Stage presence does not come from better technology, more spectacular visuals or elaborate production. That became clearer to me in Austin than ever before – during a brief interview at the margins of the National Speakers Association convention. The man on stage needed nothing more than a black suit, a red tie and a microphone. His name: Les Brown.
A Room That Goes Quiet
No elaborate stage programme. No slides, no music, no video clips. And yet the room fell silent. Les Brown speaks slowly – very slowly. So slowly that as a media trainer, you almost think: something more needs to come now. More pace, more energy. But precisely the opposite happens. You wait. And you listen.
Stage Presence: An Extraordinary Life Story
Les Brown was born into poverty alongside his twin brother and adopted shortly after birth by Mamie Brown. At school, he was labelled as educably mentally retarded. Although those early labels were meant to define his limits, he refused to accept them. He went on to become a radio DJ, then a member of the Ohio House of Representatives and ultimately one of the most renowned motivational speakers in the world.
In 1994, he received a diagnosis of stage four prostate cancer that had already metastasised. Rather than withdrawing, Brown made that experience part of his message: not to confuse hope with denial, not to let diagnoses define what is possible and to believe in opportunities even when the outlook appears bleak. Against that backdrop, one begins to understand why his slow, simple sentences carry such remarkable force.
The Uncomfortable Question I Ask Leaders
In my training sessions, I ask leaders a fairly direct question at some point: what remains of your presentation if I switch off the screen right now? Can you still tell your story? Can you hold a pause? Do people still listen to you?
As speakers, we constantly ask ourselves what more we can do on stage. Better presentations, more spectacular visuals, video, music, animation, lighting. In the United States, I have witnessed extraordinary productions. And then there sits Les Brown. Black suit, red tie, microphone. A thousand people listen.
Les Brown at the NSA Convention 2026 in Austin, Texas. Photo: NA Behr
Stage Presence: When Less Is More
That brief interview was one of the most powerful moments for me in Austin. Not because so much happened. But because so little was needed. Les Brown does not fill a stage by overwhelming it with content, technology or production. He fills it because he is completely present as a human being – even when everything else is taken away.
That is the lesson I take home from Austin. And that is precisely the skill I help leaders develop in my training sessions. Because stage presence does not come from what you add. It comes from what remains when everything unnecessary is stripped away.
How much of your impact depends on your technology – and how much depends on you?
Dr. Nikolai A. Behr CSP® ist Keynote Speaker, Kommunikationsexperte und Medientrainer für Führung, Vertrauen und empathische Kommunikation in Zeiten von Wandel und KI.