How Useful is Body Language?

Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk, “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are,” has over 24 million views.  The talk explores the powerful impact of nonverbal communication and body language on our perceptions, behaviours, and even hormones.   According to Cubby body language governs how others perceive us and can influence important outcomes like hiring decisions and election results.

In the talk Cubby contrasts expansive “power poses” like standing tall with arms outstretched can increase feelings of confidence and lower stress levels by raising testosterone and decreasing cortisol levels with low-power poses like hunching over can make us feel less confident and more stressed.

Our body language not only influences how others see us but can also shape our own self-perceptions and behaviours.  She advocates “power posing” for short periods before stressful situations to boost confidence and presence, summarizing her advice as “fake it till you become it.”

There have been several criticisms of Amy Cuddy’s research on “power posing” and the claims made in her popular TED talk.  One major criticism is that other researchers have struggled to replicate some of Cuddy’s findings, particularly around the effects of power posing on hormones like testosterone and cortisol. A 2015 study with a much larger sample size than Cuddy’s original work failed to find any significant hormonal changes from power posing.

Critics have also argued that Cuddy overstated the effects and real-world applications of power posing based on limited experimental evidence. The effects observed in lab studies may not translate as strongly to real-life situations.

In summary, while power posing showed intriguing preliminary results, the inability of other researchers to replicate some of the key findings, particularly around hormones, has led many in the field to be more sceptical of the broad claims initially made about its effects.

In my own experience there is no doubt that people who adopt the “power pose” have generally have stronger Politician Component.  However it is not just the pose that informs me.  I use the TOPDOG mnemonic every time I first meet someone either face to face or over Zoom.

TOPDOG stands for Talk-Organisation-Position-Dress-Office-Gambit. This is a simple framework you use when you first meet someone. First, Talk.  Politicians are egotistic and refer themselves constantly. “I did this, I like that, etc.” They suffer from I-strain. They are good with words and articulate and use audio words like listen and hear.

“What do you do for a living?” would have to be one of the most common conversation starters — and with justification, for the decisions a person makes about the career and organisation can be very revealing about his or her personality. Politicians like to work in large organisations, particularly those where the employees wear uniforms.  They also like to make decisions, be a team leader and be persuasive.

Dress and general appearance are also key signals of the personality. Shakespeare said, “The apparel oft proclaims the man” or, the modern equivalent, “I dress to make a statement about myself”. The dress of the Politician is conservative and blue is their favourite colour. Maggie Thatcher always wore a blue dress and conservative politicians nearly always wear blue ties.

It is the offices of the aggressive, assertive people which give them away. It is often in the most dominant position in the building and larger than the surrounding offices. Even if the offices are the same size you will see status symbols such as name plates, degrees and certificates on the walls, pictures with famous people and the desk in a dominant position.

Finally, consider the Gambit. I have taken this term from the game of chess, where it is used to describe the opening moves. In a similar fashion someone may keep you waiting for a meeting or they might be punctual. Politicians are impatient and hate to wait in lines. They hate wasting their own time but are indifferent to wasting the time of others. Consequently they are generally the last to arrive at a meeting. Another clue is how soon he or she first uses your first name. Politicians are typically late, do not apologise, and then will address you formally and take some time before using your given name. They are working out your status. Another clue is their business cards. Just as their offices are festooned with qualifications, so are their business cards.

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This blog was first posted on LinkedIn on 3 June 2024

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-useful-body-language-emotional-intelligence-courses-8rkfc