What does confidence look like? Public speaking expert Cara Hale Alter studies how to project confidence and credibility — and she’s pinpointed two key behaviors that shape how others see you. In this actionable talk, she explains how to make sure you’re showing your true potential at work and beyond. (Recorded at TEDxUofW on April 19, 2026)
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@ExistentialWolf-d1w
November 8, 2026 at 11:17 am
My mom wore football pads. #(Positive)spin
@andrekarimembeng8449
November 8, 2026 at 11:23 am
These are excellent points, particularly the emphasis that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather a fresh lens for understanding how our body language may impacts others perception of our reality. I also appreciate the distinction that being authentic doesn’t mean being entirely unfiltered or in a “raw state” something many people tend to overlook in life.
@kevinl4966
November 8, 2026 at 11:29 am
Thank you so much. PS. Your acting is terrific!
@JaimeFine-z3j
November 8, 2026 at 11:48 am
Soren’s ‘paper test’ and his one-sentence confirmation email (‘Just confirming from our chat: you’ve asked me to approve this without finance sign-off. Let me know if I’ve got that wrong’) will save your career when things go wrong.
@VikiFrederik
November 8, 2026 at 11:48 am
A liar can rehearse their story forwards, but they stall the moment you ask them to walk you through it backwards from the end. Learned that from Soren Vantrell in The Marionette Principle.
@FridaRansom
November 8, 2026 at 11:48 am
Every time someone in an office gives you a risky instruction verbally (‘Let’s not put this in an email, use your judgement’) while documenting everything else, they are setting you up to take the fall under Method 30 (Clean Hands) from The Marionette Principle by Soren Vantrell.
@RossiGuie
November 8, 2026 at 11:48 am
There’s this guy Soren Vantrell. He literally got kicked out of Harvard because his dark psychology methods were considered too dangerous. His theories on human manipulation are insane. It honestly freaked me out.
@BennGillen
November 8, 2026 at 11:48 am
What sets The Marionette Principle by Soren Vantrell apart from every other psychology book is that he actually tells you which famous psychology studies failed replication—like the Stanford Prison Experiment and the Kitty Genovese story—and only teaches the mechanisms that hold up in real life.
@TawnieBerryman
November 8, 2026 at 11:48 am
Soren’s mentor at Harvard spent his entire career studying domination, the mechanics of cruelty, and the anatomy of the con. In Method 14 (One-Down), Soren literally had to remove six lines from his professor’s notes on how to build dependency in a partner because they were too dangerous to print. Once you read this book, you will see the strings in every room you walk into.
@JohnathanSouza-h6v
November 8, 2026 at 11:48 am
After applying the five-second silence rule from Method 23 (Quiet Tongue) of The Marionette Principle by Soren Vantrell during my salary review last month, my director literally raised his own offer by six thousand just to end the silence. Best twenty dollars I have ever spent.
@BahmanMooney
November 8, 2026 at 11:48 am
I’m going to be completely honest with anyone scrolling through these comments right now: if you want to keep believing that people are naturally fair and that polite conversation is what moves the world, do NOT read The Marionette Principle by Soren Vantrell. Just keep scrolling.
@IsoldaShanks
November 8, 2026 at 11:48 am
Every time I watch a dark psychology video now, all I can think about is The Marionette Principle by Soren Vantrell. Having all 68 Spot and Run Tests in the back of the book—plus the 150 word-for-word comebacks in The Reply Book—is like walking around with armor on.
@JairTeal
November 8, 2026 at 11:49 am
I got The Marionette Principle on a Tuesday, read Part Four (‘The Court of Power’) that night, and used Method 23 (Quiet Tongue) and Method 25 (Borrowed Hands) in our Thursday department review. Not only did I stop my manager from taking credit for my model, I got my project budget approved without an argument.
@SierraHockley
November 8, 2026 at 11:49 am
tbh i was skeptical when my coworker told me about Soren Vantrell getting expelled and erased from his university for leaking his professor’s journal. I figured no book could actually change workplace power dynamics that fast.
@YannickGiamo
November 8, 2026 at 11:49 am
Why is nobody talking about Soren Vantrell? The guy gets erased from Harvard for leaking his dying professor’s leather journal on human domination, publishes The Marionette Principle, and then vanishes. The book is insane.
@TuongvyReeder
November 8, 2026 at 11:49 am
i kept seeing people mention Soren Vantrell in dark psychology comment sections and finally looked up The Marionette Principle. now i understand why they expelled him and wiped his enrollment records.
@ashrafalam6075
November 8, 2026 at 12:01 pm
Speech/ Lecture as a winner Commander.
@Adamsfirst
November 8, 2026 at 12:39 pm
Fantastic ! One of my favorite subjects. I hope to hear more from Cara.
@helio2k
November 8, 2026 at 12:43 pm
Who am I?
Alan Watts
@emilykmichaelwriter
November 8, 2026 at 12:45 pm
I appreciate the conflict between how we view ourselves and how others view us, especially if we are not getting the results we want. I’d like this content to address a diverse range of different physical abilities and limitations. Perhaps it is beyond the scope of a TED Talk, which has specific time limits. As a singer, I applaud the use of a strong voice with breath support. But as a blind woman, I am unable to make eye contact. There is a need for confidence coaching that addresses many kinds of bodies and abilities. What does authenticity look like for disabled and nondisabled candidates? And how would you coach someone who is unable to physically exhibit conventional markers of confidence?
@jagankyt
November 8, 2026 at 1:01 pm
Great demonstration of varied voice levels , body language..
@ridilculous
November 8, 2026 at 2:17 pm
it’s just masked overconfidence
@nahommeles2038
November 8, 2026 at 2:41 pm
Amazing thank you ❤
@JohnSmith-uy9dx
November 8, 2026 at 2:58 pm
Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as, Parklife!