Successful FBI agents understand that it’s vital to create power poses that will produce results, and they’ll do it within the first few seconds of meeting someone.

Often, people focus on how to memorize important points and rehearse their presentation so they’ll come across as credible. In the process, they forget that their audience’s appraisal is only partially determined by what they say. Listeners make a simultaneous evaluation of a speaker’s competence and trustworthiness based on their gestures and poses.

The roots of effective power poses can be found in the study of body language. There’s little or no science which supports the claim that power poses produce higher levels of testosterone, lower levels of cortisol, or higher levels of risk-taking behavior.

It’s not that we are changed; instead, we can use body language to influence the way we are perceived by our audience. Many of us make snap judgments and base important decisions on small amounts of information.

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