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Power Cues: The Subtle Science of Leading Groups, Persuading Others, and Maximizing Your Personal Impact
Take control of your communications--before someone else does
What if someone told you that your behavior was controlled by a powerful, invisible force? Most of us would be skeptical of such a claim--but it's largely true. Our brains are constantly transmitting and receiving signals of which we are unaware. Studies show that these constant inputs drive the great majority of our decisions about what to do next--and we become conscious of the decisions only after we start acting on them. Many may find that disturbing. But the implications for leadership are profound.
In this provocative yet practical book, renowned speaking coach and communication expert Nick Morgan highlights recent research that shows how humans are programmed to respond to the nonverbal cues of others--subtle gestures, sounds, and signals--that elicit emotion. He then provides a clear, useful framework of seven "power cues" that will be essential for any leader in business, the public sector, or almost any context. You'll learn crucial skills, from measuring nonverbal signs of confidence, to the art and practice of gestures and vocal tones, to figuring out what your gut is really telling you.
This concise and engaging guide will help leaders and aspiring leaders of all stripes to connect powerfully, communicate more effectively, and command influence.
What if someone told you that your behavior was controlled by a powerful, invisible force? Most of us would be skeptical of such a claim--but it's largely true. Our brains are constantly transmitting and receiving signals of which we are unaware. Studies show that these constant inputs drive the great majority of our decisions about what to do next--and we become conscious of the decisions only after we start acting on them. Many may find that disturbing. But the implications for leadership are profound.
In this provocative yet practical book, renowned speaking coach and communication expert Nick Morgan highlights recent research that shows how humans are programmed to respond to the nonverbal cues of others--subtle gestures, sounds, and signals--that elicit emotion. He then provides a clear, useful framework of seven "power cues" that will be essential for any leader in business, the public sector, or almost any context. You'll learn crucial skills, from measuring nonverbal signs of confidence, to the art and practice of gestures and vocal tones, to figuring out what your gut is really telling you.
This concise and engaging guide will help leaders and aspiring leaders of all stripes to connect powerfully, communicate more effectively, and command influence.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 22, 2014
112 people are currently reading
1437 people want to read
About the author
Nick Morgan
21 books141 followersDr. Nick Morgan is one of America’s top communication speakers, theorists and coaches. A passionate teacher, he is committed to helping people find clarity in their thinking and ideas – and then delivering them with panache. He has been commissioned by Fortune 50 companies to write for many CEOs and presidents. He has coached people to give Congressional testimony, to appear in the media, and to deliver an unforgettable TED talk. He has worked widely with political and educational leaders. And he has himself spoken, led conferences, and moderated panels at venues around the world. During the last election cycle, he provided expert commentary on the presidential debates for CNN.
Nick’s methods, which are well-known for challenging conventional thinking, have been published worldwide. His acclaimed book on public speaking, Working the Room: How to Move People to Action through Audience-Centered Speaking, was published by Harvard in 2003 and reprinted in paperback in 2005 as Give Your Speech, Change the World: How to Move Your Audience to Action. His book on authentic communications, Trust Me, was published by Jossey-Bass in January 2009. His book on communications and brain science, Power Cues: The Subtle Science of Leading Groups, Persuading Others, and Maximizing Your Personal Impact, was published by Harvard in May 2014. His latest book, Can You Hear Me?, on the perils of virtual communication, is due out from Harvard in 2018
Nick served as editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter from 1998 – 2003. He has written hundreds of articles for local and national publications, and appears frequently on radio and TV. Nick is a former Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
After earning his PhD. in literature and rhetoric, Nick spent a number of years teaching Shakespeare and Public Speaking at the University of Virginia, Lehigh University, and Princeton University. He first started writing speeches for Virginia Governor Charles S. Robb and went on to found his own communications consulting organization, Public Words, in 1997.
Nick attributes his success to his honest and direct approach that challenges even the most confident orators to rethink how they communicate.
