Five keys to communicate power through the body

It has been known for a long time that we communicate more through our bodies than through verbal language.

For example, if we are withdrawn, with our arms crossed and our head down, we may communicate sadness. If our brow is furrowed, we communicate anger or disgust.

However, more  recent research suggests that this also works for our brains. Meaning, our body postures send messages to the brain that shape and alter our thoughts and emotions.

So, for instance, if I am feeling sad but I stretch my body, hug myself, and smile, my brain will dissipate that sadness more quickly and will “read” that everything is okay.

I recommend you watch the conference of Amy Cudy, an expert in the topic:

For women who take part in politics and/or in decision-making roles, it is very good news knowing that we can use body posture to communicate to ourselves and to others that yes, we hold power.

Disclaimer: Our global content is produced from the knowledge network of many different people and geographies. Always research the rules applicable to your specific territory and ensure that your activities comply.

Keys to making your words carry power

All the ideas and traditions designed to silence women have external impacts (being shut down, mocked, humiliated, or subjected to violence), but also internal ones. We feel uncomfortable speaking up in meetings, giving instructions, or figuring out how to sound authoritative without shouting or without being perceived as “masculine.”

I help you harness the power of words.

1. No softeners

• Avoid modifiers that weaken your statements.“I just wanted to say… Maybe what we could do is… Perhaps it would be a good idea…”
• Say it directly and in the present tense: “I want to say… We can do… It is a good idea to…”
• Avoid verbs that dilute your message: ”I think we could learn… I feel that if we do… I hope we can…”

• Use the present tense whenever possible: “We can learn… Let’s do… Together, we can…”
• Diminutives diminish: “I’m a little bit worried… Can I take just a tiny moment? I’ll need it in just a little while…”

2. If you know the answer, don’t ask

Women often ask questions to avoid sounding “too smart.” We also ask to seek approval, because we have been taught to please. Either way, this undermines our power. We need to be assertive. Try to change the wording as in these examples:

• “Do you think that sentence is impactful?” → “That sentence is not impactful.”
• “Are these numbers right?” → “These numbers are wrong.”
• “Do you think it could be ready by Monday?” → “It needs to be ready by Monday.”

Ask questions only when you truly need feedback or have a genuine doubt.

3. Don’t apologize unless it’s necessary

We are trained to apologize for everything. If we make a mistake or hurt someone, apologizing is appropriate. But never apologize for speaking up or disagreeing.

• “Sorry, but I think that…” → “I think that…”
• “Sorry, but I disagree…” → “I disagree.”
• “Excuse me, I’d like to comment…” → “I’d like to comment.”

4. If you’re interrupted, keep going

In general, men interrupt women three times more often than they interrupt other men. We need to make this visible and stop allowing it. Here are three options:

• If there is a moderator, demand that they do their job.
• Raise your hand as a stop signal and say: “I want to finish”.
• Keep speaking firmly. Do not raise your voice unless you decide it’s necessary.

5. Don’t go in circles

• Too much context or too many details lose your audience, especially in campaigns, outreach, or work meetings.

• Be clear about what you want to say and what your main point is. Get there as quickly as possible. If you already have your audience’s full attention, you can then add relevant details or specific data.
• If it’s a point that may generate resistance or debate, offer three reasons and make a clear call to action.

Don’t feel overwhelmed. Breathe, smile and make your power pose. Remember: practice makes the master.

Disclaimer: Our global content is produced from the knowledge network of many different people and geographies. Always research the rules applicable to your specific territory and ensure that your activities comply

Keys to expose yourself with confidence

Speaking in public means exposing oneself. And that is frightening because, as we have already seen, not only have we lacked training, but ideas from Antiquity remain astonishingly present today. One only has to glance at what is said on social media when a woman uses her voice to say something that unsettles the messengers of patriarchy.

And yet, if we want to transform our communities, participate in politics, and take part in decision-making, speaking in public is imperative. And to do that, we must expose ourselves, we must make ourselves visible.

Sociologist Brené Brown has conducted very compelling research on what she calls vulnerability, which she defines, in simple terms, as: “Having the courage to show up when you can’t control the outcome.”

