TED SPEECH

YOUR BODY LANGUAGES SHAPES WHO YOU ARE

This twenty minutes speech shows us how can you be uncovered with just looking at your body or, in contrast, how your body language can change your mind and your way to act.

Amy Cuddy has offer a speech which she begins with a little introduction asking for the attention of the audience who has to focus on their body position the next two minutes. Afterwards she goes on with an example for introduce her talk which will persist until the end. She talks about the position of power. Other scientists and she have been studying how people reacts in front of different situations and they have wrapped up that there’re two noticeable postures that transmits how powerful the person feels in that moment.

Amy Cuddy split this responses into powerful people, those who tend to optimise the space occupied by opening their arms or putting their legs on the table, or stretching their legs as much as they can, etc. The other kind of reaction was striking in feeble people. They close their arms, they are hunching, crossing their legs, wrapping their ankles: making themselves smaller.

Throughout a study that consists in submit people under pressure or in a threatening situation like job interviews, she comes to the conclusion that cortisol and testosterone are the gauges that correspond to those body postures. Testosterone increases and cortisol decreases in powerful people and the other way round in non-powerful ones.

Practically concluding Cuddy narrates a short personal story reminding the importance of overcoming and how you should struggle with your mind faking you feel comfortable and gain confidence with yourself as time moves forward and always think that if you are doing something it is because you were supposed to be there.

And finally she advices audience to adopt these powerful positions when we aren’t sure about feel strong enough or skilled enough, in one way or another faking our minds making them seem as though that we feel comfortable and sure with that situation.

First of all, I’ve found this speech interesting because it talks about attitudes we aren’t conscious we do, so it is always a good idea to investigate about some behaviours ruled by our unconscious mind.

I agree at all with the explanation she gave about how people adopt different postures depending on how they feel in this situation. Looking back, I confirm that I tend to cross my legs during an oral presentation, or wrap my arms, etc. because I don’t feel comfortable in this situation, I always think this isn’t my place and I try to go unnoticed as much as I can. But, however, when I spend time with my friends or at home (places where I feel absolutely comfortable, I tend to spread out and take up space, feeling sure with what I’m defending.

Making a reference to the other part of the speaking, the last one, I can’t corroborate the effectiveness to fake our minds. I’ve never tried it, and it’s something I should do. I’ll show a powerful and self-confident posture every time I don’t feel I should be there. I will believe in myself and maybe it can offer more relaxed and fluid sensations which I can transmit in my talks.

Some words I’ve learned in this speech are:
Awkward interaction: an interaction difficult to use, do, or deal with.
Sued: to take legal action against a person or organization, especially by making a legal claim for money because of some harm that they have caused you.
Cortisol: a hormone that is used in medicine to treat parts of the body that are swollen and painful.
Take a gamble on you: trust in you.
Whopping: extremely large.
Fake it: To make a pretense of knowledge, skill, etc.
Feeling sort of shut down: feel devastated. 

I’ve chosen some Amy Cuddy quotes with which I agree: