Ep 56 Is Amy Cuddy a Dr Oz-Style Fraud Feb 25 16

1. 

   bobberkowitz

   February 27, 2016 at 11:41 am

   It’s beyond my pay grade to question Dr. Cuddy ‘s theises about the mind/body connection and confidence. Does the Superwoman pose make you feel more self assured? Maybe. But TJ’s over arching point is spot on–that high confidence and a poorly crafted presentation is meaningless.
   As Mr. Walker points out, the elements of Cuddy’s speech is what made it so popular. High self worth was a bonus.
2. 

   markdavidpowell

   March 2, 2016 at 4:34 pm

   I tend to agree with you, TJ, about the hype surrounding the ‘power posing’ phenomenon. In fact, there seems to have been some recent research at the Universty of Zurich that questions the validity and replicability of Cuddy’s data:

   http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/04/power-poses-might-not-be-so-powerful-after-all/

   Certainly, the claim that boosting your testosterone and lowering your cortisol levels just prior to giving a presentation is going to enhance your performance seems pretty weak. And a lot of questionable assumptions lie behind the idea itself:

   1. That stress is always a bad thing in a presentation – you can, of course, be too relaxed and come across as casual, even complacent
   2. That confidence is always a good thing – you can be over-confident too and come across as arrogant
   3. That the level of your hormones pre-presentation is going to have a lasting effect throughout your presentation – it’s great to get off to a good start, but you don’t want your opening to be the highlight of your talk!
   4. That attitude is the most important thing – content and technique are arguably much more important
   5. That presenting is like sport, so you need to get ‘pumped’ before you start – actually, I find getting into a sharing, playful mood is generally more helpful than psyching myself up

   Of course, the word ‘power’ is attractive to a lot of people, especially in the business community, so one can see the appeal of Cuddy’s concept. ‘Posing’, however, suggests an element of fakery. It would be interesting to see some more research in this area.
   1. 

      TJ Walker

      March 2, 2016 at 4:39 pm

      Great points Mark. Thanks for stopping by. I am all in favor of research, but research is useless if it is focused on the wrong questions.

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