Strike a pose: How power posing made me powerful

I’m the President of Women in Business to over 900 undergraduate women, the co-chair of the Boston College Women’s Summit, and a co-concentrator in Entrepreneurship and Management & Leadership in CSOM.

From the outside and through these experiences, I often appear confident. But when I speak in front of large groups, I can’t help but feel a twinge of intimidation and general nervousness.

I used to just focus on my speech. Last year, when introducing myself to a group of over 200 women, I tried to speak as loudly, clearly and slowly as a possibly could.

But despite my eloquence, I had crossed my arms across my chest and my legs at the ankle. This defensive stance was a giveaway to the audience that I was nervous. By doing so, I had made myself even smaller than my already petite frame.

Once I watched Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk on how “Your body language shapes who you are,” I realized the importance of portraying yourself powerfully.

Amy discusses power posing and how you can “fake it ‘til you become it,” or how if you present yourself as confident, you will eventually internalize that confidence.

Harvard Professor Amy Cuddy has written a book, Presence, which expands upon her original TED Talk

I later spoke at Robsham to a group of almost 400 students, alumni, faculty and invited guests.

Rather than practicing my speech sitting at my chair, I decided to practice with my hands on my hips in front of my mirror. This is the superwoman pose, complimentary to the arms-spread-wide eagle pose.

Despite of how ridiculous I looked, I believed in Amy’s process.

When I stood on stage at Robsham that day, I did feel bigger than my normal self. I felt like a better version of myself—a more confident, present, and secure person on that stage.

My experience with power posing came full circle last Tuesday, when I had the pleasure of attending and listening to Amy Cuddy’s talk in Robsham, an expansion on her original TED talk, her research, and a description of her journey since the talk was released.

Then I attended an intimate discussion with her, or as she called the talk, DNM: Deep and Meaningful.

In this discussion, she asserted the purpose of power posing is to not just seem confident, but also to feel present and aware of your surroundings in that moment.

“Presence” is not permanent, but only exists in moments. Presence is about power—the power of the choices you make and the power in seizing opportunities. It is the ability to be strong and your most authentic self, instead of simply dominant.

Since then, I have had the opportunity through Women in Business to speak in front of many students. I can say with certainty that power posing has made me a stronger speaker and a stronger leader.So while I stand with hands on my hips or my feet on a desk, sometimes feeling juvenile and silly, I also feel more confident knowing there is scientific evidence proving I will consequently be more powerful, more confident, and more present.