--- title: This Simple Thing Can Make You Much More Convincing, According to Research description: Avoid emotional variability in how you carry yourself when presenting canonical: https://time.com/3754210/simple-thing-more-convincing/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-27T04:01:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T08:17:21.808Z article:section: Ideas og:title: This Simple Thing Can Make You Much More Convincing, According to Research og:description: Avoid emotional variability in how you carry yourself when presenting og:url: https://time.com/3754210/simple-thing-more-convincing/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4cdd4e4e40288445/698784b52dce0137369de282/142022485-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=507&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 507 og:image:height: 285 og:image:alt: businessman-practicing-speech og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Simple Thing Can Make You Much More Convincing, According to Research twitter:description: Avoid emotional variability in how you carry yourself when presenting twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4cdd4e4e40288445/698784b52dce0137369de282/142022485-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=507&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Simple Thing Can Make You Much More Convincing, According to Research > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Mar 27, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  Caucasian businessman practicing speech in empty auditorium Caucasian businessman practicing speech in empty auditorium Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Mar 27, 2015 4:01 AM UTC Research shows that _consistency_ in tone is extremely persuasive. People who don’t get shaken up and maintain a smooth approach have a natural advantage. Stuttering, long pauses, pitch of the voice going up and down… none of these inspire confidence. Avoid emotional variability in how you carry yourself when presenting. A narrow tonal range conveys a high degree of control and certainty. Via [Honest Signals: How They Shape Our World](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262515121/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0262515121&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0262515121): --- > “” --- That said, this is not the best approach for all scenarios. If the spotlight is not on you and you need to be open to the ideas of others, it can backfire. In those situations a softer, more open attitude wins the day. Here, a less consistent, less focused approach shows you are open to the ideas of others. Via [Honest Signals: How They Shape Our World](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262515121/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0262515121&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0262515121): --- > “” --- **Join over 161,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** Related posts: [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) [The 8 Things The Happiest People Do Every Day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/happiest-people/) [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3754210/simple-thing-more-convincing/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3754210/simple-thing-more-convincing/"},"headline":"This Simple Thing Can Make You Much More Convincing, According to Research","datePublished":"2015-03-27T04:01:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:17:21.808Z","description":"Avoid emotional variability in how you carry yourself when presenting","url":"https://time.com/3754210/simple-thing-more-convincing/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4cdd4e4e40288445/698784b52dce0137369de282/142022485-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4cdd4e4e40288445/698784b52dce0137369de282/142022485-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"businessman-practicing-speech","caption":"businessman-practicing-speech","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3754210/simple-thing-more-convincing/","name":"This Simple Thing Can Make You Much More Convincing, According to Research"}}]}] ```