Amy Cuddy’s Ted talk “Power Posing” was held in Edin Scotland. She explains how body language affects not only their perceptions of others, but also their own. They can show confidence by using power poses. Amy Cuddy effectively argues that even if you feel powerless, power poses can help you become more powerful. Amy Cuddy’s goal is to inspire future business leaders by convincing her audience. They will be more confident and persuade them about the value of power. Because they are resourceful, influential and successful, she chooses to speak with business leaders who have already achieved success. Who can help others in need of power, guidance, and information? Amy Cuddy hopes that the audience will leave feeling inspired to help others who are just starting out. The audience should spread her theory and knowledge to other people. This could lead to more business leaders. Businesses would be more successful if they did this.

Because Ted Talks is trustworthy, the audience trusts her. Ted Talks provides a safe place for businessmen to meet and share their successes. A variety of business-related topics can be heard from motivational and inspirational speakers. Ted Talks is a trusted source of inspiration and motivation for the audience. Amy Cuddy gives background information and cites sources to show her credibility. She shares her personal story as a Princeton mentor and Harvard researcher. Amy Cuddy’s experiences as a mentor at Princeton makes her an authoritative source. Her education at Harvard and the college she attended makes her trustworthy. In society, an individual who attends Harvard or another high-ranking college is considered extremely intelligent and competent. She is a trusted source for the audience. Amy Cuddy adds credibility to her research on power poses, sharing it with graphics and working together with a trusted source. Her work is displayed using a variety of graphics. She used photos of respected, well-known people to show her confidence. To determine which pose portrays confidence, she showed her pictures of various poses she had seen while researching students. Then she had her subjects perform power poses. They were then allowed to gamble to see if their confidence and posture had changed. Bar graphs showed that 86% of gamblers would wager if they had been in power poses. Only 60% would do the same if they had been in low-power poses. Bar graphs were also used to illustrate the effects of power poses on testosterone and cortisol levels. Amy Cuddy used graphics to support her theory and make it credible for the audience. To make herself more human and credible, she even included personal information about her background. Amy Cuddy shares her struggles with confidence. After her car accident, she started college. She struggled to graduate college. It took her four years longer than her friends. Amy Cuddy struggled with her self-confidence and feeling like she wasn’t welcome in college. Susan Fiske was Amy Cuddy’s advisor and offered her a job at Princeton. Amy Cuddy nearly quit, but her advisor assured her that she would not let go. You will stay and do this. Amy Cuddy knew she could fake it. It was there that she remained for five more years. Susan Fiske (Amy Cuddy advisor) taught her the expression “fake IT till you make.” This helped her become where she today is. Harvard was her next stop. Amy Cuddy learned this from a student who didn’t feel at home. Amy Cuddy saw that people can be successful if they fake it for a while. Amy Cuddy rephrased it to read “Fake It until You Become It.” She uses her personal experiences to connect with her audience. To inspire others to follow her motto and get over any obstacles. She will appear more real and trustworthy to others by making her seem more human. To show her that anyone can achieve it if they can do it.

Amy Cuddy uses various dictions to connect with her audiences.

She began using both technical and formal diction. Sometimes, however, she uses informal diction through humor and graphics to present a story. However, her first presentation was filled with technical and formal diction. Psychological terms are used to help her get her point across. This allows her to get across the scientific aspects of body language, and their physiological effects on their minds. This is what she did with her graphics. She played a video in which Barack Obama was shaking hands with a cop, but not the prime Minister. Body language is a major factor in how others are perceived. Amy Cuddy uses this technique to build trust with the audience by demonstrating her intelligence and talking about power poses. To make it clear to the audience her perspective and experience of power poses, she also shared her point of view. Near the end her speech was over, she used informal diction to speak about her own personal experiences and talk about them. She recalled her time at Harvard for one year. Amy Cuddy was confronted by a student who came into her office to say “I’m probably not supposed” and Amy Cuddy told her that it was clear that she didn’t feel like that anymore. Amy Cuddy realized that the student had not faked it and she was in fact the one who created it. This story is used to relate to her audience and encourage them to tell their story. They can feel inspired to keep going forward, pretending it until it is possible.

Amy Cuddy’s diction has been changed because she now has the audience trust and can begin to make more meaningful connections with each of them. To give her audience something that they can relate and connect to. They will leave her talk feeling inspired and motivated. Amy Cuddy theory of power poses demonstrates how confidence can be helped. Trustworthiness is demonstrated by her credibility and willingness to share her research, data, and other information with her audience. She gains trust from her audience by speaking the right words and doing the right things. Amy Cuddy effectively argues that even if you feel powerless, you can still be powerful by taking power poses.