Nick’s methods, which are well-known for challenging conventional thinking, have been published worldwide. His acclaimed book on public speaking, Working the Room: How to Move People to Action through Audience-Centered Speaking, was published by Harvard in 2003 and reprinted in paperback in 2005 as Give Your Speech, Change the World: How to Move Your Audience to Action. His book on authentic communications, Trust Me, was published by Jossey-Bass in January 2009. His book on communications and brain science, Power Cues: The Subtle Science of Leading Groups, Persuading Others, and Maximizing Your Personal Impact, was published by Harvard in May 2014. His latest book, Can You Hear Me?, on the perils of virtual communication, is due out from Harvard in 2018
Nick served as editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter from 1998 – 2003. He has written hundreds of articles for local and national publications, and appears frequently on radio and TV. Nick is a former Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
After earning his PhD. in literature and rhetoric, Nick spent a number of years teaching Shakespeare and Public Speaking at the University of Virginia, Lehigh University, and Princeton University. He first started writing speeches for Virginia Governor Charles S. Robb and went on to found his own communications consulting organization, Public Words, in 1997.
Nick attributes his success to his honest and direct approach that challenges even the most confident orators to rethink how they communicate.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 28, 2017
This book will help you become more aware of the "second conversation" you hold with others every time you talk, i.e. the messages your body movements give the unconscious brains of others, and the ones they give yours. Lots of applications in leadership, business and language teaching, to mention just a few. The last chapter is a little repetitive and corny, but the book as a whole is still a solid five stars. Highly recommended.
February 1, 2015
Not sure what the low ratings are about? Maybe Morgan's excellent book hit my sweet spot because I resonated strongly with it. I love the stories and the anecdotes! He really gave me something to think about when he started talking about public speaking. I do a lot of it and I've always been nervous about it until recently when I did a re-frame and became excited about it. He presents the same idea and goes me one better by comparing the feelings of public presentation with the same symptoms of preparing for a sexual encounter. Increased heart rate, sweaty palms, flushing, shallow breathing, etc. Why do we identify one as nervousness and one as excitement? Telling! Spot on and enjoyable throughout.
There was one tiny bit near the end that pulled me out of the narrative arc. He body slammed the principles contained in The Secret. I don't particularly care for the book either but it did lessen his impact for me for a minute. He could have easily lost me at that moment...and that may be why there are some extremely low reviews.
Ignore that one sentence and for me this book is a five.
There was one tiny bit near the end that pulled me out of the narrative arc. He body slammed the principles contained in The Secret. I don't particularly care for the book either but it did lessen his impact for me for a minute. He could have easily lost me at that moment...and that may be why there are some extremely low reviews.
Ignore that one sentence and for me this book is a five.
December 22, 2016
I felt like this book is written alright but is widely misleading as to what the main subject is. I was expecting to learn about some common and not-so-common power cues with language, tone, body language, positioning, etc. What it ACTUALLY is about is mainly body language.
Furthermore, the author seems to know what they're talking about but don't exactly know how to organize it all so they spend a lot of time saying things like "you'll learn that later" and "the reason you aren't portraying what you want to most of the time is because..." Essentially the author spends more time on telling you what you're doing wrong and what you'll learn later than actually teaching you how to change.
Definitely could've been a good book. Perhaps the author can make a 2nd edition... I'd give it a try.
Furthermore, the author seems to know what they're talking about but don't exactly know how to organize it all so they spend a lot of time saying things like "you'll learn that later" and "the reason you aren't portraying what you want to most of the time is because..." Essentially the author spends more time on telling you what you're doing wrong and what you'll learn later than actually teaching you how to change.
Definitely could've been a good book. Perhaps the author can make a 2nd edition... I'd give it a try.
November 14, 2019
I am pretty selective in my allocation of 5* but this book brought me a couple of new insights & concepts which is increasingly rare.
The author positions a viewpoint which in this day and age is far from evident: The majority of People crave participation without liability (what the author calls conversation) and they yearn to see leadership that provides this participation in the conversation whilst maintaining the comfort of not having to be responsible, having to solve, having to fend off challengers to that conversation. The key thing is they do not want to recognize this to themselves nor seen to be doing this by others. Furthermore, they need confidence that the "leader" is on their hand. If those prerequisites are met the audience is eager for the speaker to succeed and bring all to the promised nirvana.
