How to Exude Confidence while Speaking
Confidence is key to any conversation that you have. At times, you may have to blend in some authority or definitiveness into your tone while addressing people. There is a certain knack to being composed and self-assured while talking. Given below are some methods that you can experiment with to sound more confident:
Speak slower
There is such a thing as a nervous talker and they’re called so for a reason. Speaking too quickly indicates a lack of confidence. Additionally, one is more prone to making grammatical errors or wrong pronunciation while speaking quickly. Speak slowly and with clarity. Not only does the listener understand what you’re saying, but you also seem more sure of yourself.
Pause often
Pauses should be effectively incorporated in your conversation for a better impact. When you pause after a sentence, it sounds more grave and weighty. The listeners get to reflect for a second. Besides, by pausing, you’re giving yourself time to assemble your thoughts before you launch into your next sentence.
Avoid blathering
Sometimes we tend to talk nineteen to the dozen when we’re tense. Avoid going off on tangents by relating any incidents or stories that are irrelevant. Keep it short and sweet!
Inflect your tone
Modulate your pitch and tone to make your voice seem more confident and authoritative. Practise speaking in a deeper tone beforehand to sound more organic and effortless. Trust us, this’ll make a difference.
Maintain a confident posture
A confident posture would mean sitting or standing up straight, shoulders to the back and your head held high. Consciously make an effort to improve your posture at work, until it becomes habitual. This helps with your confidence levels. Other benefits include better breathing and smoother articulation.
Employ hand gestures effectively
This is a tough one because you need to find a balance between keeping your hands stiff to one side and flaying them around unnecessarily. Control your hand gestures to deliver your words in a more impactful manner.
Practise till you’re perfect and then Practise some more
There are always those important conversations that act as weather-vanes for your career. It is crucial that you nail these conversations and one important piece of armour to have is your confidence. So practise in front of a mirror and observe yourself if you need to, but practise you must! The end results will be worth it.
This is a handwritten article by Team InterviewBuddy. InterviewBuddy connects students, job seekers & people looking to scale up their career with industry experts to practice interviewing.
