Executive Presence Starts Early

Last week, managing faculty members of Corvinus–SEED, Dr. László Eszes and Dr. Anita Csoma, led a dynamic session on Executive Presence and Public Speaking as part of the Corvinus Winter School. The workshop brought together more than 40 international participants and was built around active engagement: short inputs were followed by hands-on exercises, peer reflection, and direct feedback. The session created a space where participants could experiment, observe themselves in action, and learn from one another.

Read Dr. Anita Csoma’s reflection below on the experience and the key insights from the session.

Executive Presence Starts Earlier Than You Think

Last week we had the pleasure of working with more than 40 international students at the Corvinus Winter School in our Executive Presence and Presentation Skills workshop together with Dr. László Eszes. One of the key messages we explored was simple but powerful: executive presence is not a skill reserved for senior leaders. It is a capability that can — and should — be developed early in one’s career.

When we asked participants to define executive presence, the responses were rich and insightful. Words like confidence, credibility, posture, eye contact, charisma, tone, and attention dominated the discussion. What stood out most was that students already intuitively understand that presence is not about authority or hierarchy — it is about how you show up, communicate, and connect with others.

During the workshop, we focused on three core dimensions:

• Credibility — how others perceive your competence and trustworthiness
• State of mind — staying grounded, confident, and intentional under pressure
• Communication — clarity of message, voice, structure, and non-verbal impact

Most importantly, we practiced. A lot. Because presence is not built through theory — it is built through experience, feedback, and repetition.

For many participants, this was their first opportunity to consciously work on these skills. And that is exactly the point: it is never too early to start developing the ability to speak clearly, influence others, and project confidence.

Executive presence is not about becoming someone else. It is about becoming a more intentional version of yourself.