How to own the room isn’t about swagger or trying to dominate—it’s about building trust through executive presence, confident communication, and the clear belief that you belong. When you enter a meeting, keynote, or boardroom with grounded confidence, strong vocal presence, purposeful body language, steady eye contact, and real command of your material, people feel it immediately. In other words: you command attention without demanding it. The good news is that owning the room is a learnable leadership skill—and these five practical habits will help you walk in, speak up, and lead with impact in high-stakes moments.
How do you own the room?
That was a question I received after delivering a keynote for a technology company.
My answer was not about bravado or swagger, because that doesn’t build trust with an audience.
My answer was about entering a room in a way that demonstrates your confidence, your sense of purpose, and your belief that you belong in that room.
How to Own the Room: The Executive Presence Skills That Build Trust
How do you do that?
1—The story you tell yourself. First, and foremost, you start telling yourself that you belong in that room. So many people feel imposter syndrome, even senior executives. I explain to them that communicating with others starts with how you communicate with yourself, and we use the question “Why You?” to tap into a greater sense of purpose. When you realize it’s not about you—it’s about your message—then you go “from nervous to service” as my colleague Dave Bricker says.
2—The power of your voice. Training as an opera singer taught me the power of projection and vocal strength. You can learn to harness this by speaking “on the breath” (see below for a video demonstration), using your breath to support your words as opposed to letting them trail off at the ends of sentences, creating that creaky sound of vocal fry. The intention behind your words captures and keeps the attention of your audience.
3—The way you carry yourself. Do you enter a room with your shoulders hunched or do you stand tall? Do you rush in a disheveled way or do you calmly and purposefully enter the room? When you stand on stage, stand tall on two feet instead of leaning to one side. My colleague John Watkis likes to say, “Put your shoulder blades in your back pockets” which helps you own your full height. You can do this whether you are seated or standing.
4—The way you look at others. Eye contact with your audience demonstrates your belief that you have a right to be in the room. In a neurotypical Western context, it also demonstrates your confidence in what you’re saying, while looking away is often interpreted as a sign of uncertainty. In our programs, we teach “eye connection” which happens when you speak to one person at a time. It creates a powerful feeling of grounding which commands the attention of everyone in the room.
5—Your command of the material. Owning a room doesn’t come from winging it at the last minute. It comes from thoughtful preparation and practice, so that you know your material and you care about your audience understanding and absorbing your message. You build up to a powerful conclusion, painting a vision of what the world will look like when your recommendations are implemented. When the audience can tell that you know your content, you command their attention and cause them to lean in to join you on your journey.
Notice how only one of these 5 components is about content. Certainly, I could also come up with 5 more components that also address the content (structure, use of personal story, powerful openings), but the rest of these components are about how you take that content off a page and make it come alive in the hearts and minds of your audience.
Why Owning the Room Matters in 2026
No one is born with these skills. Some might be naturally better than others, but every single one of us can master these skills.
And the world needs you. 2026 will bring unprecedented challenges we have never seen before: a changing business model for the Internet as generative AI tools cause enormous disruption to the current advertising model, a changing job market as companies integrate more AI into their workforce, and a changing social environment as we face an onslaught of targeted misinformation.
The world needs leadership, and we need you to own the room so that you can bring about positive change in your company and in the world.
Until next week,
Allison
Project Your Voice: 3 Breath Techniques to Speak with Confidence
Want a stronger, more resonant voice—without pushing or straining? In this 2-minute video, Allison shares simple breath techniques to help you project with calm authority in meetings and presentations.
Watch the 2-minute video →
