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Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by [Amy Cuddy]

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Amy Cuddy

Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges Kindle Edition

by Amy Cuddy (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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MORE THAN HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD: Learn the simple techniques you'll need to approach your biggest challenges with confidence.

Have you ever left a nerve-racking challenge and immediately wished for a do over? Maybe after a job interview, a performance, or a difficult conversation? The very moments that require us to be genuine and commanding can instead cause us to feel phony and powerless. Too often we approach our lives' biggest hurdles with dread, execute them with anxiety, and leave them with regret.

By accessing our personal power, we can achieve "presence," the state in which we stop worrying about the impression we're making on others and instead adjust the impression we've been making on ourselves. As Harvard professor Amy Cuddy's revolutionary book reveals, we don't need to embark on a grand spiritual quest or complete an inner transformation to harness the power of presence. Instead, we need to nudge ourselves, moment by moment, by tweaking our body language, behavior, and mind-set in our day-to-day lives.

Amy Cuddy has galvanized tens of millions of viewers around the world with her TED talk about "power poses." Now she presents the enthralling science underlying these and many other fascinating body-mind effects, and teaches us how to use simple techniques to liberate ourselves from fear in high-pressure moments, perform at our best, and connect with and empower others to do the same.

Brilliantly researched, impassioned, and accessible, Presence is filled with stories of individuals who learned how to flourish during the stressful moments that once terrified them. Every reader will learn how to approach their biggest challenges with confidence instead of dread, and to leave them with satisfaction instead of regret.

"Presence feels at once concrete and inspiring, simple but ambitious — above all, truly powerful." —New York Times Book Review

Print length

306 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Little, Brown Spark
Publication date

December 22, 2015
File size

2614 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

New York Times bestseller

Wall Street Journal bestseller

USA Today bestseller

Publishers Weekly bestseller

Amazon "Best Books of December" pick and December spotlight

Amazon Canada "Best Books of December"

AARP Editor's Pick and a "Top Ten Books of 2015"

Forbes "15 Best Business Books of 2015"

Business Insider "20 Best Business Books of 2015"

Business Insider "20 of the Best Books by the Most Influential Thinkers in Business"

Washington Post "12 Leadership Books to Watch for in 2015"

Inc. #1 pick for "12 New Business Books for the Perfect Gift"

People "Book of the Week"

BusinessMirror "10 Books to Look for in Early 2016"

Bustle "10 Books That'll Inspire You to Make the World a Better Place in 2016"

Irish Independent "The 6 Best Motivational Reads for 2016"

Shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Leadership Award (UK)

World Economic Forum #1 pick for "Books on Leadership to Read This Holiday"
―-

"Cuddy brings an abundance of humility and charm to the page. Her presence itself--her openhearted desire to help the insecure and the uneasy in this age of anxiety--shines through. PRESENCE feels at once concrete and inspiring, simple but ambitious--above all, truly powerful."
―Heather Havrilesky, front page New York Times Book Review

"Amy Cuddy's must-read new book...is a triple threat: enjoyable, fascinating, and a brightly packaged New Year's resolution....There's a lot more to the body-mind connection, and that's what PRESENCE lays out so well.
―Lane Florsheim, Marie Claire

"A must-read for anyone looking to achieve their personal best."

―Kim Hubbard, People (Book of the Week)

"Amy Cuddy fuses the rigor of a researcher befitting one of the world's finest universities with the raw empathic insight that springs from uncommonly trying personal experience."
―Maria Popova, Brainpickings

"A treatise on presence."

―Forbes

"Filled with stories about achieving greater mindfulness, successfully coping with stress, and being present to our immediate moments, PRESENCE will help you direct all your competing energies more effectively. The first step in any great journey of change is into the self, after all."

―Bustle

"Want to enjoy a more confident 2016? Consider power posing. This transformative self-help tome explains how assuming the Wonder Woman stance before a big interview sends an empowering message to your mind."

―Deirdre Donahue, AARP

"...Cuddy is endearingly normal. And her new book, PRESENCE, is as entertaining as it is scientific."
―Associated Press/The National (UAE)

"Amy Cuddy is the high priestess of self-confidence for the self-doubting. In PRESENCE, she uses her warmth, empathy, and laser-sharp intelligence to decode the mysteries of presence under social pressure. A must-read for--well, for everyone."

