When you see me on a Zoom call, you’ll notice that I often put my hands on the arms of my chair and lift myself up for a moment, but you don’t see why. Below the video frame, I’m shifting my legs and adjusting my body so I sit cross-legged. Otherwise, I sit on my right foot while my left leg is bent, my left foot is flat on my seat, and my left knee isn’t far from my chin. That’s how I’m sitting now as I type this, with my left arm wrapped around my left knee to reach the keyboard.
It sounds so bizarre as I write it out, but these two ways of sitting are the only ways that I can be comfortable while I work. Interestingly, sometimes these postures make me sit up straighter and lean forward so I look more energized on camera. In contrast, on the rare occasions that I sit with my feet flat on the floor, I look higher status because I take up more space in my chair, or I look uninterested and too cool for school because I lean backward and slouch like I’m in the front row at a movie theater.
The way we carry ourselves speaks volumes when we’re on or off camera, and it colors how people connect to us and respect us when we facilitate meetings. We’ll talk about this and more during the Body Language and Confident Communication event tomorrow - Tuesday, March 15, at 9am PT. We’ll use Amy Cuddy’s TED talk with 64 Million views as a jumping-off point.
Do you sit weirdly when you work too? How do you sit and what impact does it have on your facilitation and the way you connect with others?
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@Alexis Luscutoff -
I’m fidgety by nature so I rarely stay in one position of my office chair and have it set to allow me to rock backwards and forwards! Speaking of Amy Cuddy, it’d be cool to have a superman/superwoman pose while seated!
Kiron
@Alexis Luscutoff Haha, wonderful topic! 🤩 This is actually one of the things that hurt me the most during the pandemic when it comes to my working habits; prior to Covid-19, I always stood up while working and had been doing so for 5+ years. Even during meetings when I had my most radical “I'm a standing-up-while-working kind of person” period. No exceptions!
During the pandemic, I stopped. Basically because I didn't have the means to at home (and I was too lazy to go through the hassle of bringing a desk home from the office).
Now, do I sit weirdly when I work if I am in fact sitting down? Of course I do!
@Kiron Bondale ah yes I’m fidgety, too! Hmm I wonder if the superman pose will work while seated. I bet it would! And there are lots of ways to express power and high status while seated...maybe that’s something we can come up with during the workshop!
@Henrik Ståhl Haha I love the “I'm a standing-up-while-working kind of person” period. 5+ years is a long time to commit to standing while working and it must have been great for your health! Have you found a seated posture that you’re satisfied with or does it still pale in comparison to standing-mode?
@Alexis Luscutoff It was definitely great for my health! The most surprising impact it had was that it cured my computer mouse fatigue/repetitive strain injury. I had minor issues with it for many years – until I started standing up. It completely disappeared after just a few weeks! 🤩
Nah, seated postures pale in comparison. And I haven't found a good one. Just like @Kiron Bondale I'm fidgety by nature.
@Alexis Luscutoff -
On the topic of the Superperson pose, that is the one sure-fire way to get my dog to pay attention to what I’m asking him to do so it works as well with pets as it does with humans!
I just can’t justify spending that much money given how few days a month I teach. Most of the time, I’m just relaxing in my living room on the sofa with my puppy next to me while I use my laptop.
Kiron
@Kiron Bondale Haha, love the superhero chairs! This one is my personal favorite:
Oh my gosh that chair @Henrik Ståhl I couldn’t work all slouched back like that. I need to be sitting up so my mind and body feel alert. Although, today during the workshop I realized how tense my shoulders typically are, so I do appreciate the relaxed posture there.
@Kiron Bondale it’s wild that your dog responds to the super pose! Oh my gosh. On the one hand, I’m surprised and on the other, I remember that body language is all very primal and it is consistent throughout the animal kingdom (for the most part), so it makes sense that your dog would react. By the way, your working setup with your puppy next to you sounds ideal…..LOL during the last 2 minutes of the event my cat decided to curl up on my shoulder and I couldn’t say no, so that’s how we finished the event. That’s a curve ball - body language and pets while working from home
@Alexis Luscutoff If I could get just one thing for Christmas, I’d want this chair.
And about the cat: I can't think of a better way to end an event. Funny thing about cat owners is that many of them apologize when their cats join video calls, but it's nothing to apologize for! Instead, we should thank them for allowing us the opportunity to meet their cats.
Awww @Henrik Ståhl such a sweet sentiment! Hehe cat videos are popular for a reason!
I’ll see if we can get the budget to give away your dream chair as Miro Hero swag
@Alexis Luscutoff Hahaha, the Batman/Superman/Joker chair @Kiron Bondale linked to but with a Miro logo would be the perfect swag! 🤩
@Henrik Ståhl -
What is surprising with that scorpion chair is that at that price (almost $5K) you’d think the seating surfaces would be real leather but instead, it’s fake leather!
Kiron
@Kiron Bondale “No actual scorpions were harmed during the creation of this chair.”
@Kiron Bondale “No actual scorpions were harmed during the creation of this chair.”
Scorpion leather - is that even a thing ? I’d settle for a reasonable grade cow leather...
I’m a firm believer that once an item is priced more than ten times what an average equivalent would cost, they better pull out all the stops!
Kiron
If it isn't, it should be! I mean, how cool??
“Nice jacket!"
“Thanks."
“Is it crocodile leather?"
“Nah. Scorpion."
@Henrik Ståhl -
They should make that chair in a Mortal Kombat theme, And at that price, it should have a “tail” that can whip out and retrieve items for you while simultaneously playing the sound of Scorpion saying “Get over HERE!”.
Kiron
@Kiron Bondale Haha, best idea I've ever heard! I want one now!!
This one is my personal favorite:
I couldn’t work all slouched back like that. I need to be sitting up so my mind and body feel alert. Although, today during the workshop I realized how tense my shoulders typically are, so I do appreciate the relaxed posture there. 
