The Psychology of Body Language

In 2016, Usain Bolt made history by becoming the first man to win the 100m dash for three consecutive Olympics. As the stadium erupts, Bolt in his typical fashion — is down on one knee, one arm bent at the elbow, and the other pointing to the sky. It’s the familiar Usain Bolt signature pose.

Known as the ‘Lightning Pose,’ it’s wildly popular — everyone from Obama to Prince Harry has tried a variation of that pose. Bolt’s winning pose exudes power, poise, and confidence. Or in other words, one of the world’s greatest athletes was demonstrating what winners looked like. He was showing us the power of body language.

The art of power posing and non-verbal communication is fascinating as part of self-improvement.

In 2012, a social psychologist called Amy Cuddy gave a TED speech titled Your Body Shapes Who You Are. You can watch the 20-minute talk here:

This went on to become the second-most popular TED talk in history. In her speech, Cuddy suggests that a posture of confidence, or “power posing” as she called it, can change other people’s perceptions.

It’s a power talk in itself with more than 2,500 comments:

“I really want to change my behavior with all these small steps and make my life successful.”

“Our bodies change our minds and our minds can change our behavior, and our behavior can change our outcomes.”

Following the talk, Cuddy wrote a bestselling book called ‘Presence,’ highlighting the power of presence to make far-reaching changes in our lives. The key point from her years of research:

“Your body language may shape who you are.”

We know that our minds change our bodies. But is it true that our bodies can also change our minds, Cuddy asks.

It made me think. Can we influence winning with something as simple as learning to modulate our physical and verbal cues? The answer to that goes a little further back. Way back.

The power of nonverbal communication

We grow up thinking that speech is our main form of communication. Our parents would have celebrated that moment when we first spoke our first word. But before prehistoric humans developed speech and language, they relied on body language to convey their emotions and feelings.

If you have ever watched a silent movie, then you would have known what a powerful actor Charlie Chaplin was, using only body language and gestures to elicit a laugh or a tear from his audience. We don’t need words all the time to convey our emotions. We know we communicate through gestures, our eyes, and touch — sometimes way better than we may through the limitations of words.

Anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell pioneeredthe study of nonverbal communication. He called it ‘kinesics.’ Astoundingly, Birdwhistell’s research revealed that we have more than 250,000 facial expressions at our disposal!

How power poses made its way to the modern workplace

Although the phrase “power pose” is relatively new, the concept of using the power of our body to convey power and authority is not new. Power posing is simply the adoption of expansive and open nonverbal postures. From athletes and CEOs to revolutionaries and visionaries, all sorts of people have often demonstrated power through their postures. From arms raised skyward in celebration, to the chest-thumping to the finger-pointing, their body language can communicate strongly what the individual stands for.

One of the more famous poses is the ‘Wonder Woman’ pose — standing with hands on hips and feet spread apart. Sheryl Sandberg also referred to this in her book, ‘Lean In,’ when she suggested this pose as a simple hack to ace that interview or stressful meeting.

But it’s not just about psyching your mind. Apparently, practicing the Wonder Woman pose for as little as two minutes before an event can actually reduce the stress hormone, cortisol.

In my mind, nonverbal skills are one of the most under-discussed skills in the leadership toolkit. We really should prioritize and develop the skills of nonverbal communication.

After all this research, my questions were simple: Can we use physical gestures, posture, facial expressions, and eye contact to communicate effectively? More importantly, can we influence desired outcomes with those?

Five power poses we can use

Leaning out: We may know of leaning in to show interest in what the other person is showing. But a leaning back or leaning out posture is useful in workplace situations where you need to show authority. If you are interviewing someone or attending a panel discussion, leaning back in your chair can convey a certain assurance.

Approachable stance: We know that the classic no-no is to stand with your arms crossed folded across your chest, indicating a closed stance. Instead, if we stand with our arms crossed behind our backs, it suggests that we are open to listening to their inputs.

Opening up: Amy Cuddy found that occupying more space, whether keeping our arms aloft or a wider stance with our feet, exerts more influence.

Closing a deal: This is a pose that is most useful at the end of a presentation. Planting your hands on the table and leaning forward can put you in a position of dominance.

Signaling confidence: The classic ‘V’ pose, Cuddy suggests, can be practiced for two minutes before an important interview, presentation, or pitch.

By no means are these exhaustive. If you want to show that you are willing to compromise to find a solution, and are not confrontational, the approachable pose might work best. If a thoughtful dialog is your objective, leaning forward and indicating interest can move the conversation in the right manner. Open palms can indicate an honest, welcoming approach, while a pointing finger creates a negative feeling in most listeners.

The possibilities are many, but the bottom line is that we need to be in sync with our thoughts and body language, as with almost any situation in life. Sometimes, our words are not believed because our body language already says that we really don’t mean what we are saying.

“Fake it until you become it”

But making tiny tweaks in our daily habits can help. These changes work better than we imagine in being aware and improving body language. We can, with practice, actually reconfigure our brains in ways that can make us more confident, assertive, and relaxed.

The perfect body language doesn’t happen overnight. Nor should it be a quest for perfection.

But this is about learning a new skill and overcoming old habits.

I wish that we were coached in the importance of non-verbal communication and the power of postures and gestures from our childhood!

Being intentional about our body language may not necessarily turn us into superstars, but it can set us on the journey of self-confidence.

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” — Peter Drucker

Let me know your thoughts on how you relate and respond to non-verbal communication.

Disclaimer: Views represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the author and do not represent the views of Kalaari.