Confidence Part II – Change Your Body, Change Your Mind
You may recall the scenes in The Sound of Music where Julie Andrews, as Maria, is trying to summon her confidence as she prepares to interview for the governess post with the Von Trapp Family.
I love Maria’s feisty, go-get-em attitude. She’s terrified, but she holds her fear at bay by dancing down the road taking big steps and making big, bold gestures – waving her guitar and satchel in the air as she sings “I have confidence in me!”
It turns out Maria had the right idea.
In addition to taking deliberate action (see previous post, Confidence On Tap – Part 1), Harvard Social Psychologist, Amy Cuddy, says that making those big, bold movements can go a long way in actually building our confidence levels.
In her TED talk, Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are, Cuddy explains that simple power poses can strongly influence how you’re perceived personally and professionally.
In her research, Cuddy found that when study participants practiced expansive, alpha-type movements (think queen of the hill) before meetings where evaluations were involved (eg: an interview or a date), they felt more confident in themselves, and were perceived to be more confident by others.
Cuddy says power poses such as reaching arms in the air in a victory dance ‘V’, or spreading feet with hands on hips ‘wonder woman’-style – any position that makes full use of the body’s wingspan– can increase good hormones (testosterone), lower bad hormones (cortisol), and increase overall confidence levels.
Acting ‘As If’
When my coaching clients first hear of Cuddy’s “outside/ in” approach, they’re often hesitant – thinking that, in order to be confident on the outside, they have to, first, change the way they feel about themselves on the inside.
Cuddy addresses this chicken/ egg conundrum in her TED presentation (with over eighteen million views and counting), sharing her findings that ‘faking it to make it’, or ‘acting as if’ you have confidence through expansive movements and stances can carry you through until you are truly feeling confident in yourself.
According to Cuddy, it’s common for women, especially, to get caught up in what she calls the imposter syndrome – fearing that someone will discover they’re not really as confident as they seem. “It’s really about faking it to become it,” Cuddy counsels the audience. Cuddy says that, by continually practicing confidence poses, the outer feeling begins to internalize and becomes second nature.
Take Two Minutes
While Cuddy is not suggesting striking power poses in an actual interview or date situation, she does recommend taking just two minutes to expand your body into powerful ‘alpha’ positions in your office, an elevator, or restroom stall – wherever you can take a private moment before heading into a situation where you want to be at your best.
My coaching clients have put Amy Cuddy’s ‘outside/ in’ confidence building techniques to work before interviews, presentations and meetings, and I have used it as well to get those good hormones flowing – and with great success. I encourage you to discover this ‘low-tech life hack’, as Cuddy calls it, for yourself. All you need is privacy, some powerful poses and two minutes!
