Ted Tuesday: Amy Cuddy on The Power of Body Language

"So I think it's more interesting, especially when watching leaders, to look for warmth and trustworthiness nonverbals. Look for natural smiles, for body language that is inviting, positive, and that signals interest in the other person or people. Even a gentle touch -- one that's appropriate, of course -- like when one candidate gently touches the other on the shoulder. ~~Amy Cuddy

Good Morning Folks,

I found a really interesting Ted Talk for you this morning. One that really makes you think about something you never gave much thought to before. But in the service business, as we are, body language speaks volumes in conveying trust and making lasting impressions, good or bad. So take heed,

Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy (#37 if 50 Women Who Are Changing The World), shows how "power posing" -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don't feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.

Everyone talks about the importance of "body language," but few people understand how much of an impact it actually has — not just in the way others perceive us, but in terms of how we actually perform.

Photos via Business Insider:

Professor Cuddy studies "body language"--the non-verbal communication 

that can tell us almost everything about what is going on in a given situation.  

Says Cuddy, "So I think it's more interesting, especially when watching leaders, to look for warmth and trustworthiness nonverbals. Look for natural smiles, for body language that is inviting, positive, and that signals interest in the other person or people. Even a gentle touch -- one that's appropriate, of course -- like when one candidate gently touches the other on the shoulder. A nice, relatively recent example is watching Obama when he sings the first little bit of the Al Green song "Let's Stay Together." Not only does he have a surprisingly good voice, but when I watch people watch him break into that big smile, I watch them melt -- I watch them warm up as they're watching him. It's contagious and hard to avoid. Obama has become pretty good nonverbally on both dimensions, although I think his ability to convey warmth has gotten much better as he's become more relaxed. You see more of those natural smiles. He comes across as strong without seeming like an over-aggressive alpha. And I think he knows when it's time to be really powerful nonverbally, and when it's time to play it down a little bit."

Certain "power poses" don't just change how others perceive you, Professor Cuddy says. They immediately change your body chemistry.

And these changes affect the way you do your job and interact with other people.

One thing to note in this talk already seen by five million folks around the world is Professor Cuddy's tips for giving the kind of dynamic presentation you are about to see— fuel your mental engine:

• Dopamine and epinephrine help regulate mental alertness. Both come from tyrosine, an amino acid found in proteins.
• So make sure to include protein in the meal you eat before you need to be at your best. And don’t wait until the last minute. When you’re really nervous the last thing you may want to do is eat. -

Professor Cuddy concluded her talk with a startling revelation about herself, one that led her to choke up momentarily. Then the talk ended in a standing ovation. Have look at a great speech from great speaker:


Thanks to INC, Huffington Post and Business Insider who helped me prepare his post and most of all to you, for watching.

Let's all go make things happen today. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

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