One morning I was greeted by a wonderful email appreciating the “100 Conversations”. It was from Shalini Manjunath, a wonderful warm colleague I had met at work 10 years back. Was great getting back in touch with her. I had known Shalini as a focused hardworking young girl. However, during this conversation, it turned out that there is so much more that lies beneath her warm smile.
Shalini is a true Bangalorean. She has seen Bangalore evolve from a quiet city to the melting pot that it is today.
She started her professional journey quite early in life. She started working at 18! And there has been no looking back since then. Today she has an interesting role as a Process Architect and works with a global team. I see the spark of an entrepreneur in her.
We discussed one of my favourite subjects – Presence! The art of conveying the essence of who you are, what you stand for by merely being “Present” and completely engaging the senses of those around you the moment you enter a room. Shalini had an interesting question about how does one sustain this Presence – day on day, appearance after appearance where so much in us and around us is dynamic.
So what does “Presence” hinge on? We continued discussing, talking about those we admire, how we felt when we noticed “Presence” in the room and the kind we’d like to create.
Here is my take on it. Keeping text book definitions aside – our goals, our gifts, our experience and our values form the “Spirit” of our “Presence” and how we translate that into our “Cloak of Confidence” = “Our Clothes” and our “Body Language” forms the visible component of our “Presence”.
Shalini endorsed the view that for those with incredible Presence, what I call the “Spirit” seems to enter the room before them and doesn’t leave the room even after they have left 🙂 . Sounds spooky when you read it literally about think about those who you really admire and validate the statement! In fact, Padmavathy who was on “100 Conversations” one post back had a similar view.
Does this kind of Presence come without practice and thought? I doubt (except for a lucky few who are born with it).
Can it be mastered? – Absolutely.
Can it create the magic of a movie that creates an engaging sensory impact of a lifetime? Absolutely!
Definitely worth the thought, practice and the creative effort – we concluded.
The insight that came through our conversation was that crafting an Impactful Presence starts by turning inwards and asking provocative questions like – Who am I deep down, and Where do I want to go in life. With this foundation, we start working outwards and the magic begins! Initiating that magic in individuals who want to discover it is my passion.
Shalini for sure is someone who is capable of creating wonderful Presence. I look forward so seeing how her beautiful journey unfolds!
Lots of Love !