Body language can have a powerful impact, whether conscious or unconscious, when communicating with others. This idea often comes up in the context of job interviews; for example, interviewees are coached to lean in toward interviewers, make eye contact, and avoid fidgeting or looking at their watch.
Understandably, interviewees tend to heed this message because they want to get the job. They feel they need to put their best foot forward and communicate effectively, even with nonverbal cues, because of the power dynamic: The interviewee is asking for a job, and the interviewer has the power to hire or not hire or at least influence the hiring decision.