Her research shows that courage, empathy, the power to be visible, and the bravery to be imperfect are all born from our capacity to be vulnerable. As she puts it:

“Vulnerability is hard. It’s scary. It feels dangerous. But it’s not nearly as hard, scary, or risky as getting to the end of our lives and asking ourselves: What if I had shown up?”

I recommend her books: The Power of Being Vulnerable and Stronger Than Ever. And, also, her talks on YouTube:

There’s also a Netflix conference: The Call of Courage. Here’s a preview.

So… You’ve decided to get involved in politics! It means you’ve decided to put yourself out there, to expose yourself. I’ll help you on this journey.

1. Prepare yourself

Whether it’s a brief comment in a meeting or a speech in front of hundreds or thousands of people, preparation is key. In fact, improvisation is born out of long and thorough preparation. Here are three suggestions for that:

• Print it out. Use numbered pages and a font size large enough to read comfortably. And of course, if you wear glasses, wear them!
• Prepare the topic more than the speech itself. You should know your subject well. Even if someone else writes the speech for you, the advice is the same: read as much as you can about the topic.
• Write what you are going to say – and read it out loud several times. If someone else has written the speech, even more reason to read it again and again. Practice intonation and pauses, underline what you want to emphasize. And never try to memorize it word for word.

2. Manage the fear

Fear is an ally, not an enemy. It keeps us alert and activates all our senses. The key is to control it and not let it take control of you. Three recommendations for that:

• Breathe. Try box breathing: five counts to inhale, five to hold, five to exhale, five to hold. Repeat the cycle until you feel calm. You can also try inhaling for four counts, exhaling for four, holding for eight, and inhaling again. After calming the breath, smile! The brain “reads” that if you are breathing and smiling, everything is fine.
• Stay present throughout the event. Keep all your senses anchored in the here and now.
• Don’t reread your notes. Instead, look around the room and mentally describe the space. This also helps keep your brain away from the “fight or flight” mode.

3. Take your time

If possible, arrive early to familiarize yourself with the space. The podium can be very helpful, as it creates a kind of “barrier” that allows you to manage fear. However, podiums are often designed for tall people, so ask for a step if needed so you’re not hidden.

• When you finish your speech, don’t rush off. Receive the applause calmly. And smile (remember, that helps calm your brain).
• When it’s your turn, walk up slowly. Arrange your notes. Adjust the microphone and your posture.
• If you need help, ask for it like a queen – with calm. For example, if the microphone squeals, calmly look toward the sound technician so they can fix it.

4. Connect with your audience

• When you step on stage, take a few seconds (five, for example) to look around. If possible, make eye contact with people in the audience; if not, look just above their heads (no one will notice that you’re not looking at a specific person).
• Smile and greet them – either with a gesture or with a phrase such as: “I’m very glad to be here with you.”
• Starting with an anecdote can be very effective, but it must be connected to your core message and it must be true. You can also start with a piece of data, but it should be tangible and easy to grasp. For example:” Imagine a plane full of women crashes down. Everyone dies. Now, imagine one plane like that crashing every single day. That is the scale of the tragedy of femicides in Mexico.”

5. Use your gestures

• If you are very nervous at first, you can keep your arms open on the podium.
• Whenever you can, use your hands to emphasize a point, to touch your heart if you’re talking about yourself, to list things… In any case, keep them in sight.

When you finish speaking, don’t go around asking, “how did it go?” or “how did I do?”, that diminishes your power. Instead, afterward, alone or with someone you trust completely, do a self-assessment. But this should be kind and compassionate. First, note what went well. And, then, what you think you should improve.

Always remember: have the courage to be imperfect!

Disclaimer: Our global content is produced from the knowledge network of many different people and geographies. Always research the rules applicable to your specific territory and ensure that your activities comply

Strategies for women to project power without conforming to masculine norms

Are you afraid of speaking in public? Does the idea of giving a speech in front of hundreds or thousands of people make you anxious? Do you feel that others don’t believe you are able to wield public power? Do you struggle to answer questions about your age, physical appearance, or personal life? Almost all women experience this. You are not alone.

It’s a field of communication focused on making a person’s capacity to exercise authority visible, strengthening their leadership, and communicating their ideas in ways that convince, influence, and persuade.

