Resource for Optimism: Impact of Body Postures

For teams or team members struggling with OPTIMISM, see the work on Power Poses by Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Professor. Her research has been criticized by some scientists, to which she published a detailed rebuttal. No matter … despite some members of the scientific community questioning her results, clients have found the concepts powerful, impactful and relevant !

Watch Amy Cuddy’s video(s)
(several available, including this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phcDQ0H_LnY)
and/or read her book called Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges to learn her research about how body postures impact physiological levels of stress hormones (cortisol) and confidence hormones (testosterone).

Suggested activity:

First, instruct team members to hold a “low power” pose for 2 minutes (closed, drawn and curled in, hunched over, eyes to ground, mouth turned downward, etc). Then, for 20 seconds – WHILE MAINTAINING THE POSE – have them think negative thoughts about the likelihood they or their team will accomplish an important task/goal. You can suggest a few prompts, based on their specifics. Finally, for 20 additional seconds (still holding the pose!) ask them to think positive thoughts about accomplishing the same challenge/task/goal. Have them reflect on the experience for a few moments.

Next, instruct team members to hold a “high power” pose for 2 minutes. (See video for suggested “Victory Pose” or “Wonder Woman Pose”.) You can have them enhance this with chin held high, eyes forward, smiling faces. While maintaining the high power pose, invite them then to again think negative thoughts about accomplishing the team goal/challenge/task for 20 seconds, and next (still maintaining the high power pose) to think positive thoughts about the same, for 20 seconds. Invite them to reflect a few moments.

Ask them to share their experiences. Participants report insights about how challenging it is to think negative thoughts while holding the high power position or to think positive thoughts in the low power position.

Then, show the team the contrast between high and low power body postures
(see image, below. Link = https://s3.amazonaws.com/jamesclear/Posts/body-language-power-poses.jpg).
Invite them to consider how they would respond to people in each body posture who has asked for a raise, proposed an idea, and etc. Would they respect this person? Take their ideas seriously? How do they feel about collaborating or meeting with the individual? Any judgments? Discuss what “neutral” postures would be which are neither overly domineering/aggressive nor overly submissive/withdrawn – postures which reflects openness, confidence and optimism.

A shift in body posture will not eliminate built-up negativity towards an organization, team, task or colleague. Ask them to experiment, however – to notice and shift their own postures when they are feeling pessimism or a lack of confidence – and to report at the next session when and if it made any difference in their optimism, confidence levels or effectiveness re: a dialogue or task at hand. They can also do a pose in private, just before a challenging conversation or task, to lower stress hormones and raise confidence hormones prior to entering the room.