By Nancy W. - Purple Belt
Last weekend the students of the Advanced Class were talking body language. Body language is something we all have: gesturing with your hands, slouching, and crossing your arms are all examples of actions that we consciously or subconsciously do. In class, we discovered that standing up straight and making yourself bigger portrays confidence while sharing your weight with a wall or folding your arms in front of you gives the impression of uncertainty or defensiveness.
As Sensei mentioned, these slight changes in position can be the difference between getting a job offer at a job interview and not. It can also decide whether or not you get mugged in the streets. Senpai David shared an experience of his own: after becoming tired of being pushed around by the crowd at Toronto’s Nuit Blanche event, he straightened up and walked confidently. What ended up happening was that people began to part and make way for him automatically. This is an interesting experience that you can try out yourself.
Let's take this one step further. There are many interesting TED talks out there, but there is one in particular that pertains to what I was talking about before: Amy Cuddy’s “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are”. Basically she talks about how body language affects not only how other perceive you, but how you feel and act as well. By changing your posture for two minutes, your testosterone (the dominance hormone) level increases and your cortisol (the stress hormone) decreases. These hormonal changes in turn cause you to feel more comfortable, be more assertive, and be more confident. So if you have 21 minutes and 3 seconds of free time, take a look at the video and maybe learn a thing or two. Watch this informative and helpful video here: Amy Cuddy: "Don't fake it till you make it. Fake it till you BECOME it."
Thanks for reading,
Nancy W.