Here's how you can exude confidence and authority in a facilitation setting.

I facilitated a workshop centered around self care and wellness for entry level employees who had been hired to address gun violence in their municipality. Being able to speak to the experience of gun violence from the perspective of parent and mayor resonated with my attendees. Additionally, I shared a resource I leveraged during my service as mayor and discussed trends and strategies that have been effective for communities. I believe sharing my insights as a parent who raised a son in a community where there was frequent gun violence, in addition to speaking to the impact on the community from a mayor's perspective humanized the issue and allowed attendees to share how they were being emotionally impacted in their dual roles.

While serving as mayor, I gave a State of the City Address each year. I was intentional to communicate my confidence in speaking to the issues of the community through my body language. Before beginning my speeches, I gathered my composure with deep breathing and stood firm on both feet to avoid fidgeting and rocking. Also, I clasped my hands in front of me or stood at the podium slowly looking through my notes until start time. I stood with my back erect, I paused and smiled before speaking, and I made frequent eye contact with the audience. When appropriate, I drew the audience in by using the names of people in attendance to expound upon a point. Oftentimes, I ended with a smile, word of thanks, and an encouraging phrase.

Confidence in presentations and engagement comes from connecting with the audience. I use storytelling to engage and humanize the content, making it relatable and memorable. I incorporate data and evidence to supplement the stories. Sharing relevant anecdotes creates a personal connection, enhancing my authority and ensuring my message resonates deeply.

It is much easier to exude confidence in a facilitation setting when you engage those listening and create a collaborative environment. A guided discussion is much more effective than a lecture. A great facilitator engages those in the space in order to respectfully guide the individual, as well as the group to a higher level of overall understanding. Once engagement begins you have successfully de-escalated the focus on the facilitator and made it about the mindset and growth of the group. Engage!

During a DEI facilitation, I was very intentional of my facial expressions and really leaned into the questions the attendees asked. I took the stance to "seek to understand." And they did as well, which was refreshing. I found that attentively listening and asking probing questions to help the attendees think about the content was helpful to them and appreciated.

Have some good examples, especially if it is related to practice. Story telling and positive examples shows the audience you know how to take it from theory to practice.