From Feeling Uncomfortable In The Spotlight To Powering Up Her Own, Unique Communication Style: A Presence Under Pressure Case Study

Think about the last time you watched a person you respect deliver a presentation or give their two cents in a meeting.

Did you feel… 

👉 inspired?
👉 trusting?
👉 engaged?

A person with strong, intentional communication skills can make anyone feel seen, understood, and motivated to take action.

Now when you picture yourself giving a talk or speaking up in a meeting (especially when the pressure’s on or there’s tension in the air), do you feel empowered to communicate confidently? Or do you feel uncomfortable with the idea of a “spotlight”?

If you get stuck in your head or doubt your abilities when the “spotlight” is on you, you’re not alone! Anita, the Head of Product Marketing at a major tech company, and one of our amazing Confident Communicator and Presence Under Pressure grads, can relate!

We sat down to talk about what she gained from her Confident Communicator journey, as well as her experience inside Presence Under Pressure (our 8-week coaching intensive for women and non-binary leaders).

Watch our full conversation below!

“In the professional world, the people you look up to have a really strong set of communication skills. I felt that this was something I wanted to invest in because I wanted to build more of a communication style that inspires trust, collaboration, and understanding.”

When her managers and mentors validated that learning to strengthen her communication skills would be an invaluable investment, Anita enrolled in our online course, The Confident Communicator.

We talked about what she was hoping to learn from The Confident Communicator…

“I knew that I wanted to learn how to work with the discomfort of being in the spotlight. I remember reading your blogs before signing up… I felt that it had a new angle on how to approach this and that it gave it the depth that I was looking to cover.”

By experimenting with a combination of “traditional,” common sense skills and less “traditional” mindset and messaging skills, Anita felt her authentic communication style start to shine through. 

“The second thing that really attracted me to [The Confident Communicator] was this focus on not necessarily improving my communication style, but powering it up.”

“You always emphasize this idea that we all have a unique communication style and we should lead with it. The class content is very much about brushing away things that can stand in the way or muddy up that authentic communication style.” 

Building on her Confident Communicator foundation, Anita felt that Presence Under Pressure helped her get to the next level because it gave her the chance to practice her skills consistently and receive more in-depth feedback…

“Being able to pick up new skills, practice them, and then get real-time input from you and my [4] classmates… I don’t think there’s any place else to get that kind of in-depth feedback in a focused way. [This opportunity] to build skills alongside a small group of people who are also working on them and understand them… It made the classes incredibly invaluable. “

With PUP structured as a group intensive, Anita felt everyone was supported no matter what skill set they came in with…

“I did notice that different people were working on different things… I loved the fact that regardless of an exercise, everyone got to practice it and get input from you. It’s always tailored because everyone is working on different things or objectives.”

While she worried that she might not get as much out of Presence Under Pressure, having taken Confident Communicator…

“Is it going to be a bit like taking The Confident Communicator again? Is round two not going to be as insightful for me personally?”

She felt that the intimate cohort and consistent individualized feedback in PUP was “incredibly valuable”.

“There’s so much depth in both The Confident Communicator and Presence Under Pressure coaching calls that we never went over the same tips again or tried to answer a problem with a templated solution. It’s always very tailored to the individual’s situation, the question at hand, what we are actually discussing, or where you are in your career and what you are dealing with.” 

Looking back on her time in PUP especially, Anita felt she graduated with two major gifts:

She feels more comfortable in the “spotlight” the more she practices her skills.

“I have a very specific set of tools that I can use on a daily basis”. 

She now finds communication more enjoyable to work on. She finds herself observing herself in a meeting or breaking her communication down after in order to learn how to improve.

“This course has changed the way I think about communication, and my relationship to the topic.” 

She shared that she finds herself observing herself more easily (and less judgmentally!) in meetings. She’s able to break down what worked or didn’t work from a communication standpoint so that she can continue to improve.

Anita’s always been an effective communicator, but it’s amazing to see how the new skills she’s gained have allowed her to feel more confident and resourceful in any kind of spotlight. 

If you’re ready to sharpen your communication skills and show up to day-to-day meetings and high-stakes interactions with more confidence and authenticity like Anita, come join us inside The Confident Communicator or Presence Under Pressure!