When people talk about personal impact, they often reduce it to surface-level traits, such as confidence and charisma – the person who speaks the loudest in the meeting, the one who can hold a stage, or the leader who seems unshakeable. But if you scratch beneath that polished exterior, you realise that true impact is not about performance in the traditional sense. It’s about connection.
As an actor and learning & development specialist, I know that personal impact isn’t a quality you’re either born with or not. It’s the product of how you communicate — not just what you say, but how you make people feel in your presence.
From Stage to Workplace: What Actors Know
Actors are often assumed to be naturally magnetic — but that’s not the full story. The best actors aren’t the ones who project the most bravado; they’re the ones who connect most truthfully with their audience and their fellow performers.
On stage, every beat of dialogue is shaped by intention: What am I trying to achieve in this moment? Am I seeking to persuade, to comfort, to challenge? The audience may not consciously register those choices, but they feel them.
The workplace is no different. If you’re pitching to a client, leading a team meeting, or handling a difficult conversation, your personal impact depends less on polished delivery and more on whether others sense your intention — and whether they feel seen and heard.
The Myth of Performance
Many professionals approach impact as though it’s about putting on a mask. They try to “act confident,” “look the part,” or “command the room.” And while those techniques can create a short-term impression, they rarely build long-term influence.
Why? Because people can tell when they’re being performed to rather than connected with. Think about a colleague who always dominates the airspace with rehearsed soundbites — impressive at first, but over time, their impact diminishes because it doesn’t feel authentic.
True impact doesn’t come from projecting perfection; it comes from creating trust.
Communication at the Core
So where does communication fit? It’s the heartbeat of personal impact.
- Tone and Pace: The way you speak shapes how others experience you. A rushed delivery can signal anxiety or dismissal, while a measured pace invites trust and reflection.
- Listening: Impact isn’t just about speaking well. The leaders who leave the deepest impression are often those who listen with genuine attention, making people feel valued.
- Clarity: In high-pressure settings, clarity of communication cuts through noise. It shows respect for people’s time and helps ideas land.
- Empathy: Perhaps the most underrated aspect of impact. When you acknowledge how others feel — even in a brief interaction — you create connection that lingers.
Resilience, Presence, and Safety
I was part of a session on energy and wellbeing with the GOSH Charity team. What struck me most wasn’t just the stories of resilience under pressure, but the importance of creating safety in communication. Resilience isn’t about pushing through at all costs; it’s about knowing when to pause, reset, and be honest about how you feel.
That lesson applies directly to impact. You don’t need to be bulletproof to have presence. In fact, allowing space for vulnerability often increases your impact, because it makes others feel safe to be real too.
Rehearsal Matters
Here’s another truth from the actor’s toolkit: impact isn’t improvised. Yes, the best moments feel spontaneous, but they are built on rehearsal. Actors run lines, rehearse intentions, and practice until the delivery feels natural.
In the workplace, few of us rehearse enough. We walk into presentations under-prepared or handle difficult conversations on the fly. Yet if impact is about communication, then preparation isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. Rehearsal allows you to clarify your intention, refine your tone, and find the balance between confidence and authenticity.
Redefining Impact
So, how should we redefine personal impact? Not as performance, polish, or presence in isolation. But as the ability to connect.
Ask yourself before your next important interaction:
- What do I want the other person to feel when they leave this conversation?
- How can I show up in a way that makes space for them, not just me?
- What small shifts in my communication — breath, tone, pace, listening — will help me create that connection?
The paradox of personal impact is that the less you focus on yourself, the more impact you have. When you shift your attention from “how am I coming across?” to “how am I making others feel?”, that’s when you move from performance to connection.
And that’s where true influence lies.
Get in touch here if you’d like to find out how 1948 can support your business.
By Simon Coleman | Actor | L&D Specialist | 1948 Co-Founder
