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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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'The high priestess of self-confidence for the self-doubting. A must-read for - well, for everyone.' Susan Cain, author of Quiet

Don't fake it till you make it, fake it until you become it - the essential guide to improving your body language.

How can we be our strongest selves in life's most challenging situations? We often approach these situations - job interviews, difficult conversations, speaking up for ourselves - with anxiety and leave them with regret. Moments that require us to be genuine and powerful instead cause us to feel phoney and powerless, preventing us from being our best selves.

Harvard professor Amy Cuddy shows us we need to stop worrying about the impression we're making on others, and instead change the impression we're making on ourselves. Cutting-edge science reveals that if we adopt behaviours reflecting power and strength, we liberate ourselves from the fears and doubts that obstruct us. By redirecting our thoughts, actions, and even physiology, we free ourselves to be our best.

Amy Cuddy galvanised viewers around the world with her TED talk on 'power poses'. Now she explains the science underlying these and many other fascinating body-mind effects, and teaches us how to use this science to become self-assured in high-pressure moments.

Impassioned, beautifully researched, and accessible, PRESENCE is filled with stories of individuals facing real obstacles, and succeeding against the odds. Every reader will learn how to approach stress-filled challenges without fear and leave them without regret.

Print length

357 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Orion
Publication date

December 22, 2015
File size

1198 KB
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Editorial Reviews

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.

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.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00YAKIX9G
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orion (December 22, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 22, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1198 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 357 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0316256587
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #410,128 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #292 in Developmental Psychology (Kindle Store)
- #416 in Popular Developmental Psychology
- #451 in Business Mentoring & Coaching (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
1,714 ratings

About the author

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Amy Cuddy

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Amy Cuddy is known around the world for her 2012 TED Talk, which is the second-most-viewed talk in TED’s history. She is a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School who studies how nonverbal behavior and snap judgments influence people. Her research has been published in top academic journals and covered by NPR, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Wired, Fast Company, and more. Cuddy has been named a Game Changer by Time, a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science, one of 50 Women Who Are Changing the World by Business Insider, and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She lives in Newton, Massachusetts.

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4 star		14%
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2 star		3%
1 star		1%

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D. G. James

Depressing!

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2018

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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.

32 people found this helpful

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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.

34 people found this helpful

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Jennie J.

Looks better than it is

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020

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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.

7 people found this helpful

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Michelle L.

Totally fun to read and valuable perspectives learned

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2017

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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.

30 people found this helpful

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C Schaffer

Very practical and interesting book that hits home

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2021

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This review was written for a graduate class assignment.

