Vanessa Van Edwards breaks down personal presence into two things: warmth (trust, likability, openness) and competence (effectiveness, capability). When you meet someone, you instantly judge both. People who show both qualities fast are remembered as having real presence.
There's foundational research from Dr. Susan Fiske that looks at how we connect with others. There are two essential elements for presence. First, warmth. This is your trust, your likability, your openness. But second, just as important, is your competence. That's your effectiveness, your capability, your productivity. When we first meet someone, we're trying to very quickly decide how warm are you and how competent are you. Specifically, as humans, we're trying to answer two basic questions: can I trust you, warmth, and can I rely on you, competence? People with an incredible presence, a memorable presence, are very quickly trying to answer those two questions. The faster you can answer those two questions, the more memorable and effective your presence is.
