Carol Kinsey Goman* says when people are reminded of their posture they instantly look more powerful, confident and energised — for about 60 seconds.
I see it all the time. When people find out that I am a keynote speaker on leadership presence and body language, they all do the same thing.
They change their posture — holding their head higher, pulling their shoulders back and tightening their abdominal muscles.
In doing so, people are transformed, instantly looking more powerful, confident, and energised.
They remain that way for about 60 seconds. That’s how long it takes most of us to relax back into our usual way of sitting or standing.
‘Usual’ for too many of us is the result of old injuries or current bad habits from activities like sitting hunched over at the computer with shoulders rounded and head pushed forward.
Over time this makes it feel normal to hold our bodies improperly.
While there are numerous studies that relate good posture to health, I know that posture is also crucial to performance and career success.
Without a state of balance in the body (which is my definition of perfect posture) people aren’t able to reach their full potential in any business activity – certainly not in leadership.
How many slumping chief executives have you seen?
Posture affects how people perceive you.
Just as someone with good posture sends nonverbal signals of energy, confidence, and health, a person with poor body posture appears uninterested, uncertain, or insecure.
This is not the impression any of us want to project to our bosses, clients and colleagues.
An Ohio State University study found that people who sat up straight were more likely to believe what they wrote down concerning their qualifications for a job.
On the other hand, those who were slumped over their desks were less likely to accept their own written-down statements as valid.
A joint study by the University of Southern California and the University of Toronto, found that by simply adopting more dominant poses (open and expansive posture), people felt in control.
Research from the Kellogg School of Management at North-western University, discovered that positioning oneself in a way that opens up the body and takes up space activates a sense of power.
This produces behavioural changes in a person independent of their actual rank or role in an organisation.
In fact, it was consistently found across three studies that posture mattered more than hierarchy in making a person think and act in a more powerful way.
When we improve our posture, through attention, reformed habits, or exercise, we display more energy, resilience, and confidence.
In essence, we look and feel like leaders.
*Carol Kinsey Goman is an international keynote speaker and leadership presence coach. Her work involves Government Agencies and universities. She can be reached by email at [email protected].
This article first appeared at carolkinseygorman.com.