Realization 1: Intuition matters
Our unconscious minds can handle 11Million bits of info/sec (Visual data is 10M bits of this) vs our conscious 40 bits/sec.
Conclusion : allow your unconscious to work for you by explicitly asking it yes/no questions about things that have relevance and by infusing it with desired beliefs through affirmative mantra-like statements like "Every day in every way I am getting better and better", avoid negative positions ie "I am NOT a smoker" since the subconscious edits out qualifiers like NOT.
Because so much happens unconsciously it's important to be aware of it. Also for yourself. How do you show up. Do people see the "you" which you believe you are or is your unconscious a sloppy translator that you need to set straight? Become Aware - Take Inventory, you tend to do so in new circumstances, apply it to familiar ones as well!
Realization 2: Presence Matters
Taking charge of your non-verbal communications requires taking care of your emotions. We are not info-kiosks. We perceive and emit colored by emotions which the majority of the time are not centered on the interaction which they so significantly impact.
Our neurons automatically mirror those of our interactors. If they are angry or sad , even when it has nothing to do with their interaction with us, it will trigger similar responses in us. Responses which risk to create internal conflict.
Charisma is focussed on emotion, consistency, authenticity; a speaker's presence is more forcefull as it is more concentrated. It is more forceful when in the personal space of someone, even if that someone is not everyone, the others will imagine them there. Start on centre stage but be in personal space for each of the 3-4 key moments.
When presenting, enter the mindset & mannerisms of you at your best (your best not by own estimation but by verifiable third perspective review). This means really placing yourself in a success moment and sensing that moment. A picture of such a moment in your life can help recharge that, as can watching associated movie highlights where you can highly identify that AHA-moment, smell, even taste can bring back that emotional foundation on which to create your new moment.
Obviously mastering all the above simultaneously is not easy. Before any hope of achieving it can be justified you must have the actual content of your presentation internalized to perfection.
Emotion makes memory possible, makes decision possible. People who by brain-accident lose their emotional capabilities have demonstrably been reduced to decapacitating indecisiveness.
Realization 3: Others matter
Tha same plays out for others as for us and we need to see and hear beyond the transcript of an interaction to understand the underlying currents. We need to avoid "fake listening". That means avoiding the illusion any communication segment can exceed 10 minutes with today's fragmented attention spans, avoiding the illusion that virtual calls without regular dialogue have any actual impact.
We overly grasp at signs of honesty and suppress evidence of mistrust in our interactions. Given that lying makes us uncomfortable, leading to signals of discomfort like turning the face away up or sideways, slow down speech and gestures, still, head, fixed eye-contact, look at the other hand during a handshake, easy signs of detection are often deliberately ignored, be more attentive and trust your instinct.
In arguments instead of attempting rationality, repetition we can improve outcomes by physically aligning, looking in the same direction instead of opposing the other, dampen with your hands rather than words
Realization 4: Sound matters
We respond to music similarly as to drugs and alcohol. Setting the right auditory and even olfactory scene is crucial to secure engagement.
Voice matters, there is a tone that resounds with others and it likely isn't most people's natural voice-timbre. We intuitively recognise it in some actors, politicians when we find ourselves hooked to get more even when the content seems to contrast with our previous perspectives. Reagan's voice 3Mr Gorbatchev break down this wall", Bono's voice at a concert..what seems naturally differentiated may be enhanced by conscious awareness.
As we speak we emit low frequency sounds that automatically align with the most powerful person nearby.
Deeper voices carry more followers.
We like voices rich in over and undertones, these tonalities are not available over the phone.
To achieve such a voice: relax mouth and throat and tense the stomach.
Men often speak lower than their MRP (MRP = when you produce most resonance, like a spinning cat) and the male voice is a reliable indicator of upper body strength.
Practice in a tiles room, ie a bathroom, keep your head up and speak to the back rows without swallowing your voice
Don't speak in question-intonations, see Patsy Rodenburg The Right to Speak and Presence
Realization 5: Presence matters.
Non verbal signals around confidence in a negotiation predict success better than the merits of your argument. Gesturing originally preceded speech and even today precedes conscious thought and reduces cognitive load.
