S7 E11: Build Your Presence with Intention: Lessons from a Theatre Professor with Noah Drew

In this episode, Bart speaks with longtime THG consultant and Professor of Voice, Acting, and Performance Research at Concordia University, Noah Drew, about the deep connection between presence, performance, and leadership. Noah shares how his journey through theatre and voice work shaped his understanding of what presence really means, and why it matters for both actors and leaders. Bridging his work in theatre and leadership development, Noah introduces the Presence Triangle. He breaks down the three points of the triangle: the inner experience of the speaker, the outer awareness of the audience, and the material at hand, and explains why great communicators stay attuned to all three. Along the way, he offers practical ways to assess your own presence, strengthen it, and show up more fully and authentically in the moments that matter. Whether you're preparing for a high-stakes presentation or simply want to be more intentional in everyday interactions, this conversation will help you lead with greater clarity, connection, and presence. For those who want to explore the ideas Noah mentions in more depth, you can read writings from the Fitzmaurice Institute here: 00:32 Show Intro 01:12 Introducing Noah Drew 02:26 Why should people in the government and corps care about theatre training? 02:44 Theatre is an artform that is about commanding people's attention 03:47 What theatre experiences stood out to you? 03:59 Joining a youth theatre company 05:30 Did you know that you wanted to pursue theatre? 06:57 Professional clowning? 07:51 Bart asks: what is "presence"? 08:21 Presence has 2 sides 09:10 Defining presence 10:03 What does it mean to inspire others? 10:24 That's what great leaders do 12:25 Stagecraft makes people want to pay attention 14:26 How do actors learn to develop presence? The Presence Triangle 17:34 Continuous electric dance of attention 21:02 "What you resist, persists" 21:34 Bart brings it back to the realities of leaders and managers 22:45 If you're not in the habit, the pressure will make it even harder 25:11 The pressure that comes from the attention of others 25:28 Advice to people to be ready when the attention is on them 26:12 Bart gets an assessment and coaching! 28:34 How can people self-assess their Presence Triangle? 30:58 How to develop your weakest point of the Presence Triangle 31:21 How to develop inner awareness 33:44 Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone 35:51 Early childhood experiences often shape these challenges 36:34 Belief in the material 37:21 The time spent to shape your material is worth it 38:32 Bart shares his experiences as a speechwriter 40:24 It's a "practice" of presence 42:11 How can people follow up on these ideas? 42:28 Fitzmaurice Institute 42:54 Saul Kotzubei 43:29 Thank Yous 43:50 Show Outro

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S7 E11: Build Your Presence with Intention: Lessons from a Theatre Professor with Noah Drew is an episode from The Inspire Podcast by The Inspire Podcast by the Humphrey Group.

This episode is 00:44:52 long.

This episode was published on Aug 19, 2025.

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