https://www.udemy.com/course/ultimate-personal-branding/?referralCode=A11CA215F405A4D04BB8

Julita Davies :: STAR & BRAND, Amsterdam (2026)

05/11/2026

Facilitating a table discussion is all about being a good conversation host.
And it takes more skill than you might think.

You need to listen, connect ideas, include different voices, and turn the discussion into a clear message. All in real time…. Scary? 😱😎

For me, good facilitation comes down to 4 things:

1. Prepare to guide.
Know the topic and have a few thoughtful questions ready.

2. Listen and connect.
Build on people’s answers, spot connections, and ask questions that take the discussion deeper.

3. Make space for everyone.
Ensure every person has a chance to share their perspective.

4. Summarize on the spot.
Turn the conversation into a concise mini speech with:

* One key message
* 2-3 important findings
* A point of tension or disagreement
* One clear takeaway

No script. No slides. Just listening, quick thinking, and clear communication.

Good facilitation is not about being the loudest voice. It’s about making every voice count.

Which part would challenge you most: leading the discussion or summarizing it on the spot?

04/11/2026

"Warmth is not the opposite of authority."
In coaching sessions this comes up more than almost anything else. Clients worry that being clear will cost them likeability. So they soften, add a disclaimer, ask permission to disagree.

Try this in your next meeting: keep your tone exactly as warm as it is and remove just one softener. One "just", one "sorry", one "I may be wrong". Watch what happens. Usually nothing bad. Often, people listen more closely.

Read more in my article "Executive Presence for Women: How to Lead With Confidence Without Performing" on my website.

Know someone who apologises before every good idea? Share this with them.

03/11/2026

Don’t rehearse right before you go on stage 😱.

A few minutes before I walk on, I take a quiet moment. Mic clipped on. I watch the audience come in and mentally prepare. No notes, no last run-through. Just three things:

1. My key message. The one sentence I want them to remember.
2. My storyline. Where we start, where we turn, where we land.
3. The feeling and the takeaway. How I want them to feel and what they leave with.

Know those three and the words will follow.

What do you do in the last minutes before you speak?

01/11/2026

You've probably had feedback like "be more confident" or "show more gravitas" and wondered what to do with it on a Tuesday morning when someone talks over you. Many women get this kind of vague advice. Researchers even have a name for the trap behind it: the double bind. Be warm, but not soft. Be direct, but not sharp. The target keeps moving. A few clear moves help, and none of them ask you to become someone else.

-> Want to see where you stand? Comment PRESENCE and I'll send you my 30-question executive presence self-assessment.

My tips for you....
Give your recommendation, not only your analysis.
Many women over-prepare because they expect harder questions, and over-preparation easily turns into over-explaining. Lead with "My recommendation is..." and add the context after.

Finish the point when interrupted. A dramatic comeback only makes the moment about the interruption. One calm sentence and an even pace do the job.

Be warm without shrinking. Warmth is powerful and makes authority easier to accept. The trouble starts when kindness turns into making yourself smaller so nobody feels uncomfortable.

Executive presence for women means making your expertise easier to trust and your thinking easier to follow, without putting on a corporate costume. Each of these moves is a habit, and habits can be trained.

31/10/2026

What if your next team-building session also made your team better communicators?

A Presentation Skills Workshop is about much more than learning how to present.
In just half a day, the team learns how to craft a clear message, deliver it with confidence, and communicate with impact.

But there’s another valuable part of the experience.
Listening to each other, recognizing different strengths, and practicing constructive feedback.

Colleagues get to see each other from a different perspective, learn together, and build trust in a supportive environment.

Because good communication isn’t just about speaking well. It’s also about listening and helping others grow.

One half-day. Two outcomes: stronger communication skills and a stronger team.

When was the last time your team practiced communication together?

LeadershipDevelopment FeedbackCulture WorkplaceCommunication ProfessionalDevelopment TeamCommunication

28/10/2026

You don’t need to become louder, more extroverted, or more dominant to have presence.

You can learn how to communicate with more clarity, stay composed under pressure, and make sure the way you show up reflects the authority you already have.

This is exactly what we work on in my executive presence trainings - through practical exercises, feedback, and tools you can apply immediately.

If you want to understand what executive presence really looks like - and how to develop it - I explain more in my latest blog post:
https://julitadavies.com/blog-executive-presence-training-amsterdam/

25/10/2026

You know the moment. Someone says "Tell us a bit about yourself" and you hear yourself reciting your job title, your department and the year you joined. Almost everyone does it, because nobody teaches us how to introduce ourselves. The fix is a simple three-part structure you can learn in one afternoon.

Lead with who you help. "I help our sales teams turn customer data into decisions" is far more interesting than "I'm a senior analyst in commercial excellence." One opens a conversation, the other closes a box.

Add one proof. Skip the career history and pick one result. A specific number or a short before-and-after story stays in people's memory much longer than "experienced" or "passionate".

End with a question back. Researchers at Harvard found that people who ask more follow-up questions are better liked. Your introduction becomes the start of a conversation instead of a monologue.

In my workshops, people practise this in two rows facing each other. They deliver their introduction, listen to the person opposite, adjust and move to the next person. By the fifth round, their introduction sounds nothing like the first one. Shorter, clearer and much more them. A good introduction is rehearsed, and you can rehearse yours this week.

Save this for your next networking event or offsite, and try it out loud before you need it.

21/10/2026

Because knowing how to speak is one thing. Knowing how to make people listen is another.

Crafting great content is one thing. Delivering it well is another.
But holding the attention of 250+ people in a big room for 30 minutes? That’s a different skill altogether.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking at TECHEx at RAI Amsterdam, on the AI & Big Data stage.

What made this experience particularly rewarding was the engagement. So many questions during the Q&A, and conversations that continued even after I stepped off the stage.

For me, that’s when you know your message has landed.

I practice what I preach. Every day.
Everything I teach about communication, executive presence, and public speaking comes from real experience, continuous practice, and learning what actually works.

21/10/2026

You don’t need to become louder, more extroverted, or more dominant to have presence.

You can learn how to communicate with more clarity, stay composed under pressure, and make sure the way you show up reflects the authority you already have.

This is exactly what we work on in my executive presence trainings - through practical exercises, feedback, and tools you can apply immediately.

If you want to understand what executive presence really looks like - and how to develop it - I explain more in my latest blog post:
https://julitadavies.com/blog-executive-presence-training-amsterdam/

07/10/2026

Executive presence is not about commanding the room.
It is about earning the room’s trust and respect.

Because the real question people are asking is not:
“Does this person look powerful?”

It is:
“Can I rely on this person when things get difficult?”

Trust is built in the small moments.
When you stay composed under pressure.
When you listen fully before you respond.
When you offer a clear perspective instead of adding more noise.

You don’t need to dominate the conversation to demonstrate authority.
Sometimes, the strongest presence in the room is the quietest one - clear, grounded, and intentional.

I explore this further in my latest article on executive presence, including why this matters particularly in the Dutch corporate environment.

Read it here:
https://julitadavies.com/blog-executive-presence-training-amsterdam/