Open gestures don't just improve the audience's perception, it enhances the presenters' skills.
Bringing these doesn't necessarily come automatic, they expose us and while this exposition is what enhances the transmission, we are also conditioned to constrain that exposure. Practicing the "Jezus Gesture" is, therefore, a recommended practice.
People in interaction with "superiors" reduce their movements, they become more frozen. To project power therefor maximize your gestures, include the shoulders versus just the underarms. Powerful people move less, take up more space, interrupt more, talk more, use longer pause constructs
Deep belly breathing calms you, make it a practice daily routine so you can summon it more easily at crush time
Beware of forwarding projection of the head as a consequence of screen over-consumption.
Eye Contact
• Don't squint, your eyes need to be open, it's not about you seeing them better, it's about them seeing your eyes
• Not in the general direction, laser-straight eye-look on is the only one that counts
• Don't just emit, scan for the reception, if you don't get incoming you are not transmitting
Realization 6
Repetition has to be artful, disguised and impassioned or it is ignored - we are visual beings and the auditory needs to be aware of its limitations. Powerpoint distracts from the presenter and forces the audience to multitask between both to the detriment of the speaker
Structures: Enhanced awareness of own presentation and receiver's response is facilitated not only by technical optimization such as visual and auditive excellence but also by brain synchronicity. Our untypical big human brains evolved over those of other mammals in large part to handle the complexities of social interaction. They have become highly selective for a "story" format. Prior to the digital and written age, the only way to hold on to the accomplishments of learning was verbal. Correct recollection required optimized information delivery and the STORY format imprinted in our brains as a pathway to process information is increasingly challenged by the overflow of data/info and anecdotes our current environment floods us with.
Stories are not about you. They need to make the audience the hero.
Joseph Campbell " The Hero with a 1000 faces" is worth reading regarding the power of stories types
• Quest (Lord of the RIngs)
• Stranger in a strange land (Gulliver's travel)
• Love story (Romeo&Julia)
• Rags to Riches (Annie)
• Revenge (Key Largo)
Act 1 idea/situation/problem/opportunity
Act 2 raising the stakes
Act 3 Outcome favorable or not
Stories should be as simple as possible but no simpler, be fertile ground for conflict, have morals disclosure to the audience of a secret that the characters are still unknowledgeable off, have character evolution, they should begin in the middle of things
The Anna Karenina Effect: Happy families are all alike, unhappy families are all different: success isn't the achievement of one particular criterion, it's the avoidance of multiple detractors. The Anna Karenina principle states that a deficiency in any one of a number of factors dooms an endeavor to failure. Consequently, a successful endeavor (subject to this principle) is one where every possible deficiency has been avoided
See Sandy Pentland
The author positions a viewpoint which in this day and age is far from evident: The majority of People crave participation without liability (what the author calls conversation) and they yearn to see leadership that provides this participation in the conversation whilst maintaining the comfort of not having to be responsible, having to solve, having to fend off challengers to that conversation. The key thing is they do not want to recognize this to themselves nor seen to be doing this by others. Furthermore, they need confidence that the "leader" is on their hand. If those prerequisites are met the audience is eager for the speaker to succeed and bring all to the promised nirvana.
Realization 1: Intuition matters
Our unconscious minds can handle 11Million bits of info/sec (Visual data is 10M bits of this) vs our conscious 40 bits/sec.
Conclusion : allow your unconscious to work for you by explicitly asking it yes/no questions about things that have relevance and by infusing it with desired beliefs through affirmative mantra-like statements like "Every day in every way I am getting better and better", avoid negative positions ie "I am NOT a smoker" since the subconscious edits out qualifiers like NOT.
Because so much happens unconsciously it's important to be aware of it. Also for yourself. How do you show up. Do people see the "you" which you believe you are or is your unconscious a sloppy translator that you need to set straight? Become Aware - Take Inventory, you tend to do so in new circumstances, apply it to familiar ones as well!
Realization 2: Presence Matters
Taking charge of your non-verbal communications requires taking care of your emotions. We are not info-kiosks. We perceive and emit colored by emotions which the majority of the time are not centered on the interaction which they so significantly impact.
