The Language of Success
August 26, 2025
by Toni Delos Santos
90% Mental
90percentmental.com
“Find your edge.”
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When we are communicating there are all types of language that we can use. We could use powerful language, bad language, or politically correct language. These can all be effective given the situation.
It has been determined by experts that 93% of all communication is non-verbal.
Our initial feeling about a person will come from the way we read their body language. When you board a plane and first sit down, you can tell right away if the person sitting next you is going to be chatty or keep to themselves. As you are approaching the seat and a person has their head down and arms crossed, you will pick up on the fact that they are not open for conversation. We all make judgments on people based on their body language.
According to Alex Todorov at Princeton, seventy percent of gubernatorial races and U.S. Senate outcomes can be predicted by judgements made in one second of looking at a political candidate’s face.
The way we carry ourselves can have a big impact on getting hired for a job, recruited to a D1 school to play a sport, or even get invited to attend a social gathering. I am sure that we have all been around the person that “wears everything on their sleeve!” The minute they walk into the office, you will immediately know what kind of day they are having. If they are having a bad day, it can suck the energy out of the room.
Our bodies are designed to regulate our hormones based on what is needed. When we encounter danger or a stressful situation, cortisol is produced by the adrenal gland. On the flip side of that, when we feel powerful and confident, our body produces more testosterone. A powerful leader will have higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way, we could make this happen? Science has shown that we can produce these results based on our body language. When we feel powerful, we automatically show it in our body language. However, when we do not feel powerful or confident, we will also convey that through our body language. The great news is that we can consciously use our body language to produce the powerful and dominant feeling that we want to have when presenting to a group, closing a big deal, or pitching to a home run hitter!
I want you to do a quick 10 second experiment:
- Sit in a chair with your elbows on your knees and your head down for 5 seconds.
- Now, sit up tall shoulders back and smile for 5 seconds.
I am willing to bet that in 5 seconds you went from being tired and maybe feeling a little down to having energy and feeling happy. Whenever my kids are grumpy, I always tell them to smile because it is literally impossible to be in a bad mood when you are smiling! Wonder Woman has the signature pose of standing tall with her chest out and hands on her hips. This is one of the power poses that will open you up to have that powerful feeling. Usain Bolt, one of the greatest sprinters of all time would raise his hands in victory when he won a race. This is another pose that will set you up for success.
Amy Cuddy, Social Psychologist and body language expert says, “Don’t fake it until you make it, fake it until you become it.”
