Commanding a Room

In this episode, herdacious host Lorelei chats with Caren Lock about commanding the room. Executive presence is that badass woman who walks in with all the self-assuredness in the world and demands to be heard. We’ve seen it, we want it, but how can we develop it? Caren divulges that, contrary to popular belief, executive presence isn’t this natural skill allotted to the lucky few; instead, it’s a skill that each of us can obtain with practice and positive habits. Equipped with her legal and public speaking background, Caren teaches us that commanding a room [as women] takes a more strategic approach because of the gendered communication behaviors that can and do undermine women's authority in the workplace. However, with awareness of our learned behaviors and a drive to improve, we can avoid detrimental habits that keep us from moving forward.From being cognizant of our intonation while speaking to ensuring we’re dressed for our power-roles, Caren reminds us that although gendered barriers cannot be ignored, they can be tackled by developing purposeful communication habits that reinforce our professional presence. We are all that badass woman who inspires confidence in those around us, and we owe it to ourselves to show up as her everyday! 

Host: Lorelei Gonzalez
Co-host: Caren Lock, JD

Caren Lock is the regional vice president and associate general counsel of government relations for TIAA, a national financial service firm. Caren attained her JD from Baylor University School of Law and has since worked as an experienced litigator.  In addition to her professional work, Caren is a nonprofit leader with a passion for diversity & inclusion. 

Things you will learn in this episode (chapter markers available):  

• Command the room 5:00
• Gendered language 8:10
• Executive presence 13:14
• The power invested in listening 16:10
• Vulnerability is here, do not fear! 17:22
• Your guide to honing the skills 19:00
• Femme fact: Lyda Conley 24:30

Resources mentioned in this episode:  

• 10 talks by women that everyone should watch (TED Talks playlist) 
• The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias by Pamela Fuller, Mark Murphy, Anne Chow

Episode sponsors:  

• HERdacity   
• Moonray 

Looking for additional resources on this topic? Check out our blog “How I Learned to Stop the Nerves and Love the Speech” by Lorelei Gonzalez

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