Our neurons automatically mirror those of our interactors. If they are angry or sad , even when it has nothing to do with their interaction with us, it will trigger similar responses in us. Responses which risk to create internal conflict.
Charisma is focussed on emotion, consistency, authenticity; a speaker's presence is more forcefull as it is more concentrated. It is more forceful when in the personal space of someone, even if that someone is not everyone, the others will imagine them there. Start on centre stage but be in personal space for each of the 3-4 key moments.
When presenting, enter the mindset & mannerisms of you at your best (your best not by own estimation but by verifiable third perspective review). This means really placing yourself in a success moment and sensing that moment. A picture of such a moment in your life can help recharge that, as can watching associated movie highlights where you can highly identify that AHA-moment, smell, even taste can bring back that emotional foundation on which to create your new moment.
Obviously mastering all the above simultaneously is not easy. Before any hope of achieving it can be justified you must have the actual content of your presentation internalized to perfection.
Emotion makes memory possible, makes decision possible. People who by brain-accident lose their emotional capabilities have demonstrably been reduced to decapacitating indecisiveness.
Realization 3: Others matter
Tha same plays out for others as for us and we need to see and hear beyond the transcript of an interaction to understand the underlying currents. We need to avoid "fake listening". That means avoiding the illusion any communication segment can exceed 10 minutes with today's fragmented attention spans, avoiding the illusion that virtual calls without regular dialogue have any actual impact.
We overly grasp at signs of honesty and suppress evidence of mistrust in our interactions. Given that lying makes us uncomfortable, leading to signals of discomfort like turning the face away up or sideways, slow down speech and gestures, still, head, fixed eye-contact, look at the other hand during a handshake, easy signs of detection are often deliberately ignored, be more attentive and trust your instinct.
In arguments instead of attempting rationality, repetition we can improve outcomes by physically aligning, looking in the same direction instead of opposing the other, dampen with your hands rather than words
Realization 4: Sound matters
We respond to music similarly as to drugs and alcohol. Setting the right auditory and even olfactory scene is crucial to secure engagement.
Voice matters, there is a tone that resounds with others and it likely isn't most people's natural voice-timbre. We intuitively recognise it in some actors, politicians when we find ourselves hooked to get more even when the content seems to contrast with our previous perspectives. Reagan's voice 3Mr Gorbatchev break down this wall", Bono's voice at a concert..what seems naturally differentiated may be enhanced by conscious awareness.
As we speak we emit low frequency sounds that automatically align with the most powerful person nearby.
Deeper voices carry more followers.
We like voices rich in over and undertones, these tonalities are not available over the phone.
To achieve such a voice: relax mouth and throat and tense the stomach.
Men often speak lower than their MRP (MRP = when you produce most resonance, like a spinning cat) and the male voice is a reliable indicator of upper body strength.
Practice in a tiles room, ie a bathroom, keep your head up and speak to the back rows without swallowing your voice
Don't speak in question-intonations, see Patsy Rodenburg The Right to Speak and Presence
Realization 5: Presence matters.
Non verbal signals around confidence in a negotiation predict success better than the merits of your argument. Gesturing originally preceded speech and even today precedes conscious thought and reduces cognitive load.
Open gestures don't just improve the audience's perception, it enhances the presenters' skills.
Bringing these doesn't necessarily come automatic, they expose us and while this exposition is what enhances the transmission, we are also conditioned to constrain that exposure. Practicing the "Jezus Gesture" is, therefore, a recommended practice.
People in interaction with "superiors" reduce their movements, they become more frozen. To project power therefor maximize your gestures, include the shoulders versus just the underarms. Powerful people move less, take up more space, interrupt more, talk more, use longer pause constructs
Deep belly breathing calms you, make it a practice daily routine so you can summon it more easily at crush time
Beware of forwarding projection of the head as a consequence of screen over-consumption.
