Steps to Spot Power Plays Using Nonverbal Cues During Negotiations
Most of what gets communicated during a negotiation isn't spoken out loud. It shows up in posture, eye contact, small shifts in tone, and body language. These cues often reveal more about someone’s intentions than their words do. If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation feeling like something was off but couldn’t explain why, you’ve likely picked up on a nonverbal power play.
When people push for control without being direct, they usually rely on subtle dominance signals. Learning how to spot those behaviors early gives us the clarity to slow down, stay grounded, and stay strategic. That doesn’t mean overreacting or assuming the worst. A negotiation training course can help build this awareness by breaking down what these signals often mean and how to respond with control instead of confusion. At Persuasion Edge, our training is built on behavioral science and real-world psychology, so you are working from patterns of human behavior that have been tested, not guesswork.
What Power Plays Look Like in Real-Time
Power plays often surface when someone wants influence without declaring it. They aren’t always aggressive. Some can look calm, even polite, on the surface. This makes them easy to miss unless you know what to watch for.
These behaviors can show up anywhere, not just in high-level talks. Team meetings, client check-ins, and even informal chats at work can become quiet battlegrounds for control. Some examples of real-time power moves include:
• Holding intense or exaggerated eye contact to throw someone off or assert dominance
• Sitting in silence after a question, forcing the other person to speak first, often to reveal more than intended
• Sudden shifts in body posture, like crossing arms or leaning back, to signal withdrawal or resistance
The key isn’t to judge the behavior right away. It’s to notice when something subtle changes and ask, “What just shifted here?” Often, that timing reveals more than the behavior itself.
Reading Nonverbal Red Flags: Key Signals to Watch
Once we know the signs, recognizing a power play becomes easier to do in real time. Here are a few triggers worth watching for during high-stakes or emotionally charged conversations:
• Expanding posture, such as leaning back, spreading arms, or taking up more space in the room
• One-sided smiles, smirks, or tight expressions that suggest contempt or false confidence
• Gestures that interrupt or dominate, like speaking with a palm down, tapping the table, or pointing a finger
These behaviors often stem from the limbic system, the part of the brain that reacts before thinking kicks in. That’s what makes nonverbal cues feel honest. They escape before someone can control them. When posture or expression doesn’t match the words being said, stress or dominance may be leaking through. In our work at Persuasion Edge, we focus on teaching people how to read these limbic responses alongside baselining, the process of learning someone’s normal behavior before interpreting shifts in comfort or unease.
What Those Signals Really Mean: Behavior vs. Intent
Spotting a cue is step one. Interpreting it is where people often misstep. Not every strong gesture is an aggressive move. Some people simply talk with their hands or take up space without malice. Context gives the full picture.
We always look at patterns first. If someone is usually relaxed and starts acting jittery or stiff, that change might speak to stress. But if their confident tone suddenly turns sharp while their eye contact holds too long, that could signal a push for control.
We also consider intent. Is this a person under pressure, or are they testing boundaries? Pausing before we react lets us observe behavior without layering on assumptions. A calm scan helps separate assertiveness from manipulation.
Staying Grounded: How to Respond Without Reactivity
Maintaining steadiness when someone tries to take control nonverbally is a skill, and it starts in the body. Your posture, tone, and breath all affect whether tension grows or fades. In a negotiation, those few seconds of self-regulation can shift the entire tone of the conversation.
To hold your ground, try these responses:
• Mirror the other person’s posture subtly to build rapport and reduce tension
• Slow your speech and speak from the chest, which signals control instead of emotion
• Keep your hands visible and still, expressing calm presence through body language
A negotiation training course can help walk through these techniques in practice. The idea isn’t to copy someone’s style. It’s to stay centered under pressure, using your nonverbal presence to bring a conversation back into balance. Through our Everyday Negotiation and Influence coaching, we teach clients how to recognize subtle cues, manage tone and posture, and use ethical persuasion strategies that build trust, resolve conflict, and encourage cooperation in day-to-day negotiations.
Environment Matters: How Setting and Timing Impact Nonverbal Cues
Body language doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Seasonal stress, location, and setting can heighten or muffle certain power moves. With the year ending in December, people's energy tends to dip while expectations stay high.
In colder months, physical energy lowers and people often come to meetings more guarded. A slouched posture or furrowed brow might reflect fatigue, not frustration. Reading these signals accurately means adjusting for context.
The setting matters too. Power plays in boardrooms look different than on video calls. On camera, eye contact can feel forced, and aggressive gestures get magnified. In person, someone might use seat placement or table presence to one-up another speaker.
We don’t want to jump to conclusions. Knowing how mood, setting, and timing shape behavior helps us interpret cues more accurately.
Owning the Moment: Using Presence Over Power
Staying grounded in tense moments builds more than control, it builds trust. When we read nonverbal cues early, power plays lose their grip. We no longer get pulled into someone else’s emotional pattern. We see it, name it (internally), and choose how to respond instead of react.
With practice, this becomes second nature. We speak more clearly. We feel less pressure to fill silences or over-defend a point. We become aware of when control is being challenged and know how to center the conversation again without escalating.
This kind of presence doesn’t come from guesswork. It comes from building awareness, knowing what to look for, and being willing to stay steady when behavior shifts around us. When that happens, negotiations feel less like a contest and more like a process. We get better results without giving up clarity or confidence.
Reading subtle signals is a skill, but applying them in real conversations takes clarity and focus. At Persuasion Edge, we help people cut through confusion by teaching how to read behavior in context and respond with control. Ready to strengthen your situational awareness and build composure in high-pressure settings? Our negotiation training course offers practical strategies backed by behavioral science. Growth comes from seeing clearly and staying grounded. Contact us to talk about what’s working and where we can help.