―Susan Cain, co-founder of Quiet Revolution and author of Quiet --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of December 2015: Madonna isn’t the only person famous for telling people to strike a (power) pose. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy advocates for the same in a book that expounds on the ideas set forth in her popular 2012 TED Talk, “Your Body Shapes Who You Are.” It may sound silly, but assuming the assured body language of Wonder Woman, or that “Man Spreader” on the bus, can literally change your body chemistry and make you feel more confident in anxiety-inducing situations. I must admit I was a bit dubious when I first heard about this, but Cuddy’s Presence offers up sound science to back up her claims, and, well I tried it. Even sans the Lasso of Truth, I was less nervous about a public speaking engagement after taking Cuddy’s advice, and was therefore more successful at that endeavor. Translate this to a first date, a job interview, even those prickly conversations you hesitate to have with loved ones…and you’re conjuring self-confidence at the times you need it most. This is something that hits home for Cuddy, who overcame a traumatic brain injury to become a respected professor and researcher at the Harvard Business School, a feat she once thought inconceivable. Learning about the tenuous time in her life when she was paralyzed with doubts about her intellectual capacity, about how successful she could be in life, lends Presence a certain emotional center you don’t find in many books of its type. –Erin Kodicek

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00U6DNZK8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Spark (December 22, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 22, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2614 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 306 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #60,323 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #18 in Running Meetings & Presentations (Kindle Store)
- #29 in Women & Business (Kindle Store)
- #56 in Business Communication Skills

Customer Reviews:
1,508 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		75%
4 star		14%
3 star		7%
2 star		3%
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Top reviews from the United States

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D. G. James

Depressing!

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

Half-way through reading Cuddy’s “Presence” I was overcome with a depressing thought. Why should I bother continuing to work on the book I am writing (related genre)? I mean, Cuddy’s work is the full package: relevance, credibility, research-based, and accessible to mortals. But somehow I believe Prof. Cuddy would not tolerate my quitting. So I power-posed UP and will continue. And that’s the point of this brilliant work. Our mind does some funky things to us. So to put your mind in it’s place, turn to your body and do something different. It works! I am not depressing anymore after finishing the book. I am determined. And if I am lucky that one day someone will wax delight at my work, I will give Prof. Cuddy much of the credit.

20 people found this helpful

Helpful

Bob W

Wish I Could Give it 6 Stars. Practical ideas that ANYONE can do...and that EVERYONE should do.

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2017

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What a fantastic book! I wish I could give it 6 stars.

Interesting and helpful information that was written in a very readable way. The author is a gifted communicator.

In addition to sharing the scientific research (in a non-boring way), I love how the author included examples from real people that explained how these principles helped them. Practical ideas that ANYONE can do...and that EVERYONE should do.

29 people found this helpful

Helpful

Michelle L.

Totally fun to read and valuable perspectives learned

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2017

Verified Purchase

Ive never been and probably will never be a book enthusiast. Especially as a busy adult, i only read books with the value i want to learn in my life. This book was recommended and i made time to read it everyday because heres the shocker, i actually genuinely wanted to. It was easy to read, no the vocab but the font, the page space, and its point made the read enjoyable and applicable and definitely shed value to learn this mental state of really how to maximize your life be how to be truly, yourself at its..comfort. Youll get what i mean. It totally makes sense and im glad this book was taught me and gave me a new perspective to never forget.

26 people found this helpful

Helpful

Brian Ahearn

Liked it so much I bought a copy for someone I coach

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2017

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I know Amy Cuddy's original research on changing body language to change your chemistry has been brought into question but I'm a believer. I've seen and experienced firsthand the benefits of power posing, positive mental attitude and reframing emotions (nervousness to excitement). I believe enough that not only did I buy the book, I bought a copy for a coworker who I'm coaching in the area of public speaking. She read it and had many take away ideas to improve her presence. I recommend the book for individuals who haven't yet focused on how they can improve their presence whether for public speaking or just around the office.

14 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jennie J.

