Video: Boost your confidence with body language

Video: “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are,” a TED Talk from Amy Cuddy 

Don’t fake it till you make it. Fake it till you become it.

That’s the surprising advice social psychologist Amy Cuddy, at left, gives in her 2012 TED Talk. She explains how “power poses” can inspire confidence before speeches, job interviews and other stressful situations.

I gave similar advice in one recent stress-inducing encounter.

Friday, I had to conduct a mock college admissions interview with a local high school junior. This was part of a high school speech class assignment. She admitted afterward that she was nervous, but I didn’t see (or hear) it during our 25-minute session.

I advised her to speak up. I could hear her OK, but I suggested that speaking in a louder, definitive tone would boost her confidence. I told her to try it out as often as possible: one on one, in groups, in class.

I’ve been working on my posture for 2 years, so I understand how this change in personal projection can affect others.

We can all do little things to both improve our communication and our presence. Cuddy’s talk goes a step beyond looking the part by explaining the science behind how these poses make us bolder. We’re not only changing others’ minds — we’re changing our own.

Watch the video, and try out the poses to see how they affect you.

You may become more powerful than you ever realized, even if you started out faking it.

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