Heightening Presence

American culture tends to emphasize acquisition. If there are things we want, we should be able to acquire them in some more-or- less permanent form. Presence doesn’t work like that, says Amy Cuddy. It’s not a zen-like state you can achieve once and for all, nor is it an inborn talent. It’s a matter of committing over and over again, especially in stressful situations, to be emotionally and physically present, no matter what you’re feeling.Accept imperfectionUnderstand that presence is not a permanent state of zen, but an ongoing daily effort. No one can be present all the time.Focus on being present in the next stressful moment you have coming up, not in the grand scheme of your life.Let yourself off the hook; it’s OK if your presence isn’t perfect. Try to improve with each challenge over time.Affirm your core valuesSelf-affirmationList your core values—what you care about most—in rank order.Pick the first one or two and write about why they matter to you.Write about a time...

“Presence” is a quality we admire in people and recognize as professionally beneficial, but what is it, really, and how does one attain it? Social psychologist Amy Cuddy defines presence as the state of being attuned to and comfortably able to express your “true self”, especially under stress. While defining your true self is another matter entirely, we all know what this feels like. Presence is the ability to perform at the top of your game because you’re ready, open, and at ease in yourself no matter the circumstances.Presence: The state of being attuned to—and able to comfortably express—your true self, particularly when under pressure.Presence allows you to let your guard down and be in the moment.Presence comes from knowing, accepting, and accessing your core values — who you really are as a person. Many people know and accept their values, but have trouble accessing them.Biggest Challenges: Situations that we approach with dread, execute with anxiety and distraction, l...

Presence is an ineffable quality—something about the way a person carries her or himself that attracts our attention and (often) our buy-in. Here, Amy Cuddy teaches us to recognize the telltale signs of presence and the “leaks” that give away its opposite—inauthenticity.Three Indicators of PresenceBelief in one’s story. The person truly buys what she is selling.Confidence, not arrogance. The person is secure in his thoughts and comfortable with being challenged. He’s open to constructive feedback.Synchrony across verbal and non-verbal channels. The person’s words match her body language and she appears unchoreographed.Spotting a LiarEye contact is not a good way to detect lying. There is no single body language cue that gives away lying—there is no “Pinocchio Effect.”Someone who’s lying is communicating two conflicting emotions at one time. Look for visible leaks, or awkwardness, in one’s behavior.When someone is lying, you have a visceral reaction.