SPEAK LIKE A CEO 312: The Body Language Expert: You’re Losing Authority in the First 10 Seconds
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Feb 19, 2026 
Mark Bowden, a leading body-language and communication expert who advises CEOs and leaders, explains why you lose authority in the first 10 seconds. He breaks down how gestures, facial cues, and voice shape instant credibility. Short, actionable rules about hand placement, eye contact on video, and preparing for unpredictability keep your presence strong and believable.
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First Impressions Are Visual Predictions
- People form a theory of mind about you using mostly visual behavior and vocal tone, not words.
- Listeners then distort words to fit their visual-based assumption about your intent.
Open Palms At Navel Build Trust
- Use open palm gestures at navel height to signal trustworthiness and predictability.
- Show vulnerable areas and avoid hidden hands to make people feel safer and listen.
Brains Default To Negative Without Clear Signals
- Evolutionary systems bias us to default to negative predictions unless given strong positive signals.
- Faces cue emotion but people still default to negative without clear positive data.