7 Strategies To Boost Your Confidence

Have you ever felt uncomfortable or out of place in meetings, networking events, or even social settings? Have you ever missed out on something you really wanted because you didn’t have the confidence to put yourself out there?

Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, yet so many people struggle to find it. Sadly, people who lack self-confidence can find it difficult to become successful.

After all, most people are reluctant to back a project that’s being presented by someone who appears nervous or unsure of themselves. On the other hand, you might totally support someone if they speak clearly, hold their head high and answer questions with ease.

Self-confident people inspire confidence in others, and gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways in which a self-confident person finds success.

Consider these 7 strategies to boost your confidence:

1. Be prepared – Whether you are about to attend a meeting, make a presentation or simply be an active participant at an event, make sure you prepare yourself well. This includes: knowing where you are going, what you are going to wear, what you are going to say, who you want to connect with, and what you hope to achieve and why. It may seem obvious but people rarely consider what a successful result might look like. The more prepared you are the more likely you are going to remain confident, poised and in control during the event. I remember when I was a corporate executive, I would regularly “dry run” my presentation if I was about to present to an important audience. It’s a practice I still do today when preparing for a keynote presentation.

2. Get feedback – Get feedback from others whenever you can. Then, take the time to review the meeting, presentation or event you just attended and consider all the things that went well. Pat yourself on your back for your “did wells”, and then consider all the things you could have done differently next time. Do this not to beat yourself up but rather to learn from the experience and assist you in being better prepared the next time.

3. Use your body language – Your stance can be a powerful tool especially if you are a woman. Remember, most women are smaller and shorter than their male counterparts so you need to use your body to make you appear bigger than you are. You can do this by standing tall with your hands on your hips, feet shoulder length apart. In this position you not only appear more in control, but you feel more confident too. In a sitting position, sit tall and simply place your hands on your hips.

4. Use your voice – Your voice is an amazing instrument. Communicate using a statement intonation. A common mistake some women make is to use a question mark at the end of a statement. This can cause people to see them as uncertain or tentative or worse, needing approval. Here’s an example: “You know I’m right!” vs “You know I’m right?” Use your voice to project your most confident self.

5. Listen more – Listen twice as much as you speak. When you do speak (and you should), be clear and concise and avoid using big fancy words. If you talk too much, you train others to tune you out. Speak to get your point across and remember it’s okay to pause using silence rather than filler words such as umhs or ahs.

6. Breathe deeply – Train yourself to breathe deeply. Many people breathe too high in their chest and high chest breathing can make others assume you are angry, not very bright, or just plain nervous, none of which is how you want to be perceived. Low and slow into the whole belly will help you look and sound more intelligent especially if you breathe through your nose. A bonus of low slow breathing is that you get more oxygen to your brain which results in clearer thinking and a better quality to the tone of your voice.

7. Dress for success – Remember the saying, dress for the job you want and not the job you have. While dress codes have relaxed substantially in the workplace that doesn’t mean you should look any less professional. When I walk around the business section of the city I notice huge interpretations of business casual. You will always look more professional and taken more seriously if you dress the part. Professional attire makes you appear more credible.

Confidence and success isn’t a matter of simply mastering a few tricks, although those can help you so you can focus on the more important internal changes you may need to make. Maximizing your confidence reinforces your personal sense of power, your inner strength, and your self-worth not only in the workplace, but also in every aspect of your life.