Even as personality and leadership styles change and evolve in the modern workplace, old-school confidence is still a premium universal attribute. Simply put, it's hard to put faith in people who don't display faith in themselves.
When colleagues and leaders show confidence, that confidence inspires others. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that the confidence of people around us increases our reassurance in our own actions. As Neuroscience News framed it, "Our brains are biologically tuned to be influenced by confident people."
But while building your confidence and self-esteem may take time, perhaps with coaching and a slew of self-help books, demonstrating confidence to others—and reaping the benefits of that demonstration—may be a far easier task.
See five tactics below that can give you the benefit of projecting confidence—whether you're truly confident or not.
1. Turn Up the Volume
This confidence-conveying tactic is so simple, a child can do it. When you raise your speaking volume—without screaming or shouting—you sound and seem more confident.
Don't take it from me. Take it from the hundreds of workshop attendees I've asked to describe how a fellow participant's impression changed after that person followed my request to raise their volume substantially.
The person speaking louder will often say they feel awkward and "too loud," but the group's feedback is very consistent: To their ears and eyes, the now louder speaker seemed more assertive, more excited more authoritative and absolutely more confident.
To be clear, the participant may not have felt more confident. But raising their volume alone created that impression.
2. Get to the Point
Making strong and concise points exudes confidence, which may sound easy enough. But making resonant points requires knowing the difference between a point and a topic, theme or observation. A point is a proposal of impact through a specific means—making a case for change and a way to implement it.
Here are one good and two bad examples:
- Strong point: "This campaign will help increase public awareness of our brand."
- No point: "I want to talk to you about this campaign," and "This campaign is important."
Being concise requires knowing the difference between "brief" and "concise." A "brief" communication is merely shorter, but a "concise" message has been boiled down to its most essential and impactful elements.
Like this:
- Brief: "This data presentation is great."
- Concise: "This data presentation demonstrates why we should invest."
Making strong and concise points conveys confidence because you're putting your reputation and credibility on the line every time you do it. Someone listening can make a counterargument or even overrule you.
But, like a successful baseball player stepping up to the plate, taking that risk is what confident people do.
3. Take a Decisive Position
"Maybe" is not the language of confident professionals, whether you're a respected CEO or a restaurant server. Taking a clearly defined position and being ready to explain it conveys confidence more powerfully than almost any other form of communication.
This is also why answering questions unambiguously is critical in a job interview.
Here are examples of a decisive position and an indecisive position:
- A decisive position: "We should choose this vendor because they understand our brand better."
- An indecisive position: "I'm not sure what we should do. I can see both sides. What do you think?"
Even when a situation is murky or challenging, an unequivocal commitment to responsive action will convey confidence, especially when a leader uses the strongest and most confident words, like "enable" vs. "allow" and "overcome" vs. "address."
But remember that impressions of confidence can transform into ugly displays of disrespect if paired with defensiveness, close-mindedness or an inability to listen and adapt.
Active listening, consideration, open-mindedness and public acknowledgment—which are the opposite of those off-putting behaviors—reinforce displays of confidence because the speaker is confidently considering, adopting and giving credit for a better idea.
Taking a decisive opinion doesn't mean the view is ultimately the best idea or final. It simply means you're committing to an idea, not waffling, in that moment.
4. Make Eye Contact
Direct eye contact with others conveys confidence in the workplace because it's a non-verbal social cue that denotes self-esteem. By contrast, avoiding eye contact is generally seen as a symptom of nervousness, anxiety and low self-confidence.
Looking people in the eye can be nerve-racking, but it doesn't have to be constant. And you can become more comfortable making eye contact by practicing it with a variety of people you encounter outside of work, including friends, family, retail workers, package deliverers and restaurant servers.
On video calls, the dynamic is completely different. Direct eye contact means looking into a camera, not the grid of attendees, which can feel awkward. But the more you practice and get used to looking into the camera—or at least not looking too far away from it and severing that human connection—the more comfortable and confident you will seem and become.
5. Strike a Pose
Most of us are familiar with Amy Cuddy's ideas on "power posing"—that standing in a posture of confidence can both convey confidence to others and boost our own feelings of confidence.
Though the scientific underpinnings of Cuddy's idea have come under fire, the strategy of posing to build confidence works for me and the people I coach. And there's no question that feeling confident—however you generate it—helps you convey confidence.
One of the most successful and studied tips to avoid displaying fear of public speaking is to tell yourself, "I'm excited" several times before you start. This act helps you feel and convey excitement even in your most nervous moments.
So, do what your mother told you: Stand up straight and don't let your shoulders fall in front of you. When you stand strong and tall, you feel strong and tall and you show strong and tall.
'Fake It 'Til You Make It'
In an ideal world, all speakers feel confident in their abilities. But in the real world, some people are just more naturally confident than others.
Regardless of our nature and nurture, introversion and extroversion, and fixed and growth mindsets, I believe all of us can convey more confidence. And if we practice that diligently and often, true inner confidence will inevitably follow.
About the Author
Joel Schwartzberg is the senior director of strategic and executive communications for a major American nonprofit and has conducted presentation workshops for clients including American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield, State Farm Insurance, the Brennan Center for Justice and Comedy Central. The author of The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team and Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter, he also contributes frequently to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Toastmaster magazine and Inc.com.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Joel Schwartzberg is the Senior Director of Strategic and Executive Communications for a major American nonprofit. He has conducted presentation ... Read more
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