How to Use Body Language to Boost Your Confidence and Performance #MMBA5

Have you ever wondered how your body language affects your communication, your emotions, and your performance? I have, and I learned a lot from a TED talk by Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy, titled “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are”. I had to make a PowerPoint presentation on this topic with my group for my Management Communication class, and I want to share with you some of the key insights and tips that I gained from this experience.

Body language is the conscious and unconscious movement and posture by which attitudes and feelings are communicated. It is a non-verbal behavior that conveys information, such as facial expression, eye movement, gestures, touch, and body posture. One of the most important aspects of body language is posture, which can be classified into two types: high-power and low-power.

A high-power pose is an open body posture that expresses power, confidence, and assertiveness. It is characterized by the body taking up space and the head held high. Examples include the salutation, the victory, the loomer, the wonder woman, and the vanna white poses.

A low-power pose is a contractive, closed, or guarded posture that shows lack of confidence, low self-esteem, and a need for protection. Examples include the fetal, the hunch, the wrap, the touch, and the block poses.

Why does posture matter? Because it can influence your hormones and your performance. Your hormones are chemicals that regulate your mood, your energy, and your behavior. Two of the most important hormones for your performance are testosterone and cortisol. Testosterone is a hormone that makes you feel more powerful, assertive, and confident. Cortisol is a hormone that makes you feel more anxious, fearful, and stressed.

According to a study by Amy Cuddy and her colleagues, your choice of pose can have a significant impact on your hormones and your performance. The study found that people who stood in a high-power pose for two minutes before their speech had about a 20% increase in testosterone and a 25% decrease in cortisol. On the other hand, people who sat in a low-power pose had about a 10% decrease in testosterone and a 15% increase in cortisol. This means that the high-power pose group felt more powerful and less stressed, while the low-power pose group felt less powerful and more stressed. As a result, the high-power pose group performed better in their speech than the low-power pose group. They were more confident, persuasive, and authentic.

Another study by the same researchers found that your power pose can also influence your willingness to take risks. The study found that when you are in the high-power pose condition, 86% of you will gamble. When you’re in the low-power pose condition, only 60% will. This means that the high-power pose group felt more confident and optimistic about their chances of winning.

So, what does this mean for you? It means that you can use your body language to influence your hormones and your performance. By standing in a high-power pose before a challenging situation, you can boost your testosterone and lower your cortisol, which will make you feel more powerful, confident, optimistic, and less stressed. And that was exactly what I did the morning of our group’s presentation and some minutes before the class started. This improved my composure, confidence, and vibrancy during my presentation.

In conclusion, body language is a powerful tool that can help you improve your communication, your emotions, and your performance. By adopting a high-power pose, you can increase your testosterone and decrease your cortisol, which will make you feel more confident and less stressed. You can use this technique before any situation that requires you to perform well, such as an interview, an audition, a speech, or a tough conversation. Try it out and see the difference for yourself. Remember, your body language may shape who you are, but you can also shape your body language.