Posted by You may have seen the TED Talk by Professor Amy Cuddy, or you may have heard about power poses. Perhaps you even unconsciously perform a power pose every now and again as a natural way of boosting your confidence, or simply a by-product of not knowing where else to place your hands.
Whichever of these boxes you sit in, a conscious approach to power poses will help you boost your confidence and can bring about a hormonal change in your body that really helps make them effective.
In this guide, we’ll bring you a quick breakdown of the poses, and leave you with the video that got us crazy about power posing ahead of our next week meetings and important public interactions.
Power Pose 1: Super woman or wonder woman
This pose is exactly what it says on the tin. Hand on hips folks, legs hip-distance apart in a strong stance resembling, of course, none other than wonder woman.
To execute the pose, channel your inner heroine or hero and tilt your chin up to emphasise the power you possess.
Power Pose 2: The Loomer
When you want to secure a deal, simply place your hands on the table and lean forward. Known as The Loomer, this is best in effect when standing to show you’re engaged and in a position of dominance. It can also be executed while seated by placing hands on the table and leaning forward in your seat.
This pose is in tribute to Lyndon B Johnson who was 6 foot 4 inches and use his stature very well to both intimidate and seduce. For women, you can channel your inner Johnson, or consider the title of Facebook CEO’s book, Lean In.
Power Pose 3: The Obama
Named after Obama and following his Oval Office position of choice. Feet on the table, hands clasped behind your head and leaning back. Quite a relaxed posture and a tougher one to pull off successfully, this can help you take more profitable risks and also give you the confidence to put forward your big idea in a meeting.
Mind you, we don’t suggest you put your feet on the desk unless it’s your own, and even then, it’s a communal work place, so keep that in mind. Perhaps just place your hands behind your head and lean back. It’s a great way to open up your body language to new ideas and put ideas forward in a relaxed way.
Power Pose 4: The Performer
Perfect for a pre-interview pose, The Performer, named just so in honour of Mick Jagger. The pose should channel your inner rock star. Feet planted widely and arms reaching above you in a V shape is how you pull off this pose.
The reason why you should save this for pre-interview and not during the interview is that it’s quite offensive and could be seen as rude and also a bit odd in a meeting. But this will give you more confidence beforehand. Use a few moment in a bathroom before the interview or in the lift as you make your way up to the office.
Power Pose 5: The CEO
If you are interviewing someone, a great way to assert your confidence and comfort in your position is to rest your arms on the back of your chair and keep your knees apart. This will open up your body language and make you look more relaxed and comfortable whi
le quizzing your candidate.
So like Madonna says, Don’t just stand there, let’s get to it
Strike a [power] pose, there’s nothing to it
Take a look at the TED Talk here, and discover from Amy Cuddy why these poses could help you win a pitch, secure a job and simply boost your confidence and performance at work.