On June 10, when Apple unveiled its new artificial intelligence software, all the presenters took the stage in the same position: standing, legs apart and feet outwards.
The fact that everyone has adopted the “Apple posture” – as one X newsgroup dubbed it – was weird.
This is not the first time she was observed during Apple presentations.
This posture is taught in the public speaking and performing arts community, says Ruth Sherman, who advises CEOs and celebrities who must speak in public.
PHOTO NIC COURY, ARCHOVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Apple CEO Tim Cook during the company’s annual conference in Cupertino, California on June 10, 2024
Mme Sherman doesn’t know if Apple executives were trained in this common technique. (Apple declined to comment on this.) This position is ideal during a speech, allowing you to maintain your balance and turn towards different parts of the audience, says M.me Sherman.
Observing the posture of bosses may seem like pseudoscience, but there is a long, sometimes controversial tradition of research into aspects of body language that reinforce speakers’ authority, betray their lies, or send nonverbal messages.
It’s a safe bet that nothing – posture, hand gesture, use or avoidance of a word – is a coincidence at Apple, which is worth 3.3 billion in the stock market and is known for attention meticulousness that it gives to its image and the appearance of its products.
The British and the “power posture”
The British media loves to show politicians – especially from the Conservative Party – adopting the “power pose” (exaggeratedly spreading their legs).
According to some, the British “power pose” is reminiscent of Beyoncé, Lynda Carter’s “hands on hips” pose as Wonder Woman, or a famous portrait of Henry VIII.
In the early 2010s, a TED talk on “power posture” sparked a lot of discussion: it was argued that a confident physical stance increased self-confidence.
Researchers claimed that certain positions – such as open Apple posture or sitting with your hands behind your head and your feet on the desk – reduced the level of a hormone associated with stress and increased testosterone levels. (The statistical rigor of the work leading to this conference was subsequently contested by other researchers.)
According to Connson Locke, professor of management at the London School of Economics, research has established that certain nonverbal cues can strengthen the leadership image and charisma of speakers. For example, make eye contact, stand up straight and occupy the space through gestures and movement, instead of making yourself small like in an enclosure.
Apple’s executives may have gone a little overboard: “There’s no requirement to stand with your legs abnormally apart,” Mr. Locke said. “It’s a bit ridiculous, it seems to me. »
Try it yourself
Mme Sherman uses this posture in her speaking engagements and teaches it to executives and celebrities who consult her (she refuses to name her clients because she wants to keep them, she says).
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Lean your torso forward a little, then point your toes outward (this is natural, says Mme Sherman).
“It’s a good starting position”, it gives confidence, says Mme Sherman. Leaning forward makes you feel very involved.
Besides posture, M’s main adviceme Sherman’s advice to anyone who has to speak in public is to “rehearse well beyond what you feel like.” This doesn’t mean memorizing every word, but repeating out loud and not in your head, she says.
However, as we saw at the Apple event, it shows when you try too hard to look natural.
Coincidentally, Apple pose is also a good weightlifting position, points out strength coach Jake Boly. Apple’s presenters look “ready for anything, in tech and under the barbell,” explains Jake Boly. “Don’t argue with them at the gym. »
This article was published in the Washington Post.
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