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If As back was facing the door, the person seated at B would be the most influential and would be strong competition for A. Strodtbeck and Hook set up some experimental jury deliberations, which revealed that the person sitting at the head position was chosen significantly more often as the leader, particularly if that person was perceived as being from a high economic class. Assuming that A was in the best power position, person B has the next most authority, then D, then C. Positions A and B are perceived as being task-oriented, while position D is seen as being occupied by an emotional leader, often a woman, who is concerned about group relationships and getting people to participate. This information makes it possible to influence power plays at meetings by placing name badges on the seats stating where you want each person to sit. This gives you a degree of control over what happens in the meeting.

Why Teacher's Pet Sits on the Left

Researchers at the University of Oregon determined that people can retain up to three times more information about things they see in their right visual field than they do in their left. Their study suggests that you are likely to have a “better side” to your face when you are presenting information to others. According to this research your better side is your left because it's in the other person's right visual field.

Studies show that the left side of your face

is the best side for giving a presentation.

Dr. John Kershner of Ontario Institute for Studies in Education studied teachers and recorded where they were looking every thirty seconds for fifteen minutes. He found that teachers almost ignore the pupils on their right. The study showed that teachers looked straight ahead 44 percent of the time, to the left 39 percent of the time, and to their right only 17 percent of the time. He also found that pupils who sat on the left performed better in spelling tests than those on the right and those on the left were picked on less than those on the right. Our research found that more business deals are made when a salesperson sits to the customer's left than to their right. So, when you send children to school, teach them to jockey for the teacher's left side but, when they become adults and attend meetings, tell them to go for the extra perceived power given to the person on their boss's right.

Power Plays at Home

The shape of a family dining-room table can give a clue to the power distribution in that family, assuming that the dining room could have accommodated a table of any shape and that the table shape was selected after considerable thought. “Open” families go for round tables, “closed” families select square tables, and “authoritative” types select rectangular tables.

Next time you have a dinner party, try this experiment: place the shyest, most introverted guest at the head of the table, farthest from the door with their back to a wall. You will be amazed to see how simply placing a person in a powerful seating position encourages them to begin to talk more often and with more authority and how others will also pay more attention to them.

How to Make an Audience Cry

The Books of Lists—a volume that lists each year all sorts of information about human behavior—shows public speaking as our number-one fear, with fear of death ranking, on average, at number seven. Does this mean that, if you're at a funeral, you're better off being in the coffin than reading the eulogy?

If you are asked to address an audience at any time, it's important to understand how an audience receives and retains information. First, never tell the audience you feel nervous or overawed—they'll start looking for nervous body language and will be sure to find it. They'll never suspect you're nervous unless you tell them. Second, use confidence gestures as you speak, even if you're feeling terrified. Use Steeple gestures, open and closed palm positions, occasional Protruding Thumbs, and keep your arms unfolded. Avoid pointing at the audience,