The problem is that the very concept of what power is has been designed through a masculine lens. Women were not only excluded from power; but the idea itself was also forged so that everything considered feminine lacks power, while everything considered masculine represents power.

Take, for example, the tone of voice in political speeches. Even today, a low-pitched/deep tone is widely perceived as conveying authority – a quality generally associated with men’s voices. Notably, even the term “deep” alludes to serious, important things. This is not the case with the high-pitched tone that women generally have.

Political communication through a gender perspective takes these dynamics into account and offers strategies that enable women to communicate power without having to masculinize themselves.

Historian Mary Beard explains that, in Western literature, the first documented example of a man silencing a woman appears in Homer’s Odyssey, almost 3,000 years ago. 

That epic poem recounts the adventures of Odysseus (Ulysses) on his journey back to his homeland, Ithaca, after the Trojan War. In one passage, Penelope (Odysseus’s wife) comes down from her chambers and listens to the poet singing about the hardships endured by heroes on their return home. She then asks him, in front of those present, to change the subject and choose a more cheerful one.

At that moment, her adolescent son, Telemachus, intervenes:

Both in Greek mythology and in Roman historical records, there are numerous examples of women being silenced or publicly humiliated for daring to speak in public.

Afrania, for example, who acted as a legal advocate in court cases, was described as “shameless” and accused of exhausting people with her “barking or growling.”

The right to speak publicly was granted only to victims, such as Lucretia (who spoke before taking her own life after accusing her rapist) or Hortensia (who spoke on behalf of other women facing higher taxes to fund the war). “Women’s matters,” they thought.

But in political affairs (those concerning citizenship) women had no voice and were not supposed to have one. Those who dared to speak – and many did, we always have – were subjected to ridicule, humiliation, and even violence (real or symbolic).

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, across much of the Western world, suffragists took over public spaces to demand the right to vote. They were censored and even imprisoned. Anti-suffrage posters in the United States reveal what many believed should be done to women who dared to speak publicly to claim their right to vote.

This history of silencing, ridicule, humiliation, violence, and exclusion from public power is the story of women around the world throughout different eras. It is the story of many women even today.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of women ‘s public voices, I recommend Mary Beard’s book, Women and Power, published in Spain by Crítica in 2018. You can also watch the following interview with Mary Beard:

Disclaimer: Our global content is produced from the knowledge network of many different people and geographies. Always research the rules applicable to your specific territory and ensure that your activities comply

Keys to move away from gender stereotypes

To the social and cultural education that human beings receive based on the sex they are born with, we have given a name: the social construction of gender.

Gender rests on two pillars: stereotypes and roles.

Gender stereotypes are beliefs that assign characteristics, qualities, and attributes to people simply because they are women or men. From these stereotypes, duties, tasks, responsibilities, and obligations are assigned. These are what we call gender roles. The two are deeply interconnected. For example, because women are believed to be nurturing (a stereotype), they are considered good teachers (a role).

Stereotypes and roles are like a rigid box. And in the box assigned to women, as we have already seen, there is no room for public power – giving orders, demanding the execution of public tasks, or other actions related to exercising power.

That is why, if you want to communicate power, you must step outside that box.

This does not mean you should try to look like a man or stop being who you are. It means being able to communicate all your qualities, skills, talents, knowledge, and experience that shows who you are far beyond the box.

1. Be intentional about the place of family in your campaign

Women are often questioned for entering politics and for supposedly “abandoning” their families – even though, in reality, millions of women work outside the home while juggling family responsibilities.

As a candidate, you will also have to juggle responsibilities so that your role as a wife, mother, or grandmother does not work against you. Here are some ideas:

• Talk to your family and reach clear, concrete agreements. For a period of time, your campaign will demand much of your energy and attention. Agreements around shared responsibility for household and care work will be essential so you can focus on the campaign.
• Identify your support networks (family, friends, etc) and ask for more help than ever. Be clear and explicit about what you need, how you need it, and for how long.
• If your partner, husband, brother, or father accompanies you during parts of the campaign, they should walk behind you. Not beside you. One step back. The same applies if a wife, mother, or sister with political experience accompanies you. What matters is that it is clear that you are leading. You are the candidate. You are in charge.
• If you decide to campaign with your children, take the opportunity to talk about shared responsibility and the need for the state to take part in childcare.
• Depending on the context, appearing with your children can help build closeness with other mothers. Sharing experiences, needs, and ideas can strengthen your governing agenda.
• Being a mother and being a politician is not a disadvantage in itself. Just as being a mother and a teacher, scientist, or nurse is not a disadvantage. This narrative is important to be established during the campaign. Women and men do not have a single role, we carry multiple responsibilities and obligations.

