If you are interested in how to dominate socially -or if you are interested in Conor McGregor-, you came to the right page.

In analyzing Conor McGregor’s public interactions, I came across a few interesting traits and moves that he plays to position himself as the most dominant man in the room.

Intro

Conor McGregor always makes a point to be seen as a socially dominant man, and that makes him a good subject for a case study.

Let’s begin:

#1. Stand Out

Court attention at all costs says the 48 Laws of Power.
You won’t be dominant at anything being the social wallflower of the situation.

You don’t want to exaggerate and come across as a narcissist hogging attention to feed a little ego. That’s weak. But you do want to stand out in a positive way.

Great posture, above-average grooming, taking up space, looking comfortable, nice fitting clothes, and speaking up are all positive elements of standing out. Conor McGregor uses all of them.

#2. Lead – And Follow Shrewdly

Dominance, authority positions, and leadership are not the same thing, but there’s a certain overlap.

Here’s the thing though: nobody can lead or dominate all the time, and while “leading” is an abundantly discussed topic, “following” astutely is probably even more important and much less understood.

Holding your own when someone tries to dominate you or when you have no other choice but to follow or yield territory is what differentiates the very top-value men from the rest.

Usually, you do it by assessing quickly whether or not you can avoid following, avoid obeying, or can successfully negotiate a better outcome.

When you can’t, the focus is minimizing the social impact of being a follower while keeping your composure.
A few guidelines for doing so effectively:

• Beat Him To The Punch: do what you’re supposed to do before being asked to-;
• Lead Back: Lead in another smaller area. The waiter was rough telling you to move out of the way so he can serve the drinks. Move and then chaperone him with a hand on his arm while saying “this way please”
• Remain cold and detached, don’t say sorry, look at him in the eyes, and never smile -McGregor does it in the video below-
• Thank Him: Might seem counterintuitive, but “thank you” is a powerful way of framing the interaction as if he’s done a pleasure for you. The cop made you walk all the way back because you crossed the crime scene? “Thank you for keeping our streets safe for us”

Note: These tactics are situational and meant for status-testing or dominance dynamics, not everyday polite or cooperative interactions.

#3. Dominant Body Language

Dominance is largely conveyed by nonverbals. Here are two examples from Conor McGregor’s video:

Nod Up, Not Down

Nodding down, what most people do, is a sign of submissiveness.

Do nod down when you want to show yourself as non-threatening -ie.: meeting a woman at night-.
But don’t over-nod down in neutral situations where there’s no need for submissiveness and never in the presence of anyone trying to intimidate you.

Example:

Splayed Legs & Arms Swinging

Splayed legs and arms swinging are popular signs of confidence (Joe Navarro, 2009).

Conor McGregor does it a bit too theatrically.
James Bond has a less showy and more purposeful-looking walk.

Preview from our Power University-only videos:

#4. Ask For Investment

High power people get others do things for them.
It’s a fundamental law of social power, tied to Social ROI.

It does not have to be done aggressively, but tasking others is the strongest signal of higher status.

If you never do, try asking more from the people around you.
As a guy who was in the habit of “always doing things on his own,” I can tell you it’s very likely you will find many who are glad to do something more for you.

Once you develop yourself to a position of value and power, then Machiavelli’s quote applies:

Don’t do yourself what you can let others do for you

#5. Avoid Investment

By the same token, you should avoid any unreasonable investment that others demand of you.

For example, some weeks ago at a bar, a woman sitting with a man motioned me to go over to their table. What did she want?

It looked like she wanted me to join them for a drink. I was curious, but at the same time, beckoning someone you don’t know is a major request to make.
Those kinds of requests, you never comply with because they are a form of social shit tests:

Girls: (gesturing to go over) Can you please take our pictures?”
You: (smirking) I wish I could but my hand shakes

Here is The Power Moves version of Machiavelli’s rule:

Never do what others can do for themselves.

#6. Impose Your Will

Dominance entails the possibility of imposing one’s will over the environment and the people around, and it’s divided into three categories:

• Actual Power
  Actual Power doesn’t mean you will impose on others no matter what but it does mean you could impose your will. An enlightened monarch is as dominant -if not more- than an unjust despot. But the enlightened one can equally impose his will, or he wouldn’t be a monarch.
• Behavioral Power
  You might not overpower your opponent but you behave as if you can always have your say and you’re not afraid of getting your hands dirty. Even at the risk of losing out. It’s actually more impressive when a weaker party steps up to the plate.
• Mental Power
  We human beings tend to act dominantly when we’ve got people on our side and when we feel our opinions will be accepted. But real domination starts within yourself. And it means you’ve got the mental power of sticking to your values and standing for what you believe is right, no matter the environment around you.

The actual power of imposing one’s will can be the dark side, which gives the noun “dominance” a bad reputation.

It’s then up to each one of us to dominate for good.

#7. Be The Center of Attention

You don’t (necessarily) seek attention, but people seek your attention because your opinion matters.

Summary

Becoming more dominant is as much a matter of nonverbal cues as it’s a matter of the beliefs and confidence underpinning those signals.

Dominance can be used for having a positive and net value impact on the world, or it can be used to dominate people out of selfishness.

The latter is when you should step in and stand up. And the more you learn about Power Moves, the more you’ll be able to.

Try Hard Warning

McGregor’s way of dominance is often a bit juvenile (also see: the archetypes of dominance).

Overplaying all these traits can easily make you come across as trying hard and a bit childish.

A stronger, more powerful way of showing dominance is that of the Godfather, for example. See here the quieter dominance style: The Godfather.