Client Development What Is Presence And Why Its Important

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Client Development: What is Presence and Why It’s Important I’ve written about it many times. My first mentor (don’t think I ever used that word) told me clients wanted lawyers with a “confidence inspiring personality.” What does that mean? I believe it is having a presence. What does that mean? You’ve likely heard the phrase “stage presence.”  I looked it up and found this definition. The ability to command the attention of a theater audience by the impressiveness of one’s manner or appearance. I looked further and found an article:  STAGE PRESENCE: WHAT IT MEANS, WHY IT MATTERS, AND HOW TO IMPROVE IT. I found this: Stage presence refers to the certain charisma and charm that a theater actor or performer possesses that draws in an audience and commands their full attention. (My emphasis) Body language is clearly one of the elements of presence. If you have a few minutes you might watch this Harvard professor Amy Cuddy TED Video So, what is presence for a lawyer? I believes it includes your facial expressions, your voice, your posture, your openness and your body language. Finally, and maybe most importantly, your presence is the quality of your questions and how well you listen. Clients will judge whether lawyers have a confidence inspiring personality. How will they judge you? Are you conveying confidence, trustworthiness and likeability? I practiced law for 37 years developing a national construction law practice representing some of the top highway and transportation construction contractors in the US.