When your presence lands, your words become optional

Maya led a weekly cross‑functional call that dragged, even when the slides were sharp. The team was split across time zones, and lag made interruptions awkward. Her feedback was consistent but vague: “It felt flat.” She was tempted to add more content. Instead, she decided to prime her presence.

Before the next call, she wrote three words at the top of her notes: clear, warm, steady. Ninety seconds before start, she closed her eyes, softened her face, and pictured the one teammate who always asked honest questions. She let her tone match how she spoke to him when they grabbed coffee. When the meeting began, she held one focus: “If they leave knowing how the handoff works, that’s a win.”

A small change, big effect. People leaned in. Questions came sooner. Two folks in Europe kept their cameras on for once. Maya didn’t race the clock because she wasn’t trying to deliver everything. In the chat, someone wrote, “This finally makes sense.” Afterward, she rated her presence a seven, noted that the 90‑second tune‑in helped, and realized the extra metrics slide could go.

A micro‑anecdote sealed it. The following week, her internet hiccuped and the slides froze. She stayed with her three words, explained the handoff without visual aid, and the conversation still worked. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt real.

What changed wasn’t the deck, it was the signal. Intention primes attention and nonverbals, shaping how others feel your message. Brief breathing and facial relaxation reduce threat signals. Narrowing to one audience focus imposes desirable constraints that improve coherence. Presence is trainable, and when it lands, words become optional.

Before your next conversation that matters, write three words you want others to feel from you and do a short tune‑in—slow breath, relaxed face, warm tone. Decide the single thing you want them to leave with and let that guide what you include and what you skip. Afterward, rate your presence, note what helped it, and drop one distraction for next time. Keep this loop for three meetings and watch how much smoother things feel. Try it on tomorrow’s first call.