Presence

Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges

By: Amy Cuddy

Narrated by: Amy Cuddy

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 listener will learn how to approach their biggest challenges with confidence instead of dread, and to leave them with satisfaction instead of regret.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2015 Amy Cuddy (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"With advice that is both practical and profound, Amy Cuddy shows how to summon your true and best self when doing so matters most. Emotions are contagious. If you personify poise and optimism yourself, you enhance the odds that they will respond in kind." (Michael Wheeler, Harvard Business School, author of The Art of Negotiation )

"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 the New York Times best seller Quiet)

Power Pose for a better life!

I took away some pretty thoughtful experiments and scientific studies on how to be a better person, in general. I like how all the research was outlined to highlight the importance of being stable and sticking to a consistent diet of "pay attention to your body language". The Wonder Woman pose is my favorite and I taught it to a bunch of young girls who aspired to be scientists. I found out weeks later from a parent that their child remembered to do the pose every morning and even asked for them to join in! I've tried the other poses, myself, and can attest to the good fortune and positive atmosphere it has, throughout! Thank you for a wonderful experience, and for putting self before the rest!

Life changing!!

Thank you Amy for all the research and time put into this book and all of your presentations. The knowledge in this book is amazing, and I personally share this book and its contents to all my friends and family!!

So great

Well researched - provides many anecdotes and provides much research studying different aspects of what hold us back From being the best version of ourselves we can be. Of all the different stories and studies, they are compiled in a very cohesive story. Extraordinarily relatable and the author does a fantastic job making the reader feel not alone in the common - yet quiet - struggles many people face.
This is my first time using audio books, however I love the narration in this. Easy to listen to and the meaning of the work to the author really comes through in the reading.

loved it

great book with lots of good advice. I will start trying the power poses and other good ideas.

A practical guide for taking your personal power back.

This book was icing on the cake for me. I’ve been in recovery for over 20 years and the steps are a lot about behaving your way into better thinking. I still have had issues with presence, though my life is 100 times better than it was. William James was a large part of early 12 step foundation. Presence is still based on his thinking decades later, but in a much more physical sense. I love how this segues from practices I already use to be a better person to how I can be better for me. Taking power back that I’ve been giving away to others. Definitely worth a listen and I will be revisiting this book often. I’m also going to watch Amy Cuddy’s TED talk for reinforcement.

Good balance of application and technical explanation

The science behind presence was well explained without the over-explanations typical in this type of book. The practical application and direct benefits were easy to understand with an appropriate number of examples. The performer was clear and understandable throughout, while conveying appropriate expression.

I recommend this to anyone struggling to find their confidence; shy people; and business professionals interested in appropriately displaying confidence without being cocky.

Hope

This book is very well written and very well narrated, uplifting and helpful. Thank you

great book <br />

so many actionable steps you can use right now, Amy tells the story very well

Great concepts, a bit repetitive

Love the concepts and the book is helpful for those who want to become as present as they can be. My only criticisms were the the book was a bit long/repetitive and, as a male reader, I found it to be a bit too feminocentric in its language and examples.

Cuddly's vocal fry was also mildly distracting.

I'm sharing this with my friends

Amy provides tips to improve self confidence and the science behind her methods. Her story and the others she sites are relatable. I really enjoyed listening.

Looking forward to sharing posing with my family.