On Wednesday, March 16, internationally recognized TED Talk speaker, Amy Cuddy, visited Seattle's Town Hall to present on her new book, "Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges." "Presence" is her post-TedTalk compilation that includes her research on her well-known power poses as well as her newer findings regarding self-affirmation and developing confidence before and while facing tough challenges.
Cuddy's presentation was fantastic, not only because of the fascinating content, but also because of her perfect application of the concepts and information. Her calm confidence, humor, passion and relatability made the two hours disappear in laughter, eager nods and applause. Her warmth and inclusion of real-life applications made it easy to understand and envision the profound effect of feeling in touch with one's true self and its effect on the ability to overcome substantial obstacles.
I am only a few chapters into her book, but so far I have loved hearing more about her experiences (the science/brain talk regarding her traumatic brain injury excited my nerdy side) and her own struggles. She provides even more examples in her book of people who have connected with her and benefited, adding to the list of those who have been able to see results with just a couple of minutes of expansive posture. One of my favorite examples was of a woman who was constantly harassed at work. After hearing Cuddy's TED Talk, she felt empowered (after tolerating months of abuse) to finally approach her boss and explain to him why she felt the need to quit. Cuddy recalls that during the conversation, the woman explained after preparing with power poses, she felt powerful, and in that moment in which she was the most powerful and in tune with herself, she felt profoundly generous. (What a profound thing to consider!)
Cuddy also explains her research that extends to leadership in relation to perceptions of compassion and competence. According to studies, very few individuals that score in the bottom quartile of perceived compassion and trustworthiness score in the top quartile of perceived leadership and effectiveness. Studies also indicate that compassion and trustworthiness are actually accessed first, even in a professional environment. This makes sense, considering "from an evolutionary perspective, it is more crucial to our survival to know whether a person deserves our trust." We would not survive if we associated with highly competent but untrustworthy peers.
Amy Cuddy is an example of someone who was able to overcome her self-doubt and inspire a broad audience of people. She mentions in the last few minutes, while being interviewed by Will Cuddy (same last name but no relation) about her recent opportunity to accept a position with tenure at Harvard Business School. She ended up turning down the offer due to her desire and passion to reach broader audiences.
It was clear that speaking in front of large audiences didn't necessarily come naturally to her, at least not in the sense that she was one of the few people in the world who seem to thrive off of it, but that only provided even more support for her presentation material—she still appeared calm, confident and charming. Her original fears were overcome with preparation, determination and I'm sure a few key pre-presentation power poses.
If you're interested in attending similar events, keep an eye on the University Bookstore website! Dawg Pack members receive preferred seating at Town Hall events with a Husky ID (only the one who purchased the ticket needs to be a Dawg Pack member; any +1 guest is welcome to join them). The next Town Hall event features Janette Sadik-Khan in conversation with Mayor Ed Murray about the Urban Revolution. Tickets are $32, which includes a copy of her book "Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution" and admission for two people.
I won't be in Seattle during this event, so if you attend I would love to hear your thoughts about it!
As always, please feel free to (respectfully) comment your thoughts, feelings and opinions! I am always open to other perspectives.
