Subtitled: “Bringing your boldest self to your biggest challenges”
This book is a gold mine for anyone wanting more confidence. I absolutely recommend it!
The author had a breakout TEDTalk – it’s one of the top five most viewed ever – so chances are you’ve likely seen it or at least have heard about her big idea: how your body language shapes who you are.
And that’s definitely the core premise of the book – that we can actually change how we feel about ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in through changing our body language.
Before she even gets to that though, Cuddy spends several chapters defining “presence” – going through aspects such as self-esteem, imposterism, and personal power (as opposed to social power). It’s actually my favorite part of the book.
Her definition of presence? Being attuned to and able to comfortably express our true thoughts, feelings, values and potential.
She goes on to say that presence emerges when we feel personally powerful, which allows us to be acutely attuned to our most sincere selves.
So in order to do that, we need to know who we are (and y’all know I’m all in on how important knowing who we are is to our happiness). She cites studies which show that when we believe in and own our stories we are less dependent on the approval of others…. and can even be comfortable with their disapproval.
This enables us to be more present.
The less we focus on impressing others, the more attuned to the situation we are, the more confident we feel ….. and are perceived.
Then the second half is all about the impacts of body language – but not on others – on ourselves. The way we stand, sit, move, use our facial expressions – these all send signals to our brain which trigger our own feelings, emotions, mindset.
The research she and her colleagues have done on this is just amazing…. Study after study show us that by adopting key postures, movements and expressions BEFORE an event or activity we can influence how we feel and how others perceive us during the activity.
Yep, this is where the power pose comes in! Standing in a power pose, like Wonder Woman with your hands on your hips or up like a starfish, trigger amazing physiological benefits which help us feel more personal power and then to be more present in the situation.
So before your next interview, presentation or crucial conversation, take a moment to stand like Wonder Woman and watch how much better that activity flows.
Have you read Presence or watched her TEDTalk? Let me know what your top takeaways are!
