TED talks are all the rage these days. TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. One of the most watched TED talks was delivered by Amy Cuddy, Harvard Psychologist. In her talk (which you can watch below this article), Ms. Cuddy reveals how to unleash your boldest self to perform at your peak, heighten your confidence and influence others. In addition to her world famous TED talk, Ms. Cuddy has also written a book entitled “Presence” expounding more in depth on her ‘body language’ talk.
I recommend to all my clients that they both watch her TED talk and read her book Presence or at least the cliff notes before a job interview. Not a novel idea, as Ms. Cuddy and other psychologists often stress ways to embolden yourself before a big interview. I suggest this technique or process for the following reasons.
Interviews are nerve racking and they require us to be genuine and commanding all at the same time while fighting nerves. A job interview is one of lives’ biggest hurdles, and it is usually met with dread, anxiety and regret. Preparation is obviously key, but so is the emboldening of yourself, which can easily be attained by looking at Ms. Cuddy’s TED talk and reading her book. Obviously there are many self-help books out there to choose from, Ms. Cuddy’s just spoke to me.
