Are there situations where warmth is more important than perceived competence for you to gain power and prestige? Despite suggestions by the popular press that assertive, powerful speech is needed to seem competent and thus gain status and leadership within a group or company, this is not always true. How warm a person seems to be trumps how competent they are perceived to be in some situations, according to new research from Alison Fragale, assistant professor of organizational behavior at UNC Kenan-Flagler. In her research, Fragale studied what she describes as “powerless speech,” which has commonly been believed to make a person seem tentative and uncertain and less likely to be given a promotion or other status. Powerless speech is Read More