The Power of Presence
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Have you ever been in a situation where someone, just by their sheer presence, made all the difference to you? Maybe that person knew it, or perhaps they did not. Maybe it was the way they looked at you that said, “I see you.” Maybe it was the way they squeezed your hand reassuringly in a meeting. No words were exchanged, but to you, it made all the difference in the world. I was reminded of this recently when a very accomplished nurse who I knew from the early days of my leadership career, took to the stage to accept an achievement award, and she used her acceptance speech to thank several individuals, including me. It was a fantastic act of generosity and humility, and it caught me by surprise. And here is why. The impact of presence My colleague said that back in 2001, she had aspirations to be a consultant nurse, but she was unable to see the means by which this could become a reality for her. Then, she walked into a room for a leadership event and saw me, a young Black consultant nurse, and this shifted her aspirations into the realm of achievability. I was stunned. You see, back in 2021, I was in my early 30s, less than a decade out of nursing school and still trying to find my leadership feet. Hence, to think that I would have made such an impression on anyone is wild. However, this is exactly what happened. What exactly is presence? If you have read the last two issues of the Journal of Nursing Science and Professional Practice, you will know that we have been focusing on promoting civility among nurses. Like many of you, I am consumed by thoughts about identifying ways in which we could be kinder and more supportive to each other. The nursing and well-being literature is littered with tangible strategies for supporting nurses. These range from preceptorship, coaching, and mentorship, to gratitude huddles and recognitions (Watson et al. 2025).[1] Within the nursing and therapeutic literature, presence is seen as playing an important role in well-being. It is simultaneously defined as the fact or condition of being present; the bearing, carriage, or air of a person, and a noteworthy quality of poise and effectiveness.[2] In the context of nursing and other therapeutic environments, Boeck (2014, p. 1) states that “Presence in its multitude of meanings may be one of the greatest essential therapeutic components.[3] Presence is essentially about human connectedness, the validation of, and value for our human needs and an understanding that those needs are worthy of being met, in and through the presence of another person. However, perhaps the defining feature of presence is that it requires us to be attuned to our needs for human connection. Therein lies a challenge. Why presence is so powerful Nurses are adept at demonstrating presence. We are often blessed to hear the parting thoughts and witness the final moments of someone who is exiting this world, and we are often the first to witness the beginning of a new life. These are moments that require us to lean into our intuition, our compassion, to know when to be silent and when to speak; when to hug and when to stand back and hold space. We often pray and cheerlead silently. These are moments often unspoken and unwitnessed by others, except for the life/lives of those who experienced the impact of our presence. However, when it comes to ourselves, it is a whole different story. As nurses, we have found ourselves characterized by a hero narrative that says that we are strong beyond words and we are able to handle anything that comes our way, so much so that many of us believe that to demonstrate the need for anything-fair remuneration, support, access safe staffing, access to professional development, respect, connection, seems weak and goes against the grain. And I suspect that this is why so many of us are caught off guard when, without saying a single word, someone else’s presence affects us in such a visceral way, sometimes bringing us to tears. And often, when we hear someone speak of the power of presence in the way that my colleague did on stage, it seems hard to grasp. And yet, as Nancy Kline states in her book Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind, “Most of the time being, with no rush, is what produces results.”[4] There is good news If you are wondering what the good news is, it is that we can each demonstrate presence. However, this needs to start with being attuned to our own needs for support and being open to receiving it. Because when we are, we are much more likely to realize that other nurses and healthcare workers, too, need us to be there for them. Presence does not cost anything. It only requires us to lean into our individual and collective humanity. All it takes is the willingness to simply be there and to be you.
Author: Kathy Sienko
Institution: King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre
Language: English
Subfield: Research and Theory
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7117732477
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