Silver Medal (2018)
--Richtopia's Top 200 Most Influential Authors in the World (2017, 2018)
-New York Film Festival—Cindy Award (nominee) (Corporate Training Division)
-Newbridge Executive Book Club—Main Selection
-Macmillan Executive Book Club Selection
-Fortune Book Club Selection
-Writers Digest Book Club Selection
-Business Week Book Club
-Book-of-the-Month Club (alternate selection)
-Money Book Club

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Q:
Хэл Персонс, учивший актерскому мастерству нескольких величайших звезд всех времен, использовал это упражнение при обучении представителей компаний, в том числе IBM : «Представьте себе, что вы – электрическая лампочка. Передавайте энергию через макушку. И пусть прольется свет». Попробуйте сами воспользоваться этим упражнением во время своего выступления. Оно заставляет выпрямиться и излучать энергию каждой клеточкой тела!

Q:
Обращайтесь к галерке – и вы сможете заинтересовать и тех, кто находится ближе.

Q:
«Простота – это изощренность, доведенная до совершенства».
Леонардо да Винчи

[Lis Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creating Personal Presence covers much the same territory as Michelle Lederman's The 11 Laws of Likability, but not, I fear, in as engaging a manner, or with the same thoughtfulness and attention to detail. There's still very good advice and excellent pointers here, and a different emphasis and viewpoint that may be helpful for some readers.

Divided into four categories, Look, Act, Talk, and Think, Booher offers practical advice and illustrative anecdotes from her experience both personally and with clients, on how to present yourself more effectively, communicate more clearly, and be more successful. Dress, gestures, vocal mannerisms, courtesy, and integrity are all covered, with specifics and examples. Booher begins by saying, and emphasizes throughout, that no matter where you are in terms of personal presence right now, you can take steps to make improvements and become more effective. A link to Booher's self-assessment test is provided, to help readers get started.


What I found a little off-putting was the sense, maybe unjustified, that this is all about getting ahead in business, whereas Lederman's book is more about being more effective in pursuing your goals. It's a subtle but important difference. I was slightly bemused to see a quote from Donald Trump, a "businessman" who has gone bankrupt three times and has lately been making a clown of himself in presidential politics, used as one of the chapter introductory quotes. The reference to Barack Obama's inauguration in 2008 is just careless, the kind of carelessness that doesn't contribute to personal presence, and either Booher or a copy-editor should have caught that. The unqualified recommendation that everyone needs to have an individually tailored business suit reflects the unexamined assumption that everyone reading the book is working within a traditional business setting. For an animal shelter, yes, it's a good thing if the director and other senior officers have really good suits for when they are representing the shelter to potential donors; tailored suits do not, however, have much place in walking dogs or cleaning cat boxes. In that setting, you'll cut a much more professional image in well-fitting jeans and a good, flattering, casual top, with practical footwear. This is an area where Lederman's book seemed to me to be more practical and aimed at a wider audience.

Nevertheless, there's excellent advice here, and this book may be more accessible and useful to some readers than Lederman's, precisely because of the very things I find a bit off-putting.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

1. Look - appearance and dress, body language, walk and surrounding
2. Talk - voice, word choice, meaningful conversations
3. Think- thought process and how communicate, summarize, respond to questions, deal with emotions and control reactions; strategic vs. tactical
4. Act - attitude and character traits, habits, behaviors that either support or diminish credibility

all a bit superficially handled

take away:
- S.E.E.R. summarize answer, elaborate with reasons/date/whatever supports, example - give concrete and specific, restate
- invite questions, moderate tone, phrase evenly to project are coach and critical thinker
- give attention rather than get, be approachable, listen actively, express empathy, share appropriately, be gracious not rude, follow business protocol, put others at ease, use humor (not offensive, blaming, diminish credibility)
- tell truth, follow through, admit mistakes and be accountable for results, track progress

[Crystal Gao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it. Am buying a copy. A very practical guide book, well structured, smooth. Presence is such a subtle thing, i know the importance of it but just can not figure out how to improve it. The advise in the book are well thought-out, easy to follow, I am ready to give them a try. Maybe I should also buy a few copies for my friends and colleagues. Surely everyone can pick up a thing or two from the book.

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has trouble getting to and sticking to the point.

