When the body is closed, the mind is closed

Somehow we happened to attend one conference. The hall was attended by an equal number of men and women. About one hundred managers and 500 salespeople took part in the conference. An important topic was discussed - the attitude of large corporations to sellers. The speaker was a well-known speaker, who was the head of the sellers association. When he stepped onto the stage, almost all male managers and about a quarter of female managers took up a defensive position, arms and legs crossed. Such behavior immediately made us understand that they consider the performance of this person a threat to themselves. And their fears were justified. He spoke about the poor quality of management and that this is the main reason for the personnel crisis in the industry. During his speech, the salespeople present in the room either leaned forward slightly, showing interest, or made assessment gestures. But the managers remained adamant.

When the mind is closed, the body acts according to its instructions.

Then sellers began to discuss what should be the role of the manager in relation to the sales process. Almost immediately, as if on cue, the majority of male managers took the “American Four” position. Mentally, they challenged the sellers point of view, and later we were convinced of the correctness of our assumptions. We noticed that some managers did not change their postures. Although most of them remained disagreeing with the point of view of the speaker, they simply could not take the “American Four” position due to purely physical reasons - overweight, arthritis, or leg diseases.
If you need to convince the interlocutor in something, and he took a similar position, you must first convince him to change the situation. If you have something to show, invite this person to sit next to you. Stretch him a notebook or pamphlet so that he leans forward and has to open his arms. You can also offer a cup of tea or coffee, because in a pose with legs crossed and arms it is very difficult to drink something and not burn yourself.