The Power of Posture: Satir Categories, Body Language, and Public Speaking Success
Virginia Satir was a family therapist who observed certain body language (or postures) from people in therapy, when under pressure. The postures came to be known as the Satir Categories.
Interestingly, the Satir Categories are also often observed in public speaking. Each category—Placater, Blamer, Computer, Distractor, and Leveller—comes with distinct body movements that reflect underlying emotional states and can convey specific meanings.
By using (or not using) these postures in the right moments in your presentation you will enhance the effective communication of your message.
Understanding Satir Categories and Body Postures
1. Placater: The Placater posture is an open posture, sometimes even submissive.
This posture is about harmony and approval.
As you can see in the photo of me on the stage, the Placater has the arms out and the palms up.
The point of this gesture is to say, ‘I’m open’, ‘I can take what you’ve got to say’. It’s generally a lovely posture to do in a presentation.
When using the Placater aim to maintain eye contact, stand upright and stretch your arms out assertively (rather than just flopping them out towards the audience!).
In other words, do this on purpose.
2. Blamer: The Blamer posture can be seen as aggressive.
Often the Blamer mixes a pointed gestures with intense eye contact.
This posture suggests dominance and control, often at the expense of empathetic communication.
If you are feeling passionate and your natural tendency is to point your finger to reinforce your point, try instead to open your fingers so that you gesture passionately with an open palm.
3. Computer: Computers display a detached posture, focusing on logic and facts rather than emotional expression.
As you see in this picture of me, the Computer, often also referred to as the Super Reasonable, is characterised by one arm across the body and the other hand resting on the face. It’s a ‘thinking’ kind of posture.
It encourages your audience to think more deeply.
Sometimes this posture can appear rigid or stiff and can emphasise rationality over personal connection.
When using a Computer posture, you could aim to do more emotional cues, such as nodding and mirroring expressions, to enhance empathy and engagement in conversations.
this is the perfect posture to do if you want to get your audience or stakeholder thinking.
4. Distractor: The Distractor posture is characterised by erratic body movements, such as shifting weight, tapping fingers, or constantly changing posture.
It’s a terrific thing to do to shift the energy in your audience. For example, a clap! Everyone wakes up!
As you can see in the photo of me, I’m hugging myself and doing a shimmy with the audience (yes, they are doing it too!). It’s an unexpected movement that adds energy to the moment.
Overused this posture is distracting! Ha ha! So be careful and don’t overdo it when presenting!
5. Leveller: The Leveller posture is characterised by facing towards others with your arms outstretched and palms down.
When using this posture maintain an even tone of voice and display genuine interest in the conversation.
As you can see, the point I’m making at the time of this photo is that ‘you cannot not influence’ (it’s on the slide behind me). This point is not negotiable, a fact of the matter.
The Leveller posture is the perfect one to do when you’re saying something that is not up for debate.
Practical Application
Imagine a scenario where a team is discussing a challenging project deadline.
A Blamer might use an aggressive pointing posture, causing tension among team members.
A Leveller, on the other hand, could adopt a ‘this is not negotiable’ posture (two arms out, palms down) ‘don’t argue with me, it’s not up for discussion’ style.
A Placater may use a more conciliatory posture (two arms out, palms up) to indicate, ‘I’m open to your points of view’. This is a more open and approachable posture, encouraging collaborative problem-solving and fostering a positive team dynamic.
A Distractor may have everyone laughing by their erratic movements – it can diffuse tension quickly.
And a Computer may calm everyone down with a thoughtful, reflective posture that says, ‘mmmm, let’s consider this’ – gets everyone in a thinking mood.
As you can see, understanding Satir Categories and their associated body postures is essential for improving communication skills and building healthier relationships.
By practicing awareness of your body language and using it effectively, you can enhance empathy, resolve (or reduce) conflict constructively, and create a more supportive and productive environment.
Happy presenting and persuading!
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©2024 MICHELLE BOWDEN is an authority on persuasive presenting in business. She’s run her Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass over 1000 times for more than 13,000 people over the past 25 years and her name is a synonym for ‘presentation skills’ in Australia.
She’s a multi-million-dollar pitch coach to her client list that reads like a who’s who of international business: banking and finance, IT, pharmaceutical, retail, telecommunications plus many more.
Michelle is the creator of the Persuasion Smart Profile®, a world-first psychological assessment tool that reports on your persuasive strengths and weaknesses at work.
She’s also the best-selling internationally published author of How to Present: the ultimate guide to presenting live and online (Wiley) and How to Persuade: the skills you need to get what you want (Wiley).
