One of my clients does the panther walk. That is, they walk as if avalanches of abundance are cascading into their life and the manifestations of their dreams are happening right here and now.
Then, they embrace the power and grace of a panther and strut through the park. No, they don’t prowl on all fours and do that purring panther growl at nearby children; They walk with the powerful intention and presence of a panther…
Just like Michael Jackson:
So what’s this about?
It’s about, like, “As if”. Simply: Walk with power, mind your posture, communicate with confidence, look people in the eye and bring all of your professional presence to the table.
Be the fullest expression of yourself and do not, under any circumstances, care about what the opinions of the person across from you are. Be firm, yet fluid.
Be like water. Think of the body as a hose and your life force, the same thing Yoda talks about, as the water. When we are born, someone turns on the faucet, and water starts flowing through.
We grow old and we might leave the hose out at night, run it over with the car, let it weather a few winters, and get kinked up. The hose needs care so the water can flow.
Power Hose
Social psychologist Amy Cuddy was in the spotlight after her TED Talk. There she stated that our body language may shape who we are. Her research says that when we stand tall, with a wide stance looking like Wonder Woman or Superman, the Testosterone count begins to increase.
Whether or not her co researcher now says the study was false, how we carry ourselves impacts we, and the world around us, sees us.
At a post-TEDx cocktail event in Seattle two years ago, I put this into practice. I was mindful about posture, presence and confidence when I walked into the room. The mentality, “I’m the prize, and a I have a lot to give to the people in this room.” No, not being an arrogant dick, but an approachable, genial man
It worked. Two guests asked if I was a speaker and one specifically commented, “You carry yourself as if you were one!”
That’s the key. Mind the posture, be present and and be as if. If a picture is worth a thousand words, your posture and body language is worth 10,000.
Walk as-if
How is your posture and presence doing? Who can you mirror for excellent posture and presence? Have a look at actors, politicians and stand up comedians. Does their posture and body language match the moment?