It is in the way that you hold yourself. And how you speak. Being confident in how you communicate is how we get our points across and can even carry itself into rooms we are yet to enter.
Learning to communicate confidently and effectively in a meeting, at work or social setting doesn't have to be hard. Here are five tips to get you started.
Relax and slow down
When we get nervous, it is easy to ramble or rush through what we say. You could also add filler words such as 'umm', ‘uhh’ or 'like'. Take time to relax. Slow down the pace. It's fine to take your time to say the next sentence and taking a breath when you are tempted to add filler words. Speaking in a calm and deliberate manner shows confidence.
Be aware of how you carry yourself
It may be something that you are consciously aware of at times, but how you hold your body affects your level of confidence. Crossed arms, hunching over or avoiding eye contact or nervously darting your eyes can come across as someone who is insecure or nervous. Aim to be more aware of how you hold your body. Keep a straight back and your arms placed at your side to communicate an air of openness and confidence. Doing the power pose to help you look and feel more confident will help improve the way you communicate.
Listen to understand
Confidently giving clear and concise responses requires listening. Listen to understand to communicate effectively. Listening also gives you more time to arrange your thoughts and regulate your breathing if you are nervous to respond confidently. It also prevents you from rambling or saying something that is not relevant to the conversation.
Be clear and take up space
Being confident is all about being clear and not playing small. It means knowing how to take up space through non-verbal communication instead of shrinking yourself to be small. Aim to be clear and audible. While it is normal for our tone to change when we are nervous, making us rush through what we are saying or changing our pitch at awkward moments, knowing how to regulate our tone can help us come across as confident.
Collaborate
It is a learning curve. Building your communication skills could require reading self-help books, watching YouTube masterclasses or simply collaborating with people who exude confidence in everything they do. Communicating with various people and building your network can also help boost your levels of confidence. Take time to learn what works for you and what does not.
