Appear Confident – Even When You’re Not

Fake it till you make it – it sounds trite but it really is true.  If you find it hard to appear confident, here are 15 things that might help you:

Body Language

  • Stand tall and take a deep breath
  • Have an open posture (no crossed arms, or legs, keep your hands out of your pockets)
  • Smile
  • Don’t fidget
  • Move deliberately – don’t rush around the room and don’t try to melt into the background

In conversation 

  • Make eye contact
  • Speak slowly and clearly (but not too slowly)
  • Don’t rush to fill in every silence
  • Stay on topic – don’t meander off on a tangent
  • Use gestures to illustrate a point

Remember

  • Many, if not most of the people you meet will be just as nervous as you
  • Few people will be focussed on you, instead they’ll be more aware of what they’re doing
  • FEAR: False Emotions Appearing Real – what’s the worst that could happen?
  • If you do something wrong, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill
  • Don’t get stuck in your own head. Overthinking everything will not help, no matter how much you might like to (I certainly do).