One of my friends recently introduced me to Technology Eterntainment Design talks. Technology Entertainment Design is a nonprofit “that promotes ideas worth spreading.”

They have a variety of scholars who discuss anything from shame to statistics of world hunger. Through their search tool you can find the persuasive, ingenious, courageous, fascinating, inspiring, beautiful, funny or informative. You can also search by subjects such as technology or global issues.

I have started going to this site for study breaks. The talks last about 20 minutes. They aren’t like a lecture you get in a class, but they are given by leading scholars in each area. They are informative, but also entertaining and light, which makes them perfect for a quick study break.

Amy Cuddy has become one of my favorite speakers.

She shared her story about how she was in a horrible car accident and suffered brain damage. She was not supposed to get her undergraduate degree. She worked hard to get back into school, but felt like she wasn’t supposed to be there because that was what she was told. She wanted to drop out at one point and somebody told her to do every talk she was asked to do until she didn’t have to fake it anymore.

Now she is a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School focusing on how nonverbal behaviors and snap judgements affect people.

She has been lucky enough to be able to share her experiences with her students and give them similar advice.

If that is not inspiration, I am not sure what is.

One of her recent talks was about how a couple of different poses can boost your confidence. She calls this power posing. She explains how if you act powerful, you will be powerful. How to start is by finding a quiet spot before you head into a stressful situation like a job interview and hold one of the poses for two minutes. Doing this will increase your level of testosterone and decrease your level of cortisol (the stress hormone), making you less stressed and more assertive; basically preparing you to take on any interview.

One of the poses is the “Wonder Woman” pose. Stand with feet spread out, hands on your hips and chin up. Google a picture of Wonder Woman and you will know what I mean.

The other pose is sitting down. Sit down in a chair, lean back, put your feet up on the table and hands behind your head so your elbows are out.

Hold either of these poses for two minutes and the chemical reactions will take care of the rest.

This is something to think about doing before you go into an interview. (It’s probably a bad idea to strike one of these poses during the interview)

The purpose of this study was to find out if our bodies can change our minds. As a professor, Cuddy noticed that the students who participated the most made their presence known right when they walked into the class, while the quieter students did not. She wondered if the quieter students opened up their bodies more if they would show more confidence. That’s exactly what she found.

Also in this talk Cuddy talks about faking it until you become it. She talks about how small changes like these poses can be a small step in making big changes in your life.

As college students we idealize about going out into the world and being powerful and successful. Cuddy is telling us how all of us can make that happen.

At the end of her talk Cuddy asked for the audience to share this with people they know. She noted that the people who need it the most are the people who have no resources, no technology, no status and no power. So go find at least one friend who you think could use this information and tell them about it.

Interviewing season is in full swing at Iowa State. Whether you are looking for a summer internship or a full time job for after you graduate your interviewing skills can make a huge difference. Keep in mind what nonverbal messages you want to send, and be aware of the ones you are actually sending.