Power Cues. Nick Morgan
PRAISE FOR POWER CUES
“Nick Morgan's ideas in Power Cues aren't just talk. They're the depth and pulse of what's missing when you ask why you're not more successful. This is your chance to fix that.”
—Chris Brogan, CEO and Publisher, Owner magazine
“There are few skills more important in the twenty-first century than communicating with persuasion. Nick Morgan is a true master of this craft, with advice and insight honed in decades as a speaking coach. Read this engaging book and watch your impact soar.”
—Pamela Slim, best-selling author, Body of Work
“I have to study body language every day when I negotiate with customers. Power Cues is the book I wish I'd had twenty years ago—I would have won a lot more negotiations and made a lot more money!”
—Les Gold, star of truTV's Hardcore Pawn; New York Times best-selling author, For What It's Worth
“Finally, a book that defines the importance of how the human form communicates. Morgan has researched how humans interact and provides practical, scientifically proven tips for communicating confidently with influence. Bravo!”
—Nancy Duarte, CEO, Duarte, Inc.; author, HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations
“This is one of the most important books you will ever read. Not just this year—ever. There's an old saying that words account for only 7 percent of your communication. Power Cues covers the other 93 percent (and even some of the 7 percent). My hope is that everybody in the workforce today will read this book. More important, I wish that every student would be forced to read this book—or take a class with Nick Morgan.”
—Mitch Joel, President, Twist Image; author, Six Pixels of Separation and Ctrl Alt Delete
“Wow! I wish I'd had this book ten years ago. Nick Morgan is a masterful communicator and teacher, and he has written another must-have book for anyone serious about greatly improving their interpersonal communication and leadership skills. A very helpful, informative, and engaging read—perfect for businesspeople, students, teachers, and beyond.”
—Garr Reynolds, author, Presentation Zen and The Naked Presenter
POWER CUES
The Subtle Science of Leading Groups,
Persuading Others, and
Maximizing Your Personal Impact
NICK MORGAN
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW PRESS
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Copyright 2014 Nicholas H. Morgan
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be directed to [email protected], or mailed to Permissions, Harvard Business School Publishing, 60 Harvard Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02163.
The web addresses referenced in this book were live and correct at the time of the book's publication but may be subject to change.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Morgan, Nick.
Power cues : the subtle science of leading groups, persuading others, and maximizing your personal impact / Nick Morgan.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-4221-9350-1 (alk. paper)
1. Communication in management. 2. Interpersonal communication.
3. Influence (Psychology) 4. Leadership. 1. Title.
HD30.3.M665 2014
658.4’5—dc23
2013050170
The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives Z39.48-1992.
ISBN: 9781422193501
eISBN: 9781422193600
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
The Invisible Force That Rules
Human Interaction
CHAPTER ONE
Knowing Your Own Power Cues
Becoming Self-Aware and the Significance of Gesture
CHAPTER TWO
Taking Charge of Your Nonverbal Communication
Projecting Your Desired Persona—through Your Emotions
CHAPTER THREE
Reading the Unconscious Signals of Others
How to Recognize and Understand Emotional Cues in Gestures
CHAPTER FOUR
Mastering Your Own Voice
The Most Powerful Leadership Cue
CHAPTER FIVE
Communicating as a Leader
Combining Voice and Body Language for Success
CHAPTER SIX
Using Your Intuition Effectively
What Your Gut Is Really Saying—and How to Leverage It
CHAPTER SEVEN
Synchronizing Minds
How to Use Story to Get on the Same Wavelength
CONCLUSION
Community and Communication
Radical Authenticity
Notes
Acknowledgments
About the Author
INTRODUCTION
The Invisible Force That Rules Human Interaction
The Dalai Lama, My Father, and My Early Death
Three things happened to me when I was seventeen that turned out to have a significant effect on my interest in communications and, specifically, nonverbal communications, later in life. First, I read a book about the Dalai Lama and made him one of my personal heroes.1 Second, I learned my father was gay. And third, I died.
Let me take those in order. I read a book about the Dalai Lama’s escape into India from the Communists in 1959 and immediately cast him as one of my heroes in a pantheon that included Martin Luther King Jr., President John F. Kennedy, and the Beatles. I was excited, therefore, a half-dozen or so years later when I had the chance to hear the Dalai Lama speak at the University of Virginia, where I was a graduate student, and cheerfully queued up for a seat in the small auditorium.
The room was overflowing with devotees, local Buddhists, and the merely curious. There was an excited, impatient buzz—or at least as impatient as Buddhists get—and the Dalai