[Maddy Addison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocking pink on Cher isn’t the look for me

Posted on March 4, 2021 by michellelovatosbookreviews, world's first book color commentator, book reviews with a twist

H-a-l-l-l-l-o-o-w!
Isn’t that what a person yells when they saunter into a room, hips in the lead?
Charisma? What’s that?
I’ve been told I’m as sharp as a marble. So how am I suppose to make my mark on this big fat scary over-reactive world full of people who think a person has to be a hot-pink wig-wearing transgender Cher on stilts to get noticed in a room?
Thank the good Lord author Dianna Booher provides us with Creating Personal Presence: Look, Think, and Act Like a Leader, a book I was supposed to review in 2011 and re-found six months ago.
Sorry, Berrett-Koehler Publications. I could have used this book 10 years ago! If I were forced in my lifetime to figure out how to behave in the world of leadership, I might have just ended up as a homeless sad sack living with my mother. Oh, wait! I am.
Never-the-less, now that I’ve re-found this title, my worries are over. Right?
According to Booher, a person’s body language, handshake, movement, dress, and reaction to surroundings matter.
Oh, does that mean my slimy fish shake isn’t dainty and perfect for my first trip into a social situation? I thought people wanted to kiss my hand. I’ve been watching too many princess movies.
Booher says that how you talk, the words you choose, the physical qualities in your voice, and how you use it, make a difference.
So I guess that means the high-pitched bird call intro and the hog-yell disagreement pronouncement might be inappropriate. Dang.
My attitude too?
Booher says that even my attitude, values, and competence of my actions determine my success.
I’m in trouble here. Well, I’m glad this author knows how to behave.
In Creating Personal Presence, Booher provides readers with comprehensive coverage of self-assessment and skill development, offers pragmatic and achievable leadership training as well as guidance on creating both external and internal character development.
Heck. No wonder I’m on my mother’s couch. But this might just be a goal that might take another 10 years to grasp. Good thing I’m only in my mid-80s. I still have plenty of time to lead.

[email protected]
[email protected]
Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128: 1-2

[Kunal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book that I had to read as part of my company's book club. It discusses all of the things that make up being a good leader from the least important things to the most important things. In order of importance from least to most it goes Look, Talk, Think, and Act although what people notice the most is in the exact opposite. The book is helpful in describing a number of things that we should all do as it relates to our dress and looking nice and standing up straight with the right posture to how best to talk to people and think about things mentally and how to act in front of others. Taking the self assessment at the end of the book is extremely helpful as it gives you the awareness of how much you need to change the way you are doing certain things in order to be operating like a true leader. Looking at each of these individual questions was a reminder of how much I need to change the way I am doing things myself which I hope give me the power to do so in the future.

[Gautam Talagery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A structured approach to improving others perception of you

Four major areas that lead to increased personal presence.. Includes both personal discipline and etiquette. A combination of common sense and new aspects that need to be internalized

[Dariann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic guide for improving how you present yourself on all the fronts that matter. Booher's writing style is simple and engaging, and I am excited to actively apply some of her suggestions. I will be recommending this guide to a few friends and family members.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Creating Personal Presence; it was full of practical advice on leadership that can be put into practice. It was also an easy read. I plan to read it again this year along with some of the books mentioned in the Bibliography.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a recommended read and will be very valuable as I learn to be a great leader. My goal.... to go from good to great to best!

[Thomas Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for new leaders and managers. I enjoyed, but most of the information is available in other more enjoyable books.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff with practical knowledge although most I felt I already knew. But a good refresher filled with useful tips on how to ways to navigate the corporate business world with a solid presence.

[Lebogang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this for any business professional

[Joan Kite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with great photos describing body language, et cetera.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very common sense advice. One too many Trump quotes for me to take seriously.

[Ayush Jain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short read at 180 pages but still covers the basics. A good book to revisit as one executes and practices the ideas and suggestions presented in the book.

[Mason Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's nothing really super wrong with this book, but there's nothing super right with it either. I just can't imagine there being a situation where I would recommend someone read this book. Trying to figure out how to present socially in a work setting is something you need to learn in person with someone. I don't think you can read your way into good personal presence with another.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without a doubt there are some people who seem to be born with presence. They walk into a room and people turn their heads. They speak and others listen. They walk into an interview knowing that the job is theirs if they want it.

The real question is can presence be taught? Is it something that you either have or don’t? Can a person who feels invisible and uncomfortable be taught how to change their whole demeanour?

Creating Personal Presence sets out to teach presence. Of course looks matter but presence is more about confidence and passion. If you are speak about something important to you, fully engaged, your body language will change. Suddenly, you forget yourself and become completely immersed in what you are saying. Others see this and they begin to listen. Essentially, they focus where you focus.