Throughout my time in the classroom and now as an administrator, I have struggled to not sell myself short and to have confidence in my philosophies and ideas. As soon as I saw the tag line, “Bring your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges,” I knew I needed to take the time to read this book. In just 303 pages, Amy Cuddy shares not only her own personal journey with self-confidence, but copious amounts of psychological studies and research to support her hypothesis that the “body shapes the mind” (Cuddy, 2015, pg. 193).
In the first half of her book, Cuddy focuses on presence; discussing what it is and how one can develop a strong sense of presence. Throughout the first few chapters, Cuddy shares quotes from individuals that wrote to her about what they thought the definition of presence was. The best definition of presence that resonated me with was shared with Cuddy by a gentleman named Rohan. He wrote, “Presence is confidence without arrogance” (Cuddy, 2015, pg. 26). Cuddy followed this by encouraging her readers to “focus less on the impression you’re making on others and more on the impression you’re making on yourself” (Cuddy, 2015, p. 32). She shared that when we spend so much energy during a presentation or interview worrying about how others are judging us that we don’t have enough energy to focus on what we truly believe and are sharing.
In the next two chapters, Cuddy goes into further detail on how to have confidence which requires individuals to analyze what they value most. Cuddy believes “your boldest self emerges through the experience of having full access to your values, traits, and strengths” (Cuddy, 2015, pg. 50). The focus is being authentic and honest and how by truly showing up and being present, we can better connect with others. So much of what we do in education is based on relationships. From when I was a classroom teacher trying to connect with students to now working with teachers in an instructional coaching relationship, I have witnessed that being vulnerable and honest creates a solid foundation for building relationship. One thought that Cuddy shared that resonated with me was, “Presence doesn’t make you dominant in an alpha sense; it actually allows you to hear other people…And for them to become present. You can help people feel more powerful even when you can’t give them formal power” (Cuddy, 2015, p. 64). I thought this was so insightful and so true. Many times, when working with teachers, I am very aware that some may have preconceived notions that since I am an administrator I am trying to demonstrate my own power and control which is not conducive at all to forming the relationship needed in a coaching situation. By being aware of this and using some of the ideas Cuddy shared, I hope to be able to do a better job of being present in order to help the teachers I am working with to be present.
Cuddy also does a fantastic job of discussing Imposter Syndrome. Cuddy shares successful individuals who have discussed Imposter Syndrome and how this can impact your presence. It supports the ideas she discussed early in the book in that it causes individuals to “overthink and second-guess. It makes us fixate on how we think others are judging us” (Cuddy, 2015, p. 89). What I appreciated most about this chapter was that she not only discussed Imposter Syndrome, but shared a practical approach in dealing with it and shared, “the more we are aware of our anxieties, the more we communicate about them, and the smarter we are about how they operate, the easier they’ll be to shrug off the next time they pop-up” (Cuddy, 2015, pg. 108).
Cuddy starts to transition from discussing presence to how the body shapes the mind by introducing the ideas of power and powerlessness. The primary focus of this chapter was the spotlight effect. Similar to her message in the previous chapters regarding spending too much energy thinking about how others are perceiving and judging us, the spotlight effect describes the idea that we think people pay more attention to us than what they actually are.
In the last half of the book, Cuddy focuses more on the human body and how this can impact confidence and presence. I didn’t enjoy the second half of the book as much as the first. Cuddy includes many psychology studies to support her hypothesis. While I understand the need to prove her hypothesis, I do think it made it a much slower read the second half of the book. Cuddy has proved that “expanding your body language – through posture, movement and speech – makes you feel more confident and powerful, less anxious and self-absorbed, and generally more positive” (Cuddy, 2015, pg. 216). Cuddy shared power poses that can be held for two minutes prior to an important event such as a presentation or a test. Performing the power poses will improve presence.
Cuddy ends the book by sharing many personal witnesses to how power poses have helped individuals with many different situations in life and ends solidly with the idea that we cannot do a major overhaul and change ourself overnight and that we need to “self-nudge” or make “tiny tweaks to lead to big changes” (Cuddy, 2015, p. 249). I completely agree with Cuddy that the large goals set individuals up for failure and that making baby steps towards an end goal tends to be much more effective.
After reading this book, I would definitely recommend it to colleagues, other teachers, and I honestly wish I would’ve been introduced to the idea as a senior in high school or an undergraduate in college. So many of our students struggle with confidence, and many of us are still struggling with self-confidence as adults. At a reasonable price of $12.49, this book would make for a great book study with a group of students or teachers. The fact that this book was published by Hachette Book Group in 2015 makes this a relevant and recently published book that does a good job of covering years of research in supporting the idea that the body truly can shape the mind. At the very least, I would recommend having high school students watch Cuddy’s TED Talk which provides a good summary of the ideas she shares in this book.

4 people found this helpful

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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.

17 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

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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.

10 people found this helpful

Sipho

Could have been a blog post

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 14, 2021

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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.

2 people found this helpful

flex0302

Show your best side

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2016

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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

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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!

5 people found this helpful

Silvija Mazurenko

As great as expected

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2017

Verified Purchase

Great book, very genuine and inspiring. Would advise as a source of motivation, as well as, just an interesting read

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