How Body Language Can Undermine Your Executive Presence

She'd rehearsed in the mirror, finished her slides and knew her content cold. Shannon Alter, executive presence coach with over 30 years of experience, breaks down why her client still lost the room and what female founders need to know about the signals they're sending before they say a word.

A new client had a big presentation in front of her leadership group. She had done her homework, practised in front of a mirror and finished off her presentation slides. She called me to ask how to elevate the way she carries herself when she walks into the room. She was worried her body language wouldn't match what she said.

After the presentation, I asked her how she felt delivering in front of the group. Was she nervous? Did she connect with her audience?

"Yikes," she replied. "I was stuck. I was rooted in one spot and just kind of stood there. I wound up facing the screen and not the audience because I couldn't see my slides. I just didn't know what to do."

The result? The audience lost interest, their attention drifted, they started scrolling on their phones and some even started leaving.

She didn't stand a chance with this leadership audience.

Photo: Shannon Alter

Get out of your head and into the room

My client was so stuck in her head, thinking about what to say next, that she was ignoring what her body language was saying on her behalf. She didn't need to utter a word for the room to make a decision on her confidence, authority and ability to deliver. If you've ever had a conversation with someone whose smile didn't match their eyes, then you know what I mean.

Your non-verbal communication, your body language, speaks for you. People often pay attention to what you do rather than what you say. Think about it: body language includes eye contact, facial expressions, posture and gestures. The way you stand and move counts.

I like to take my cues from my clients and colleagues. When they mention an issue frequently or passionately, I know it's a key area. At a conference recently, I was speaking on body language and microexpressions, which are the expressions that happen on our faces. When I polled my audience on what bothered them most, one woman stood up and shouted out, "It's on my face! Every time!"

Why strong speakers still lose the room

Not long ago, I worked with a leader who was at the top of her field. One-on-one she was very personable and charming and she knew her content up, down and sideways. People naturally wanted to get to know her. She was great with her top-tier healthcare clients and was good with her team. But, when she had to speak in front of her C-Suite team, she melted.

I had the chance to observe her in a meeting and noticed that her confidence seemed to evaporate. She seemed to shrink into herself and wasn't her usual articulate self. I even had to get right up next to her to hear what she was saying; she had what I call "mumblitis".

The result? Her knowledge was stellar. The way she conveyed her message was not. There was a definite disconnect. She wasn't confident in her words, body language, or microexpressions, so her C-suite leaders weren't confident in her and tuned out. More importantly, she missed out on a key opportunity to influence. For female founders navigating rooms where they're already being scrutinised more closely, that gap is a costly one.

When we met after the meeting, I asked her what she thought the issue was. She said, "Well, everyone was looking at me. And I think they could have been judging me." I responded that both of those statements could be true. If you're up at the front of a room, in front of everyone, the truth is that everyone is looking at you. You just have to get used to it. And yes, it's possible people could be judging you. The secret is to get out of your head and simply roll with it.

Fidgeting is definitely an issue. Sometimes, when needing to self-soothe, you'll play with your hair, click a pen constantly, sway back and forth, tap your foot, or jingle keys or jewellery. Pockets are like magnets; they seem to attract our hands.

Have you ever seen a speaker or a leader fidget? When that happens, it can be completely distracting. I remember watching a big-name athlete-turned-speaker who paced back and forth across the stage the entire time. To this day, I have no idea what his topic was, but the pacing clearly sticks in my mind.

My advice: don't fidget. You want people to pay attention to what you're saying, not whatever distraction your body language is providing. If you tend to fidget, video yourself in advance. You can hear what you say, how you say it, and spot the non-verbal signals that don't align with your message. Watch it back, then practise until it feels more natural. One way to anchor yourself in the moment is to use a prop. I like to hold a water bottle: it isn't flimsy, doesn't make a noise, and it's easy to keep still.

Microexpressions and what they reveal

I was working with an executive recently who asked me to coach one of her leaders. The leader in question often rolled her eyes in meetings without realising, which automatically stopped a conversation in its tracks, or came across as hostile.

Just as body language is what happens from the neck down, microexpressions are all about what's happening on your face. Psychologist and professor Dr. Paul Ekman's work tells us that we all have macroexpressions. They're the normal, expected facial expressions we use in everyday life. They can last as long as four seconds and match the tone and content of what we're saying.

Then there are microexpressions. These are involuntary expressions that can flash across our faces in as little as 1/25th of a second and reveal our hidden feelings: anger, disgust, sadness. They're often so quick and fleeting that a casual observer may miss them altogether.

The best way to work through this is to practise. Ask a trusted colleague for feedback, or work with an executive presence coach. It can take time to become aware of those emotions before they show on your face.

Executive presence is a learnable skill

Think about how long it took you to be successful in your own career. It likely wasn't overnight. The same applies here. Executive presence is a learnable skill: you can do it, but it takes effort to be effortless.

When there's a disconnect, it sends loud signals, and they're often the reason your message doesn't land the way you intended.

Your presence speaks before you do.

I saw this recently in action. A senior leader walked into a boardroom and didn't say a word. But in the first 10 seconds, she said everything.

She made eye contact. She stood tall. She took a beat before sitting down. And the room shifted. She didn't have to prove her credibility; her presence did that for her.

Most leaders get executive presence wrong. In 2026, it's still treated like a soft skill, a nice-to-have, a natural trait you either have or you don't.

But executive presence isn't about being flashy, loud, or 100% perfect. It's simply the art of aligning your voice, message and energy so they are all saying the same thing. That's what builds trust and drives real influence.

As a female founder, if you want to close that gap between how you think you're coming across and what actually happens when you're in the room, awareness is your starting point. So before your next important meeting, try this: set up your phone and record yourself running through your opening. Watch it back once. Not to judge yourself, but to see what the room sees. That's where the work begins.