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?
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. 
