Gareth Forrest · Command Presence

COMMAND
PRESENCE

Self-Assessment. Twenty honest questions to identify exactly where your communication is costing you — and which LEAD pillar to work on first.

How to complete this assessment

Read each statement and score yourself honestly from 1 to 5: 1 = Never · 2 = Rarely · 3 = Sometimes · 4 = Often · 5 = Always

Click the number that reflects how you actually show up at work — not the version you wish you were. The whole point is to identify where the real gap is.

01Language
02Edge
03Assurance
04Direction
Lead with Language · Speak with Edge · Earn Respect
Pillar 01 · Language

LANGUAGE.

How clearly and directly you structure what you say.

1Never
2Rarely
3Sometimes
4Often
5Always
01When I speak in meetings, I get to my point quickly without over-explaining or adding unnecessary context.
02When I'm asked a question in a meeting, I can give a clear answer without trailing off, rambling, or apologising for my view.
03Before I speak on something that matters, I know what my main point is and what I want the listener to do with it.
04When I send an email or message to someone senior, I lead with what I need and keep it short — rather than burying it in context.
05After I speak, people understand what I meant the first time — they don't need to ask me to clarify or repeat myself.
Language Score
— / 25
Pillar 02 · Edge

EDGE.

The presence you bring before you speak. Pace, posture, eye contact, and how you carry yourself in the room.

1Never
2Rarely
3Sometimes
4Often
5Always
06I speak at a deliberate pace — I don't rush through what I'm saying or fill the space with filler words like "um," "kind of," or "sort of."
07I make confident eye contact when I speak to someone, including people more senior than me.
08My physical presence — how I sit, stand, and enter a room — feels confident rather than apologetic.
09I can state my view without softening it into a question, hedging it with "I might be wrong but," or asking permission to have an opinion.
10When I'm in a room with senior people, I take up my space rather than shrinking into the smallest version of myself.
Edge Score
— / 25
Pillar 03 · Assurance

ASSURANCE.

How you hold yourself together when the room turns hard.

1Never
2Rarely
3Sometimes
4Often
5Always
11When someone challenges what I've said, I can hold my position without immediately conceding or becoming defensive.
12When someone asks me a question I don't know the answer to, I can say so without it throwing me off completely.
13I have the difficult conversations I know I need to have — feedback, boundaries, disagreements — rather than avoiding them.
14When something hits me unexpectedly in a meeting or conversation, I can pause and think rather than reacting straight away.
15I don't spend hours after difficult conversations replaying them in my head and thinking about what I should have said.
Assurance Score
— / 25
Pillar 04 · Direction

DIRECTION.

How effectively you move people to commit, act, and follow your lead.

1Never
2Rarely
3Sometimes
4Often
5Always
16When I ask someone to do something, they understand exactly what I need, when I need it by, and why — without me having to follow up.
17When I share an idea I think is good, I can get my manager, team, or peers to seriously consider it rather than dismiss it.
18I can ask for things I want — opportunities, feedback, support, time — clearly and without apologising for asking.
19When I run or contribute to meetings, they have a clear purpose and outcome rather than drifting without direction.
20When I communicate a decision or plan, people commit to it rather than wait it out or quietly carry on doing what they were doing.
Direction Score
— / 25
Your Results · Command Presence Score

YOUR
SCORES.

Pillar 01
LANGUAGE
— / 25
Pillar 02
EDGE
— / 25
Pillar 03
ASSURANCE
— / 25
Pillar 04
DIRECTION
— / 25
Total Command Presence Score
— / 100
What your score means
20 – 40
CRITICAL GAPS
Your communication is actively costing you opportunities. Multiple pillars need attention.
41 – 60
DEVELOPING
Foundations are in place but significant gaps are holding you back in key moments.
61 – 80
CAPABLE
A solid communicator with one or two specific pillars dragging you down.
81 – 100
COMMAND PRESENCE
Strong across all pillars. Focus on consistency and performance under maximum pressure.
Your weakest pillar — work on this first
—

Complete the assessment above to identify where your communication is breaking down most. Focused work on this pillar will produce the biggest single improvement in how you show up.

What Happens Next

YOUR SCORE
IS THE START.

This assessment tells you where your communication is failing. A discovery call tells you exactly how to fix it — based on your specific score, your specific situation, and the specific moments where you're losing the room.

It's free. It's 30 minutes. And I'll tell you honestly whether the Command Presence programme is the right fit for you — no pressure, no hard sell.

Book Your Free Discovery Call
Command Presence · Gareth Forrest · Leadership Communication Coaching