The Research - Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are | Amy Cuddy | TED

Amy Cuddy and her team studied how body posture influences confidence and stress.

They found that holding an expansive, open power pose (e.g., standing tall with hands on hips or arms stretched out) for just 2 minutes:

Increased testosterone (linked to confidence & dominance) by about 20%

Decreased cortisol (the stress hormone) by about 25%

Made people feel more powerful and in control

In contrast, holding a small, closed, “low-power” pose for 2 minutes:

Decreased testosterone by about 10%
Increased cortisol by about 15%
Made people feel less confident and more stressed

The takeaway: Changing your body language can change your mindset. Before a big event — like a performance, interview, or speech — try standing in a power pose for a couple of minutes to boost confidence and lower stress.

Activity

Developing a 'Walk with Grace & Power'

Many of us pay little conscious attention to our External Behaviour - things like our posture, gestures, facial expression, breathing, movement. Very often, what is going on in our inside world 'leaks out' through our behaviour, and in turn our external behaviour reinforces what is going on in our inside world.

Consciously developing a positive, confident walk that we can access when we need to can be a really help resource at time of personal challenge, or on occasions we want to present positively to other people.

Process

1.   Make a short practice walk, and pay attention to your

o      stance and posture

o      gestures and arm movements

o      position of head, shoulders

o      facial expression

o      direction and rate of eye movement / gaze

o      breathing (rate and location)

o      length of stride, and speed of walking

2. Make adjustments, and notice what happens when you

o stand tall, with shoulders back

o change the rate and speed of arm movements when walking

o smile

o look straight ahead

o breath to your diaphragm, in a measured and even way

o extend your stride a little, speed up, or slow down your walk.

If possible, have someone coach you through the exercise.

Experiment with different changes, until you find a walk that feels comfortable, and suits you.

 3. Practise

Once you have established your walk, practise as often as you can so it becomes an established habit that you can access whenever you need.

 4. Apply to other situations

As well as a Walk with Grace & Power, it is possible to practice positive External Behaviour for other situations, e.g.

ü Sitting attending a meeting

ü Posture for best learning