MICROLEARNING LIBRARY  
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Body Language
(Posture)

Our posture speaks louder than words. Science shows that it not only communicates with the other person but also has a surprising effect on us! There are two types of posture; do you know which is your default? Today's walk-through will show quick ways to use posture to project confidence, calm your own stress, and shape how patients feel before you even speak.
   4:34 Watch Time [Week 6 from the Weekly upSKILL series]
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 Real Help 

Solve these 'people problems'

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For upSKILLers:

  • Slouching or crossing your arms without meaning to, even when you're feeling perfectly confident 
  • Patients reading you as closed off or unsure before you've said a single word
  • Starting the day with great posture, then watching it, and your energy, sink as your shift goes on
  • Feeling more confident and present just by adjusting how you sit or stand
  • Projecting quiet confidence to patients without saying a word
  • Lowering your own stress with something as simple as a shoulder roll

For Leaders:

  • Team members looking closed off or unsure around patients without realizing it
  • Confidence and energy that start strong at the beginning of a shift but visibly drop by the afternoon
  • Strong clinical skills getting quietly undercut by body language that reads as closed off
  • Team members projecting real confidence to patients through simple posture cues
  • A team that manages stress and energy better throughout the day, not just their body language
  • A quick coaching win that improves both patient perception and team member mood
 Data 

It's science

Amy Cuddy's research at Harvard Business School found that holding an open, confident posture for just two minutes increased testosterone and lowered cortisol, the stress hormone.(1)
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Good posture doesn't just change how patients see you; it changes how you feel too.
Research on posture and mood found that people with depressive symptoms felt noticeably less fatigued and more positive after sitting upright compared to slouching.(2)
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The way we hold our body can shift our own mindset, not just how the other person feels.
Studies on first impressions show people form judgments about someone's confidence and competence within seconds, largely based on nonverbal cues like posture.(3)
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Patients are reading your body language long before you say a word.
 Note 

From The Experts

"We can all use posture to project confidence to our patients and the world around us. It doesn't have to be loud and bold; it can be quiet and subtle. Joe Navarro (a former FBI agent and body language expert) talks about how this doesn't look like talking louder and puffing out your chest; it can be quiet and look like sitting comfortably, relaxed, and in tune with yourself."
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- Christine & Lauren, The Patient Whisperers
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 SERIES 

This is adapted from Weekly: Mastering Soft Skills

by The Patient Whisperers:
Soft skills that make work and life better.
For everyone who works with patients - or interacts with humans.

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Ralph Chu, MD
CEO & Chief Medical Officer
Chu Vision Institute

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 WHO 

Meet the experts

The Patient Whisperers
Christine Scarlett
& Lauren Weaver
Former practice leaders leading change by bringing relational intelligence, soft skills + emotional connection into healthcare as authors, speakers, and upSKILL instructors. 
Get to know them here or connect on social media:
Christine Scarlett
Former CMO
& Director of Patient Experience
From counseling patients, to Director of Patient Experience, to CMO, Christine's worn nearly every 'hat' in a healthcare practice. The driving force? Her love for people... creating exceptional patient experiences and empowering those who serve them.
Lauren Weaver
Former
Director of Brand Development
Bringing her PR, branding, social media influencer status, and love of storytelling with her, Lauren turned how we market and build a brand for ourselves in healthcare upside down by redefining how we connect with our patients, both in practice and online.
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(1) Carney, D. R., Cuddy, A. J. C., & Yap, A. J. (2010). "Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays Affect Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance." Psychological Science, 21(10), 1363-1368. (2) Wilkes, C., Kydd, R., Sagar, M., & Broadbent, E. (2017). "Upright posture improves affect and fatigue in people with depressive symptoms." Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 54, 143-149. (3) Ambady, N., & Rosenthal, R. (1992). "Thin slices of expressive behavior as predictors of interpersonal consequences." Psychological Bulletin, 111(2), 256-274.