We are concluding our review of Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy, PhD, Social Psychologist and Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

In this episode of the Transformation Cafe Book Club, we’ll be highlighting chapters 9 – 11 of Presence. This section summarizes some of the main points of this great book and shows us how we can apply what we’ve learned.

You don’t have to try and turn yourself into a super-hero overnight. Anyone that’s made a New Year’s resolution to achieve some huge goal like “lose 100 pounds” knows that by February you’re back to your old habits. Research tells us the key is to nudge ourselves; take baby steps – make small incremental changes. Each small success reinforces our behavior. Smiling, sitting up straight, and power posing aren’t difficult to do, but doing them regularly can incrementally change your set point. Over time this leads to big behavior changes. Below you’ll see some suggestions on how to incorporate these small changes into your daily life.

From Chapter 9: How to Pose for Presence

When Should We Power Pose?

Power posing can be helpful. . .

before entering new situations, meeting new people, or speaking a nonnative language in a foreign country

when speaking up for oneself or for someone else

when requesting help

when ending a relationship – professional or personal

when quitting a job, and

before receiving – or giving – critical feedback

It’s important to notice the situations (and people) that trigger powerless body language – so that you know when to apply the preparatory power posing. You’ll also benefit enormously if you can get in the habit of checking in on your posture, both during challenging situations and generally throughout the day.

High Power Poses

Prepare with Big Poses

In some ways, every day is a challenge. Prepare by power posing first thing in the morning. Get out of bed and practice a couple of your favorite poses for just a couple of minutes.

Power pose in your home, office, and other personal spaces where you’re not constrained by cultural norms, stereotypes, or status. Look as dominant as you’d like and pose big in those spaces.

Make the most of privacy in public spaces – pose in an elevator, a bathroom stall, a stairwell.

Don’t sit in waiting rooms, hunched over your phone. Stand up or walk around.

If you can’t strike a pose physically, do it mentally. Imagine yourself in the most powerful, expansive pose you can think of. Be a superhero in your own thought bubble.

If you’re about to face a challenging situation and you have no other option but to sit, wrap your arms around the back of your chair and clasp your hands together. This forces you to open your  shoulders and chest.

Present with Good Posture

As important as it is to adopt bold poses before challenging situations, it’s just as important to maintain less bold but still strong, upright, and open postures during challenging situations. There are some subtle things you can do:

While you’re presenting or interacting, sit up or stand up straight.

Keep your shoulders back and your chest open.

Breath slowly and deeply – remember how much proper breathing can center us.

Keep your chin up and level, but don’t raise it so far up that your looking down your nose at people.

When your stationary,