[Christine Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really useful and well-done book, and I have read, edited, and indexed a lot in this business self-help genre. Features that impressed me: lots of not-the-usual quotations, references, and sources; elegant and not too gimmicky layout; very clear writing; and many graceful turns of phrase, including "myriad" used alone and correctly!

The body language section was especially helpful. In general the advice was no-nonsense. The modern workplace seems to overlook a lot of behavior and comportment, but this author isn't having it. Good for her. There were just a few mistakes along the lines of compliment used for complement, and dominate for dominant, but I'm sure those will come out in the wash.

[Lily E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creating Personal Presence is a book divided into four main sections, from the subtitle, Look, Talk, Think and Act - from the most noticeable/least important to least noticeable/most important. Not that you won't need all of them to be more than you are right now.

Dianna spaces advice and some tips, with some funny snippets from real cases, but despite describing the qualities, the actions, the attitudes one should take to succeed, she doesn't offer many solutions on how to get them. Let me try to be clear, she describes what you want to achieve, but doesn't explain the road taken to get there, and that's for me is the only fault of this book - lack of something more, some further steps.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not groundbreaking in it's ideas, which have been presented by many other authors, but a concise volume that serves as a practical reminder of the elements of personal presence.

I found the book lacking in action items and implementation strategies. Irritatingly, in the introduction she describes one minute "coaching" sessions with audience members during one of her talks, in which their "before and after" presence is stunningly transformed with just a few key suggestions. She never reveals to the reader what those suggestions were that achieved such remarkable results! Also irritatingly, the book has many editing errors, which detract from the message of having a "together" presence.

[Eleftheria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Είναι το πιο ολοκληρωμένο βιβλίο που έχω διαβάσει στο είδος του.

Καλογραμμένο και καλομεταφρασμένο όπως λίγα (γι' αυτό και μόνο θα έβαζα πέντε) και αν και δεν είναι αυτό που ανακαλύπτει την πυρίτιδα, σίγουρα αξίζει τα συγχαρητήριά μου, καθώς στις σελίδες του ανακάλυψα δύο νέες(!) έννοιες για την επικοινωνία και την προσωπική παρουσία, γεγονός ιδιαίτερα σπάνιο για κάποιον που έχει διαβάσει έστω και λίγα βιβλία του είδους, πόσο μάλλον όταν η εμπειρία είναι τουλάχιστον αρκετή.

Αξίζει να υπάρχει ως εγχειρίδιο στη βιβλιοθήκη κάθε ανθρώπου που χρειάζεται να επικοινωνεί έστω και με έναν άλλο άνθρωπο.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for beginning and tenured professionals alike as well as those in a position working alongside teams as well as direct reports. The book reviews simple but forgotten business practices, focusing on communication, interactions, poise, posture, etc. It serves as a good reminder and personal measuring tool for your individual presence and interactions with those you work with, support and lead. It's a quick read with a handful of nuggets that you can begin putting into practice the next day with immediate results.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and found Dianna Booher's style to be easily readable and understandable. She offers lots of great tips on how to communicate in ways that enhance credibility and grow influence.

Throughout my career I was trained in command presence and that worked well in a top down style of management. However, leadership in my current endeavor is more pull and less push. I feel the information in this book will help in developing my presence as a leader and I believe it will for others as well.

[Luca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, I take it at face value and found some interesting point and insights I will apply in the future. I particularly liked the effectiveness of writing reflecting thinking. It really says something if you think about it. I also liked the concepts about presence in the combination with strategic thinking.

In some ways I was looking for more hands on directions on how to with respect to various points in the book. There are enough examples on where it is done but for some insights that is not there.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book for a book report on leadership/personal growth.

The novel is very helpful at approaching presence from all aspects. It definitely is applicable to real world situations.

The stories Booher used and analogies made it an entertaining read and kept me highly interested.

The only reason it has 4 stars is because I do not like being forced to read things. And I'm not one for nonfiction.

[Sarah Young keitges · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book can be helpful to anyone wanting to set themselves apart in life.
The things that set people with personal presence apart is their confidence and passion.
There are so many easy to apply tips and nuggets in this book.
She even goes into proper etiquette tips. Etiquette seems to be a foreign language in this day and age and just applying those tips can set you apart of the world.

[Kevin Eikenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’ve met people like them. They have a certain something that makes people notice them: a quiet confidence, a charisma, a presence. Dianna Booher shows us all how to create this type of presence in her new book. - See more at: http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/leade...

[Ramon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Nothing groundbreaking here, but it is a good review. It helped me become more aware of my presence and how I was acting in the presence of others. Overall, it helped me change a few things about myself that needed tweeting and weren't outright offensive or negative.