There are four different kinds of power in a communication: position power (the CEO talking to her direct reports), emotion power (passion sometimes rules the day), expertise (people often listen to the most knowledgeable person in the room), and conversational power (the subtlest, this is the ability to direct the conversation through body language).

We are communal beings who love to get together in groups and share emotions - like sporting events, rock concerts and political rallies. We crave tribal membership.

Sometimes, with leaders, the stakes are very high indeed. Churchill, in WWII, for example, could not afford to utter publicly his concerns about England's ability to survive Hitler's onslaught. He thought about them, but the leadership conversation sometimes needs to inspire, not voice doubt.

The whole reason to study (and learn to control) body language is to have that support (rather than undercut) your message.

Storytelling sticks in the mind because it attaches emotions to events, and that's the way we remember things. If you don't tell stories, no one will remember what you say.

Gestures come first! Before we're consciously aware of our thoughts, we start to gesture. Pay attention to your gestures, and others', and you can become a more powerful communicator.

You can strengthen your leadership voice by finding what I call its Maximum Resonance Point and learning to pitch your voice there. That gives you the strongest voice and thus the one that people are most likely to want to follow.