The danger of ‘fake it til you make it’. A re-frame of Amy Cuddy

Amy Cuddy delivers a powerful ‘Fake it till you become it’ message in her passionate and emotional TED presentation (please view the presentation clip below).

My sales presentation and senior executive clients are now trialling the two minute, private power pose prior to pressured interactions, meetings and presentations, and reflecting on the impact of using it.

My only concern with the presentation is the ‘Fake it till you become it’ message. The word, ‘fake’ is dangerous in my view. If a person perceives you as a fake, even in a small way, you’ll lose credibility and trust. A better message would be: ‘Act as if till you become it.’

Consistent feedback from my clients reveals that the ‘Act as if’ mantra allows them to ‘stay in touch’ with reality while projecting, carrying and conducting themselves (ie: ‘Acting as if’) at a notched-up, more powerful level.

Once they reach the new level they ‘Act as if’ to the next notched-up level, and so on.

The ‘how to apply’ for this post: In the next seven days trial the two minute private, power pose prior to a pressured interaction, meeting or presentation and reflect on its impact. (A suggestion is to use the hands on the hip, wide stance power pose, done in the  privacy of a bathroom toilet stall).

p.s.Happy USA Thanksgiving Day. Thank you to my clients, business and personal friends for your support of my work.