Body language: who is your audience?

We tend to think of body language in terms of the non-verbal communication that we share with one another. We think of people who have difficulty understanding non-verbal communication, and wonder whether this has to do with their ability to notice changes in another person’s facial expression or posture. Perhaps they notice but cannot interpret the gesture, because they are unable to reproduce the same gesture themselves. Low muscle tone may be the culprit. Sometimes we think of body language in terms of the messages we unconsciously send with our facial expressions (scorn? judgment?) that a person may understand even if he or she cannot understand our words.

But there’s another very important component to body language: When your body assumes a posture or expression, your own body and brain are listening.

In her inspiring TED talk,  http://blog.ted.com/10-examples-of-how-power-posing-can-work-to-boost-your-confidence/ Amy Cuddy talks about the difference between postures of powerful people and of those who are not. Powerful people are more optimistic, confident and assertive, and are able to think more abstractly; their testosterone levels are higher (“dominance hormone”) and their cortisol levels are lower (stress hormone).  

Cuddy explains the research behind power postures. Put your hands on your hips, or raise your arms as if you’ve just won a race. Or lean back into your seat and put your feet on your desk. Seriously, try it. Research has shown that positioning yourself in a power posture for two minutes can make a difference in how you perform in front of an audience, how you do in a job interview, how much stress hormone is running in your system (some 25% less). A friend tells me he’s used this with his students before their musical performances and it works. The opposite is also true – sit in a self-protective position, rolled in, and your confidence will wane while your stress increases.

You and I can easily use this tool, taking on a powerful posture for two minutes. But let’s take it another step – perhaps this technique can help a vulnerable, stressed person you are trying to assist? Perhaps a friend, a loved one, a child, a student, even one who may be unable to understand this concept, can learn to spend a little while in a posture that gives him or her a message of strength, confidence, leadership, a posture that would reduce the stress?

I’m going to try this. Will you join me? I’d love to hear from you if you see results.