Your 'Presence' Should Be Authentic.

It is that make-or-break moment: you head into a room for a job interview or to give a presentation. In theory, you should ace what is coming. After all, you have the credentials, rehearsed what to say, and mastered the material but, when it is time to put your best foot forward, your body and mind go into meltdown as you sink into a dark spiral of panic, anxiety, and self-doubt that leaves others quite unimpressed. You walk out full of regret, knowing that you did not rise to the challenge and wondering what you can do to prevent the next pivotal opportunity from slipping away.

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy, associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, Cambridge, Mass., and author of Presence: Bring Your Best Self to Your Biggest Challenges, says there are some easy ways to help people rise to the occasion and dial into an inner strength that showcases their very best.

"Presence is your knowledge of and ability to access your most authentic self--your core values, your best talents and abilities, your expertise--and to really bring it forth when you need to, which is usually when we're least likely to be able to do it," she explains.

'The meta-analyzing we do of other people's reactions to us--thafs the downfall. It takes us completely out of the moment in terms of the thoughts we're having, but it also really mucks up the gears in our brain." When someone feels powerless or like an "imposter," tools such as executive function...