The Wonder Woman Power Pose

You’ve scheduled a first meeting with a top real estate agent.

You decided to ask your manager to hire (or pay for) an assistant.

You have been asked to give a speech to the largest real estate company in your area.

This may sound like “woo woo wisdom” but here’s the thing…

Your body changes your mind.

                Your mind changes your behavior

                Your behavior changes your outcome. 

This was the premise of the TED talk I viewed by Dr. Amy Cutty, a social psychologist from Harvard who studies nonverbal behavior and how snap judgments affect people from the classroom to the boardroom.

About 15 minutes into her speech, there was this one startling “power” strategy that really resonated with me.

It’s called the “Two-Minute Power Pose”—hands on hips, feet spread apart, head up, eyes forward. 

Think of Wonder Woman here.

Dr. Cutty suggests doing this pose prior to an important meeting.  An interview.  A stressful situation. This immediately shifts your brain chemistry to feeling more powerful and confident, and in turn, gives you a better outcome. 

So what’s a “low-power pose”?  Arms folded.  Legs crossed. Hunched in a chair.  Those poses have the opposite effect – they make you feel powerless. 

But, here’s the thing about the power pose. 

• Do it for two full minutes.
• You do this behind closed doors.
• You take up more physical space doing it.
• You’ll feel more powerful—even if it’s for a short period of time!