Power Poses: How to Use Them and Why They Work

The sixty seconds before you're introduced can shape your entire talk

While the program chair reads your bio and the room settles

you have one more tool most speakers forget:

your body

Power poses

Deliberate physical stances that project confidence and authority—have become both popular and controversial in speaking circles since researcher Amy Cuddy's viral TED talk. The hormone claims are debated.

The practical effect isn't: posture changes breathing, voice resonance, and how grounded you feel—and audiences pick up on that fast.

For service club speakers, this matters even more.

You're often presenting in unfamiliar venues, to discerning audiences who've seen hundreds of speakers, in settings where authentic confidence—not bravado—makes the difference between polite applause and enthusiastic referrals.

Do this:

Two minutes hands-on-hips in private before speaking

+ grounded stance during your introduction

That's the foundation

What Are Power Poses?

Power poses are body positions that take up space and convey confidence, openness, and grounded presence. They're the physical opposite of what researchers call "low-power poses"—the contracted, protective positions we unconsciously adopt when we feel uncertain or threatened.

High-power poses involve:

Expanding your body to take up more physical space

Opening your chest and shoulders

Keeping your spine straight and chin level

Positioning your limbs away from your body's centerline

Closed or protective poses involve: 

Contracting inward and making yourself smaller

Rounding shoulders forward

Touching your neck or face

Crossing arms or legs tightly

Amy Cuddy's original research suggested that holding power poses for two minutes could change hormone levels, making you feel more powerful. Those specific hormonal claims have been questioned, and the scientific debate continues. But what the research does consistently show is that power poses affect how confident you feel and how you perform in high-pressure situations—and that's what matters for speakers.

For service club speakers specifically, you're often navigating time constraints, diverse audience expectations, and the knowledge that your performance directly impacts future referrals. Physical confidence practices give you one controllable variable in an otherwise unpredictable environment.

The Science Behind Power Poses:

What's Settled vs. What's Debated

The mechanism appears to be embodied cognition—the principle that our physical state influences our mental state. When you stand like a confident person, your brain receives feedback from your body and adjusts accordingly. This isn't about faking it; it's about creating alignment between your physical presence and your mental state. The goal isn't to look big. The goal is to feel steady enough to be useful.

One of the most interesting findings comes from research on congenitally blind athletes. Even without ever seeing a "victory pose," many blind competitors display similar expansive postures after a win—arms raised, chest lifted. It suggests there may be a built-in human link between expansion and felt success, not just a learned social cue.

The practical findings for speakers are clear:

Two minutes of power posing before a high-stakes situation increases feelings of confidence

Power poses reduce anxiety and improve performance in evaluative contexts

Expansive postures improve breathing mechanics and voice resonance

The felt effects last through a typical presentation

Five Essential Power Poses for Speakers

Let's get practical. Here are five power poses that work specifically well for speakers preparing to address service club audiences, with guidance on when and where to use each.

The Wonder Woman/Superman

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart

place your hands on your hips with elbows out

straighten your spine

lift your chin slightly above horizontal

When to use: In private immediately before your presentation—the bathroom, your car, a hallway.

Why it works: This stance opens your chest fully, which facilitates deeper breathing. The wide stance grounds you physically, which translates to feeling psychologically grounded. Your hands on hips with elbows out takes up maximum horizontal space.

Service club context: You'll often have 5-10 minutes between arrival and your presentation. Step outside to your car or find a hallway. Hold this pose for a full two minutes while doing your final mental preparation.

The Victory Stance

Stand with your feet apart

raise both arms above your head in a V-shape

as if you've just won a race

When to use: Privately before entering the venue, or in your car immediately after parking.

Why it works: This dramatic upward reach forces a deep breath and full spinal extension. By adopting it deliberately before you need the confidence, you're priming your nervous system.

Service club context: Use those few minutes in your vehicle before walking in. Lock your car, throw your arms up, hold for 30-60 seconds.

The Executive Lean

Sit in a chair

lean back slightly

place your hands behind your head

elbows pointed outward

When to use: If you're seated at a table before being called to speak—common at service club meetings where speakers often join the meal.

Why it works: This combines chest expansion with a reclined position that signals ease and control.

Critical caution: Never use this during your actual presentation or Q&A—it reads as arrogant. Reserve this for the 5-10 minutes before you're introduced.

Service club context: While seated through announcements and pre-program activities, adopt a relaxed version—leaned back slightly, one arm on your chair back, open posture.