However, because women can be discredited in power spaces simply for being placed back in the box, you must be strategic. Gather data and statistics about women heads of household in your district, about mothers who work outside the home, and use these figures as arguments.

I also recommend studying the political trajectory of Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand. She helped establish a new style of leadership, including becoming pregnant while in office and responding publicly to sexist remarks.

Women are shaping a new idea of what power is and how it can be exercised – but this change takes time. That is why you must carefully balance the role your family plays in your campaign.

2. Three steps behind

If your campaign manager is a man, or if you campaign alongside your husband, father, or brother, make sure they walk two or three steps behind you. You must visibly lead. Otherwise, it will be perceived (and said) that you are not the one in charge.

3. Face to face

Be mindful of photos taken during the campaign – for example, at a market or in a hospital.

Avoid images that make it look like you are buying groceries or administering care. That immediately places you back in the box. 

A better image is one where you are speaking face to face with the shop owner, or in conversation with doctors and nurses. If children approach you at an event, crouch down so you are face to face with them rather than picking them up.

4. Comfortable clothing

Wear clothes that are comfortable and represent who you are. If you usually wear dresses or skirts, do so. (Just make sure the wind won’t lift your skirt, because then nothing else you say or do will make the news.)

Wear comfortable shoes. You will walk a lot, and the terrain is often uneven. Kamala Harris, former Vice President of the United States, helped normalize campaigning in sneakers. Dare to do what’s unusual!

Under no circumstances do I recommend low-cut tops or miniskirts. These place you back in the “box.” The sexualization of women objectifies us, and that never communicates power.

5. How to respond to sexist questions or comments

During media interviews, work meetings, or campaign events, you will likely face questions or comments rooted in gender stereotypes, things that would never be asked of a man. I have three general recommendations:

• Do not let them slide. For example, if you’ve just made a proposal and someone looks to your companion for confirmation, you can say: “Do you have a question?” or “Would you like my assistant to take your details?” The goal is to make it clear that you hold the power.
• Do not spend too much time on them. Make a brief remark and immediately return to your message and campaign proposals. For example, if someone says: “With that body, I could have gotten the position too,” you can respond: “If that’s been your experience, I’m sorry. It hasn’t been mine. What does concern me is making sure you and your family have water every day. Don’t you think it’s unfair that this neighborhood goes without water for three days? My proposal is…”
• Do not put yourself at risk. Some men may shout violent comments in the street, such as “Women belong in the kitchen!” or “What you need is a good husband!” In each case, assess the situation quickly. Your safety and physical integrity come first.

If the area is politically strategic for your campaign, you and your team might later design a video responding to those comments – both to confront misogyny and to connect with voters who will likely agree with you.

In all cases, prepare responses in advance to potential questions or comments (you may already have heard several). Write them down. Adapt them to your context and to your personality.

Do it now. Sooner or later, you will face these questions – and if they catch you off guard, you won’t know what to say.

Here are some ideas: In 2018 and 2019, I prepared video capsules for the INE (National Electoral Institute) with ideas for responding to sexist questions and comments.

You can find this material on my website: www.cecilialavalle.com, in the Training Center section.

I would like to finish this course with a quote by activist Angela Davis:

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”

Angela Davis

This is what many feminists have been doing since the late eighteenth century. And it is precisely the exercise of power that we are determined to change. To do so, among other things, we must step onto the stage, convey power through our words, through our use of the public platform, through our bodily posture, and move away from the box in which stereotypes and roles exclude us from power and from decision-making.

We do not only have the right to power. We need it to transform our country into one that lives up to our greatest dreams. And yes, that is like climbing an enormous mountain. But we are not just beginning, nor are we walking alone.

Let us keep climbing toward the summit!

Disclaimer: Our global content is produced from the knowledge network of many different people and geographies. Always research the rules applicable to your specific territory and ensure that your activities comply