“Taking Up Space”… I hear this a lot from people I work with.

Wanting to command a room with their presence but feeling the desire to hide when all the energy turns towards them.

I heard a beautiful story from one of my students this week who was desiring a deeper relationship with her father but she could never get him to really drop in and have a deeper conversation with her.

To get her needs met for quality time with him she set up a time, told him what the duration would be and told him she was going to record it for future generations. She had really clear intentions of what she wanted to speak about. AND he showed up.

This is the beauty of speaking on stage. You get to take up space.

If you struggle to take up space, here are are few simple steps you can follow:

1. Know what you want to say. Intention is key
2. Frame the duration. (You can do this by sharing there will be 3 points you’ll cover in a talk)
3. Make it relevant for the people listening. So they know how it will be useful for them (i.e. filmed for future generations).

Once you have those 3 things framed you’re free to explore the terrain and bathe in all the attention.

Remember you don’t have to be loud and overbearing to take up space. Clear concise presence goes a long way.