Looks better than it is

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020

Verified Purchase

I was disappointed in this book. I bought it to read for a book group. As someone who knows about psychology, I am surprised at the casual references to a social psych study here and there without a critique of the studies or context about the body of research, or lack thereof, related to the topics. I hate it when an author throws around psych research as if were true. In addition, this is a book about genuineness, and while I loved the personal stories and would have preferred to follow these and others in a general discussion about presence, the author just threw out social psych studies too often, failing to mention that these studies typically abused participant's rights with failure to get informed consent and even exposing people to stressful events. The last chapter says that people can fake presence until they get it, poor advice in my view.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Angie Park and Leonard Kim

I absolutely love how touching this book is (and practical too)

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2019

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It's not everyday you open up a book and find an author vulnerably sharing a moment that completely reshaped their life, like with a car accident. Nor open up about how difficult life has been with all of the changes that come with a brain injury. What's even more rare is how someone spends their entire life to not only overcome the situation, but share their solution with others. Amy Cuddy has done this, not just with her TED Talk, but even more so with this book. I love how so many people have called upon Amy for her expertise and sung her praises of how this book and her TED Talk have helped them get out of their situation and move forward in their lives. Hope is the underlying feeling that all of us humans are looking for, and that, along with much more is what's delivered through Amy's book. If you're looking for a practical and tactical way to gain the courage to handle scary situations, Presence is the book for you. Amy, you inspire me so much!

2 people found this helpful

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Jim Huling

One of the most important books I've ever read!!

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2016

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One of the most important books I've ever read. Any Cuddy is a remarkable author and researcher who has opened a world of insights in this powerful book. I've just finished my first reading, and instead of beginning the next book on my list, I'm going to read this one again. Highly recommended!!!!

25 people found this helpful

Helpful

Interesting read, but I had been hoping for more "how-to's"

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2016

Verified Purchase

I came late to Amy Cuddy's TED Talk, only having seen it about six months ago, but eagerly pre-ordered this book since I was intrigued by the ideas from Dr. Cuddy's research. While I'm glad I read _Presence_ and did pick up some interesting information, it felt as if the main principles -- standing in power poses to achieve confidence -- were already covered in her talk.

The first 2/3 of the book is mostly a recount of research studies that show how the body can change our mindset. The studies that Dr. Cuddy cites were interesting and I liked reading them, but the nitty-gritty of how to implement these changes in your life were really only apparent in the two chapters before the final one (which just included stories/emails of people who had changed their lives based on seeing Dr. Cuddy's TED Talk).

I had been hoping that this book would go into more depth about how to implement the poses. While interesting to read, if you've seen the TED Talk, this book won't offer much new information about how to power pose.

46 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

C Thomason

A must read for anyone with confidence issues

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2019

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So many of these ‘self improvement’ books are nonsense but this was such an inspirational book. You could tell it was based on actual research and not just someone’s experience of a topic. It’s now my good to guide for gaining self confidence. It really does teach you how to be more ‘you’ rather than teaching you tricks for appearing like ‘a better you’. I would recommend for someone who finds it hard to be themselves around people.

7 people found this helpful

Sipho

Could have been a blog post

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is a book that is, at it's core, about self confidence. The author's argument is that we can bring our most confident selves to our work, relationships and any challenges we face and thereby create ”presence.”

Incidentally, the author has a TED talk on the same subject. Watching the talk is a decidedly better use of your time than reading the book. But even then...

In the end, a lot of self help mumbo jumbo clothed in the knock-off gown of behavioural psychology. I wouldn't call reading it a waste of time but I'd also not call it a good use of time either.

flex0302

Show your best side

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2016

Verified Purchase

Interesting and well written, this book really works! It makes you think and changes your behaviour. Well worth a read if you have low confidence and "presence".

11 people found this helpful

renata

Need to read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2018

Verified Purchase

Cant recommend this book enough! Did not like much the research part (but this is just me) but all the other aspects were really eye-opening! Simple concepts, nicely written - would certainly recommend!

4 people found this helpful

Richard D'Lonesteen

Love it and practice it !

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

Loved the book, super helpful, full of great advise, stories and it's grounded and based on simple techniques that you can try out instantly.

One person found this helpful