Tell me if this has ever happened to you…
You’re on stage, or about to deliver an important virtual presentation, and suddenly you feel the "butterflies" kick in…
that queasy feeling in your stomach takes over, your palms get sweaty, your throat dies up and your mind goes blank…
Sound familiar?
Presentation nerves can sabotage even the most credible and competent individual, turning them into a blubbery buffoon.
That’s exactly why understanding some simple principles about how to not only FEEL more confident, but actually CONVEY it, can make all the difference!
In this episode, I share with you 5 of my top presentation hacks to help you present yourself (and your message) in the MOST impactful way!
NOTE: You might have noticed that I didn’t refer to the ‘Power Pose’, and for good reason. Amy Cuddy’s ‘Power Pose’, which was popularized in her viral 2012 TED Talk, was found be problematic years later when her and her team’s research couldn’t be fully validated. The initial research (Carver, Cuddy & Yap, 2010) claimed that there were hormonal changes when someone stood in the Wonder Woman-esque ‘power pose’ (increase in testosterone and a decrease in cortisol after posing).
However subsequent research failed to replicate the same results in terms of the hormonal changes. BUT, they have consistently found extensive evidence for feeling a greater sense of power - now called ‘postural feedback’.
A 2018 meta-analysis published in Psychological Science Journal which examined 55 studies does demonstrate a strong link between expansive postures and feelings of power (Cuddy, 2018). So ‘postural feedback’ is absolutely valid, and a proven way to feel more confident and powerful.
References:
Tod, D., Hardy, J., & Oliver, E. (2011). Effects of self-talk: A systematic review. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 33(5), 666-687.
Hatzigeorgiadis, A., Zourbanos, N., Mpoumpaki, S., & Theodorakis, Y. (2009). Mechanisms underlying the self-talk–performance relationship: The effects of motivational self-talk on self-confidence and anxiety. Psychology of Sport and exercise, 10(1), 186-192.
Cuddy, A. J., Schultz, S. J., & Fosse, N. E. (2018). P-curving a more comprehensive body of research on postural feedback reveals clear evidential value for power-posing effects: Reply to Simmons and Simonsohn (2017). Psychological science, 29(4), 656-666.