The Expansive Stance

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart

keep your hands visible and gesturing naturally beyond your torso

maintain straight posture with shoulders back

When to use: During your actual presentation. This is your "performance" power pose.

Why it works: The wide, grounded stance prevents swaying or shuffling. Keeping your hands and arms moving expressively maintains the expansive quality that helps you feel and appear confident.

Service club context: Root your feet, create a home base position, and gesture from that grounded place. Service club audiences respond well to speakers who are physically confident without being theatrical.

The Steeple

Bring your hands together with fingertips touching

palms slightly apart

forming a church steeple shape

held at chest or chin height

When to use: During thoughtful pauses in your presentation, or during Q&A when you're considering a question.

Why it works: This projects competence and thoughtfulness—an open hand position combined with a contemplative formation.

Service club context: When you pause to consider a question during Q&A, the steeple signals "I'm taking your question seriously" rather than "I'm scrambling for an answer."

Power Poses to Avoid

Just as important as the poses you should use are the ones you must avoid while actually presenting.

Crossing your arms: The classic defensive posture. Service club audiences are particularly sensitive to this—they want to feel you're open to connection.

The fig leaf position: Hands clasped in front of your body at waist or groin level. This protective stance suggests vulnerability and locks your hands in place.

Hands in pockets: Too informal for most service club contexts. One hand partially in a pocket occasionally is acceptable; both hands buried reads as uncomfortable.

The penguin: Arms locked rigidly at your sides. This signals extreme discomfort and makes you appear robotic.

The podium death-grip: Clutching the lectern with white knuckles broadcasts anxiety. Use it to hold your notes, but don't let it become a security blanket.

Touching your face or neck: These are anxiety tells. Keep your hands in purposeful positions.

Practical Application:

Pre-Presentation Routine

Here's a practical sequence you can adapt for typical service club speaking situations.

Ten minutes before: Step away somewhere private—your car is ideal.

Minutes 10-8 (two minutes): Wonder Woman/Superman pose. Feet apart, hands on hips, chin up. Review your opening mentally. Take slow, deep breaths.

Minutes 8-7 (one minute): Victory Stance repetitions. Arms up in a V, hold for 10-15 seconds, repeat 3-4 times.

Minutes 7-5 (two minutes): Walk around maintaining open posture. Roll your shoulders back, keep your chest open. Combine with any vocal warm-ups.

Minutes 5-0: Return to the room. If seated before speaking, adopt a subtly open version of the Executive Lean. If standing and about to be introduced, stand in a grounded stance—feet shoulder-width apart, hands relaxed.

During introduction: Maintain your expansive stance. Don't fidget. Slight smile, engaged eye contact with the introducer.

During presentation: Maintain the Expansive Stance as your home base. Use the Steeple during thoughtful moments. Keep your hands active and gesturing naturally.

Common venue

solutions:

Tight restaurant spaces: Use the restroom for pre-presentation poses

Hotel conference rooms: Hallways are perfect and private

Community centers: Entry areas or outdoor spaces work well

Virtual presentations: Stand and do your full routine, then sit in an open position for the camera

For more on building instant rapport with service club audiences, see our guide on The 3-Minute Connection. Additional preparation resources are available in our Speaker Basics and Presentation Building sections.

Common Questions

About Power Poses

Do power poses actually work?

The hormonal claims are debated, but the practical effects are consistent: people report feeling more confident and perform better in evaluative situations after power posing. The mechanism likely involves breathing mechanics, embodied cognition, and the felt sense of physical groundedness.

What if someone sees me doing these?

Use private spaces—your car, a restroom, a hallway. But if another speaker catches you, the worst that happens is a brief moment of "Oh, doing some pre-speech prep!" Your presentation quality matters more than a moment of awkwardness.

How long do the effects last?

Most people report the confidence boost lasting at least 15-20 minutes—enough to get through a typical service club presentation. For longer talks, you can mentally "refresh" by returning to your expansive stance.

Conclusion

Physical confidence precedes mental confidence. When you deliberately adopt expansive, open postures before your presentation, you're working with your biology. The fact that blind athletes spontaneously display similar postures after victories suggests something fundamental about the connection between physical expansion and felt success.

For service club speakers, this gives you a reliable, private tool to transform your internal state in the minutes before you step to the front of the room. Combined with solid content and audience awareness, power poses help ensure your external presence matches your internal expertise.

Try one pose before your next presentation. Stand in your car with your hands on your hips for two minutes and notice what shifts.

For more on preparing effective service club presentations, explore our resources on Speaker Basics, Presentation Building, and organization-specific preparation guides in our Organization Guides section.