Eye Contact
• Don't squint, your eyes need to be open, it's not about you seeing them better, it's about them seeing your eyes
• Not in the general direction, laser-straight eye-look on is the only one that counts
• Don't just emit, scan for the reception, if you don't get incoming you are not transmitting
Realization 6
Repetition has to be artful, disguised and impassioned or it is ignored - we are visual beings and the auditory needs to be aware of its limitations. Powerpoint distracts from the presenter and forces the audience to multitask between both to the detriment of the speaker
Structures: Enhanced awareness of own presentation and receiver's response is facilitated not only by technical optimization such as visual and auditive excellence but also by brain synchronicity. Our untypical big human brains evolved over those of other mammals in large part to handle the complexities of social interaction. They have become highly selective for a "story" format. Prior to the digital and written age, the only way to hold on to the accomplishments of learning was verbal. Correct recollection required optimized information delivery and the STORY format imprinted in our brains as a pathway to process information is increasingly challenged by the overflow of data/info and anecdotes our current environment floods us with.
Stories are not about you. They need to make the audience the hero.
Joseph Campbell " The Hero with a 1000 faces" is worth reading regarding the power of stories types
• Quest (Lord of the RIngs)
• Stranger in a strange land (Gulliver's travel)
• Love story (Romeo&Julia)
• Rags to Riches (Annie)
• Revenge (Key Largo)
Act 1 idea/situation/problem/opportunity
Act 2 raising the stakes
Act 3 Outcome favorable or not
Stories should be as simple as possible but no simpler, be fertile ground for conflict, have morals disclosure to the audience of a secret that the characters are still unknowledgeable off, have character evolution, they should begin in the middle of things
The Anna Karenina Effect: Happy families are all alike, unhappy families are all different: success isn't the achievement of one particular criterion, it's the avoidance of multiple detractors. The Anna Karenina principle states that a deficiency in any one of a number of factors dooms an endeavor to failure. Consequently, a successful endeavor (subject to this principle) is one where every possible deficiency has been avoided
See Sandy Pentland
April 16, 2018
There are some useful insights and advice in this book, but it could have been condensed to a listicle.
Most of it is common sense, appeals to authority or dubious anecdotes, presented in a way that made it difficult to shake the feeling of being sold snake-oil by a literary infomercial.
Most of it is common sense, appeals to authority or dubious anecdotes, presented in a way that made it difficult to shake the feeling of being sold snake-oil by a literary infomercial.
July 1, 2014
The final third feels a little rushed, as if Morgan is trying to do too much and to convince readers of too much. But the first five chapters are brilliantly clear and useful.
March 1, 2016
A great Psychological book that will show you how to appear as a true leader and an influencer
November 29, 2016
The single best self-improvement book I have purchased in a very long time. I will revisit several parts in the next few months as I try to improve my social interactions.
October 5, 2025
We'd like to think that our social lives and businesses are meritocracies, but they clearly aren't. The best ideas don't always win, and much depends on how one presents themselves. In a world where people make quick judgments about leaders, quickly conveying trust matters more than ever before. Communications expert Nick Morgan teaches us how to master those soft skills of leadership.
Generally, this book is filled with solid advice about public speaking in settings large and small, how and when to use your gut instead of reasoned judgments, and how to focus on using gestures to bring in trust. Morgan's style is academic and generally conveys the professorial authority that he gained throughout his career. I fully recommend it to anyone who wants a solid education on leadership without enrolling in academic courses.
The biggest problem I have with this genre of books, however, is that with all the focus on style, it doesn't address a key question: How do we know whether a position is smart? I'd like both style and wisdom to go together in good decision-making, and a hyper-focus on style leaves me cynical that people actually focus on substance. Like most of the genre, this book completely neglects that question.
This is a good, comprehensive book to learn the soft skills of leadership. Without the appropriate soft skills, many good ideas will die despite being well-formulated. However, not all ideas are good, and we need some way besides style to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones, despite the best intentions. We need a way to relate wisdom and style better to make quick yet important judgments.
Generally, this book is filled with solid advice about public speaking in settings large and small, how and when to use your gut instead of reasoned judgments, and how to focus on using gestures to bring in trust. Morgan's style is academic and generally conveys the professorial authority that he gained throughout his career. I fully recommend it to anyone who wants a solid education on leadership without enrolling in academic courses.
