How to Master Your Teaching Presence: The Credible vs. Approachable Strategy That Changes Everything

Approachable or Credible? The Tiny Teaching Shift That Changed Everything for Me

Let’s talk about a moment most teachers know all too well.

You’re up the front of the room. You’ve got the instructions ready, your content planned, and your best teacher-voice dialled in. But your students?

They’re talking. Wandering. Ignoring. Doing everything except what you’ve asked.

You try again—louder this time. Still no shift. And you walk out of the room later thinking:

“Why aren’t they taking me seriously?”

“Maybe they are right... I am just too quiet, too weak..."

Friend, if that’s you, you’re not alone. And no, you don’t need to “be stricter” or start yelling to fix it. The answer might just be in your body language.

I want to introduce you to one of the most game-changing concepts I’ve ever come across when it comes to classroom management: Approachable vs. Credible non-verbal teaching personas.

Let’s break it down.

Rather listen? You can hear me talk through this on the podcast here! 👇

The Moment It All Changed for Me

When I was a new teacher, I had two very different classes.

• One was a so-called “lower ability” Year 8 group with a mountain of behavioural complexity.

• The other? A high-achieving Year 10 English class who were meant to be a dream to teach.

Guess which one gave me a headache every lesson?

The Year 10s.

Meanwhile, that “difficult” Year 8 class? Over time, we’d built a beautiful rhythm. There was calm. Connection. Respect. No chaos.

It made zero sense—until I did Michael Grinder’s ENVoY training and learned about the two non-verbal teaching personas: Approachable and Credible.

Suddenly everything clicked.

What Are the Two Teaching Personas?

These two non-verbal styles influence how students perceive us—and how they behave in response.

The Approachable Persona:

This is our warm, friendly, relatable teacher energy. Think:

• Weight on one foot

• Smiling, expressive face

• Animated gestures

• Fast-paced speech

• Higher pitch or upward inflection

💡 Message sent: “We’re relaxed. You can talk. We’re having a chat.”

The Credible Persona:

This is our calm, grounded, authoritative (but not authoritarian) energy. Think:

• Feet planted evenly

• Slower, deliberate movements

• Downward inflection

• Neutral expression

• Stillness and silence used intentionally

💡 Message sent: “I’m leading the room. It’s time to focus. This matters.”

Why This Matters for Classroom Management

When you’re always in your approachable energy—even with the best of intentions—you accidentally send mixed messages.

Students think it’s time to chat, relax, joke around… even if you’re trying to give instructions or set a firm boundary.

This was exactly what I was doing in my Year 10 class. I was trying to engage them by being bubbly and relatable… but I was losing the room.

Meanwhile, with my Year 8s, I was intuitively stepping into my credible self—more grounded, calm, and still. And it was working.

Once I learned to consciously switch between these two states?

Total game changer.

When to Use Each Persona

Both personas are important. It’s not about picking one—it’s about knowing when to step into which.

Use Approachable When:

• You’re building rapport one-on-one or in small groups

• It’s story time or informal discussion

• You’re moving around the classroom while students work

• You want to invite warmth, connection, and ease

Use Credible When:

• Giving whole-class instructions

• Managing transitions

• Redirecting off-task behaviour

• Starting or ending a lesson

• Holding boundaries or serious conversations

🧠 Think of it like co-regulation through non-verbals. If you want stillness and focus, you need to model it first.

Why You Might Be Stuck in “Approachable” Mode

Many of us—especially early career teachers—default to approachable because we want to build relationships. We want students to feel safe. We have values around being compassionate and kind.

And that’s beautiful.

But if you’re always in that mode, you may be sending unintentional signals that it's fine to be relaxed or even off-task—even when it's time to get serious.

And then when students don’t respond the way we want, we get reactive. We raise our voices. We overcorrect. We feel like we have to choose between being kind or being respected.

But the truth is?

You can be both.

You can lead with credibility and compassion. You can be strong and soft.

And learning to switch between these non-verbal personas is one of the simplest ways to start.

Your Quick Credible Presence Checklist

Want to try it out this week? Here’s a mini version of the Credible Persona Checklist I give inside the Kickstart:

✅ Feet shoulder-width apart, weight evenly distributed
✅ Stand still when giving instructions
✅ Use pause and silence (don’t talk over noise)
✅ Speak with a downward inflection
✅ Keep your tone lower and steady
✅ Slow down your movements
✅ Minimise gestures when redirecting behaviour

Pick one to practise this week. Just one. You’ll be surprised how powerful it is.

The Bottom Line

If classroom management feels chaotic…

If your students aren’t responding…

If you feel like you’re not being taken seriously, no matter how “nice” or clear you try to be…

Start with presence.

Start with you.

Because behaviour management isn’t just about what you say—it’s about how you say it. And how you show up in the room.

Want Support Putting This into Practice?

The Behaviour Club Kickstart walks you through this (and four other high-impact strategies) with visuals, templates, and real-life examples. 

Over 5 super-short action sessions, you'll take away strategies that'll help you sprinkle classroom management magic into each part of your lesson. 

 Come join us — and take back control of your classroom in a way that feels clear, kind, and completely do-able.

👉 Join the Kickstart for $1