How do you know who has the real power in your company? Yes, we know who has positional power. But do we know who has real, personal power? What are the behaviors that signify power–and what are the behaviors that don’t?
Reading Power Cues
Research by Pamela K. Smith and Adam D. Galinsky suggests that we are all unconsciously adept at assessing our own and other people’s power–where we sit in the pecking order.
We have to be good at it because our level of power dictates what behavior is expected and appropriate for us.
After all, not knowing our place can get us in trouble. We need to be adept at detecting even the most subtle cues that indicate our own and other’s rank in the hierarchy.
However, (and this is very interesting) when people explicitly and consciously search for those cues that indicate the distribution of power, they paradoxically tend to be inaccurate, missing cues that are actually predictive of power, while relying on cues that are actually not predictive.
So if you consciously try to detect who has power and who doesn’t, the odds are you won’t be accurate.
4 Behaviors that Predict Power
In their paper The Nonconscious Nature of Power: Cues and Consequences, Smith and Galinsky list 19 behaviors we could assume to predict power.
But in reality, only four behaviors out of the 19 predict real power.
They are:
- Facial expressiveness/intensity
- Bodily openness
- Loud voice
- Interruptions
Since you are reading this I assume you are interested in highly effective leadership communication.
And I would guess that you would like to be known as a powerful communicator as well.
So let’s take a closer look at these four behaviors. Two of them are visual and two are audible.
Facial Expressiveness/ Intensity
When you see film of Teddy Roosevelt, you see somebody with a big mouthful of teeth. They are square-ish and white and dazzling.
As a public speaker his face is often in a passionate grimace or a wide toothy grin, and he seems to be hurling his entire body into the spoken word.
There are no (or very few) recordings of his voice or his speeches, but there is plenty of film. Several years ago the public relations industry surveyed it’s membership, asking which President was the best public speaker.
Guess who came in first. Teddy! He won even though none of the PR people had ever heard him speak. He won on the dynamic images of his face and his physical intensity.
Bodily Openness
Powerful speakers show their listeners that they are not afraid.
They do this by being expansive. They take up space. They don’t clutch their hands together in front of their chests, like squirrels begging for peanuts. They don’t fold their arms across their chests. They don’t, like boxers, protect their ribs by pressing their forearms into their sides. They don’t fiddle with their wedding rings. They don’t clean their fingernails. And they don’t hold their hands in front of their private parts like little choir boys and girls.
They use their extremities to project power and dominance.
Loud Voice
Nothing turns an audience off faster than a weak, timid voice. No one has the time to say, “Louder please.” Well, maybe they’ll say it once, but after that you’re toast.
If you have the courage to stand up and speak, then you must say it like you mean it. If your audience catches a whiff of uncertainty in your voice or your body language, they may eat you alive.
Speaking to a crowd of any size can feel like lion taming, a dangerous occupation due to the obvious risks of toying with powerful instinctive carnivores. You’ve got to show who is boss. In a sense, you have to roar.
It is rare that I encounter speakers with underpowered voices, but if you are concerned about the strength of your voice, call me and I will give you the names of some very good people who can strengthen your speaking voice.
Interruptions
Interrupting people is rude, but powerful people are not necessarily interested in being polite. They want to get things done. They want to break glass. They want to be understood, remembered and believed.
And when powerful people do interrupt, everyone in the room tends to get intimidated. Very few will challenge the interrupter.
So if you want to make a name for yourself, interrupt. Madeleine Albright, the first woman Secretary of State who served under President Clinton, had to learn to interrupt because of course, she was taught that is was rude.
But in a meeting, if someone is slowing it down, or going off topic, you win points by taking control and interrupting.
So, full circle, here’s what I’ve said:
We are very good at subconsciously assessing our own power and that of others, but when we try deliberately to pick out power cues in others, we paradoxically flunk pretty badly.
And I’ve given you four powerful behaviors that you can try out as a speaker. Just be careful to use them all gently.