Why Should You Have a Professional Presence?

1. You are an ambassador of God (2 Corinthians 5).
2. You should esteem others better than yourself (Philippians 2).
3. You should serve others in love (John 13).
4. You were created in God’s image (Genesis 2).
5. Your body is not your own (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

How Can You Have a Professional Presence?

1. Eliminate facial distractions—no gum or hard candy.
2. Take fifteen seconds for a look over—tucked in, straight, buttoned, and zipped.
3. Make sure your hair is in order, especially in the back.
4. Arrive five minutes early.
5. Check your “got-it number” (e.g., nametag, radio, keys, phone, wallet, and planner = a got-it number of six)—do not leave your house without going through your got-it number.
6. Have correct posture—lose ten years and ten pounds instantly!
7. Establish friendly, direct eye contact.
8. Be organized, efficient, and interested in your side of the meeting.
9. Smile—lighten up!
10. Create a human connection.
11. Remember that manners matter.
12. Accept your nicknames (e.g., honey, sir, ma’am, darlin’, governor, chief).
13. Do not laugh if something is not funny (e.g., inappropriate, racist, crude).
14. Be emotionally stable.
15. Stop your world to connect to the audience.
16. Never make an embarrassment worse (e.g., lost, forgot, late, broke down).
17. Do not complain—about tools, your boss, the weather, your job, co-workers, or ignorance.
18. Enforce the rule.