The biggest problem I have with this genre of books, however, is that with all the focus on style, it doesn't address a key question: How do we know whether a position is smart? I'd like both style and wisdom to go together in good decision-making, and a hyper-focus on style leaves me cynical that people actually focus on substance. Like most of the genre, this book completely neglects that question.
This is a good, comprehensive book to learn the soft skills of leadership. Without the appropriate soft skills, many good ideas will die despite being well-formulated. However, not all ideas are good, and we need some way besides style to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones, despite the best intentions. We need a way to relate wisdom and style better to make quick yet important judgments.
May 30, 2019
Does your body tell the same story as your words?
Many times we send conflicting messages between our words and what our body language. This is an interesting look at both how to read body language, including the challenges, and that there can be different meanings when taken together.
There is some excellent information for speakers on how to improve your body language when speaking to individuals or groups to make sure both match.
Many times we send conflicting messages between our words and what our body language. This is an interesting look at both how to read body language, including the challenges, and that there can be different meanings when taken together.
There is some excellent information for speakers on how to improve your body language when speaking to individuals or groups to make sure both match.
October 28, 2019
Get clear on your message
Clarity is connected to being conscious of your unconscious message. An authentic voice reflects a steady message to lead. It's hard work and the way forward, read the book.
Clarity is connected to being conscious of your unconscious message. An authentic voice reflects a steady message to lead. It's hard work and the way forward, read the book.
December 21, 2020
A fantastic audiobook on power, communication and persuasion. The author seems to be ahead of his time given the section on running effective virtual meetings written prior to our current Zoom world.
May 9, 2017
Powerful book. Learned a lot about communication and leadership.
August 22, 2019
Good content. Worth looking through. Just read the summary at the end of the chapters.
November 16, 2021
Some of it's a little weird, but generally really good advice. Read it for a class.
March 26, 2022
A book about body language, I found it very interesting and useful.
May 2, 2022
Helpful tips! Some seem like common sense but good to see it formalists
April 18, 2025
Best as a resource for those who conduct larger public speeches, less about on 1 on 1 interactions
May 8, 2024
Nothing revolutionary but decent reminder on body language, story telling and attitude.
Notes:
Check body language often as it is most important thing, evaluate every hour how you sit, stand walk, smile, frown ask friend how they perceive your smile walk etc
Body language
Four characteristics
Eyes open
Pupils dilated we like contract we don't like
Feeling open raise eyebrows "oh really?"
If some one has wrinkles in forehead means they have been open and receptive
Smiling and nodding based on pattern culture age gender etc
How to read intent
Ask yourself 4 basic questions
Friemd or foe
Are they telling the truth or lieing
Is this person on my side or not
Is this person powerful or not
Voice
Belly breath
Google pasty Rosenburg
Read the right to speak and presence
Power point only look at slide once it's done
Walk towards audience to build interest
Don't facevaway from audience
Inner voice rephrase things to positive never include negative words
Tell yourself over I enjoy giving speeches and leading people make me exited. Not I don't get nervous. Unconcious mind only focuses on nervous. Tell your self these mantras often
Story telling
Stories should be authentic don't have to be about you, don't make yourself the hero make the listeners the hero and inspire.
Brain is not desired to remember lists it's designed to recognise patterns. Ex stories: baby breaks glass then sound shattering, mum mopping, white liquid on ground
"If you act more like Shakespeare the leader and less like the phone book you'll be much memorable
Notes:
Check body language often as it is most important thing, evaluate every hour how you sit, stand walk, smile, frown ask friend how they perceive your smile walk etc
Body language
Four characteristics
Eyes open
Pupils dilated we like contract we don't like
Feeling open raise eyebrows "oh really?"
If some one has wrinkles in forehead means they have been open and receptive
Smiling and nodding based on pattern culture age gender etc
How to read intent
Ask yourself 4 basic questions
Friemd or foe
Are they telling the truth or lieing
Is this person on my side or not
Is this person powerful or not
Voice
Belly breath
Google pasty Rosenburg
Read the right to speak and presence
Power point only look at slide once it's done
Walk towards audience to build interest
Don't facevaway from audience
Inner voice rephrase things to positive never include negative words
Tell yourself over I enjoy giving speeches and leading people make me exited. Not I don't get nervous. Unconcious mind only focuses on nervous. Tell your self these mantras often
Story telling
Stories should be authentic don't have to be about you, don't make yourself the hero make the listeners the hero and inspire.
Brain is not desired to remember lists it's designed to recognise patterns. Ex stories: baby breaks glass then sound shattering, mum mopping, white liquid on ground
"If you act more like Shakespeare the leader and less like the phone book you'll be much memorable
October 31, 2016
PowerCues is a book which aims to improve communication and provide individuals insights on what happens in our unconscious mind.
I have read and watched videos, books, and articles that are related to communication. Therefore, a lot of the contents of this book were concepts and ideas I have heard before. However, it still enjoyed reading the book; it reminded of concepts that I have forgotten and fed me with new information and techniques. It was easy to read and very practical, which I loved. Here are some of the points that influenced me the most!
Mastering your voice: Vocal control, sounds, projection.
Honest signals: Influences, mimicry, activity & consistency.
A lot of information about non-verbal cues to look out for
Great advice on storytelling, and how to structure one.
Archetypal stories: Quest, love story, rags to riches, and revenge (probably my favorite chapter of the book).
Mirror neurons
It is a great read, especially if you are getting into communication and eager to learn more. Then this book is for you; it gives you a detailed and excellent introductory on other things that happen within you and around you. Another great book that I can recommend if you want to learn more about "reading people", and just being aware of what the eyes can't see at times is "What everybody is saying" by Joe Navarro. Great book, great content and intriguing information.
Link: What Every Body Is Saying
And that is it for me! Hope you are all doing well. The ability to communicate and influence is an amazing and I'd say an essential skill to have. To further progress and strive in this society. So keep harnessing those skills and push! : )
P.S My personal advice when it comes to speech and communication, in general, is always to start with a smile.
I have read and watched videos, books, and articles that are related to communication. Therefore, a lot of the contents of this book were concepts and ideas I have heard before. However, it still enjoyed reading the book; it reminded of concepts that I have forgotten and fed me with new information and techniques. It was easy to read and very practical, which I loved. Here are some of the points that influenced me the most!
Mastering your voice: Vocal control, sounds, projection.
Honest signals: Influences, mimicry, activity & consistency.
A lot of information about non-verbal cues to look out for
Great advice on storytelling, and how to structure one.
Archetypal stories: Quest, love story, rags to riches, and revenge (probably my favorite chapter of the book).
Mirror neurons
It is a great read, especially if you are getting into communication and eager to learn more. Then this book is for you; it gives you a detailed and excellent introductory on other things that happen within you and around you. Another great book that I can recommend if you want to learn more about "reading people", and just being aware of what the eyes can't see at times is "What everybody is saying" by Joe Navarro. Great book, great content and intriguing information.
Link: What Every Body Is Saying
And that is it for me! Hope you are all doing well. The ability to communicate and influence is an amazing and I'd say an essential skill to have. To further progress and strive in this society. So keep harnessing those skills and push! : )
P.S My personal advice when it comes to speech and communication, in general, is always to start with a smile.
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April 25, 2015Required Leader Reading
Every servant leader who truly wants to develop the skills necessary to communicate and listen effectively needs to read this book. This book is about learning to show your authenticity by understanding how we interact with each other. This book is a must read!
Every servant leader who truly wants to develop the skills necessary to communicate and listen effectively needs to read this book. This book is about learning to show your authenticity by understanding how we interact with each other. This book is a must read!
June 12, 2015
first part is full of good ideas to read and project powerful body language; second half is good info on connecting with your audience when public speaking
September 13, 2015
Interesting stuff and the author makes it an easy read. Not sure I agree with everything in full but the ideas are right and he presents good reasoning for his beliefs.
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March 3, 2016i like book
February 19, 2018
The book helped me raise my awareness of the nonverbal interaction between people. Of course it takes time to “read a room” better, but being able to open my eyes to things I didn’t notice before is a good start.
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