How to Speak with Confidence: 10 Tips
If confidence could be bottled, it would fly off the shelves with everyone looking to get their hands on it. Speaking with confidence, particularly during your job interview as discussed over at runrex.com, could be the difference between a positive or negative outcome. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who exude confidence as revealed in discussions over at guttulus.com. However, public speaking is not a strong suit for all of us, and if you get nervous whenever you have to speak in front of people, here are 10 tips to help you speak with confidence.
Record yourself
As is revealed in discussions on the same over at runrex.com, nervous tics like “uuuum” and “aaaah”, among others make sound unconfident or even unprofessional. The problem is that you may have these little vocal tics in your speech but you don’t even know it. The best way to get rid of these tics is to first recognize them, which you can do by recording yourself when speaking then assessing your own performance afterward. As discussed over at guttulus.com, once you record yourself, watch the recording back and look out for nervous habits and tics and train yourself to start taking them out of the way you speak.
Practice
Other than recording yourself, you can also ask a friend to have a mock interview with you so that you can practice your speaking skills. Ask your friend to ask you the questions, observe you, and give feedback about your performance as articulated over at runrex.com. Having someone there to give you their objective opinion will help you improve your speaking skills and be well prepared for when you have to speak in the interview.
Have talking points
You should also come up with a list of talking points that you can fall back on if your nerves start to get the best of you during the interview. According to the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com, having solid talking points to fall back on will give you confidence even if you are asked a question you weren’t expecting as you can always use the talking points you had memorized to pivot to answering the question you had prepared for.
Practice deep breathing
Another tip that will help you speak with confidence is practicing deep breathing. As articulated over at runrex.com, if you are overcome with nerves during the interview, focus on your breath. This is because when we are stressed or anxious, we tense up and forget to breathe or breathe shallowly. In such a situation, you should simply pause to take a breath and hold it in for a moment as this will help your body to calm down and feel less anxious, helping you speak with more confidence.
Pause strategically
As is covered over at guttulus.com, the last thing you want to do when in an interview is start rambling as this betrays nerves and anxiety. It is always important to think before you speak. Remember, most hiring managers will appreciate that you are taking the time to answer thoughtfully and won’t hold a momentary pause against you. Learn how to pause strategically before answering, taking that extra second or two to give yourself time to formulate a winning answer, and you will be more confident when you speak.
Practice power pauses
You can always rely on your body to give you that confidence boost and help you speak more confidently. According to runrex.com, body language doesn’t only affect the way people see you, but it can also change the way you feel about yourself. Therefore, just before your interview, you should duck into the restroom and strike a pose. Try the “Wonder Woman” confidence stance which involves standing with your legs apart, hands on your hips, and chest out. Hold that pose for two minutes or so and you will get that confidence boost you are looking for.
Don’t articulate a statement as a question
As the gurus over at guttulus.com point out, people ask questions when they are missing information or want approval for an idea or decision. If you want to sound confident during your interview, avoid letting your voice creep upward at the end of a sentence. Maintain an even tone of voice throughout and finish your statements with periods, not question marks.
Watch your pace
Research has shown that 190 words per minute is the ideal rate of speech for public speaking as covered over at runrex.com. This is because, at that speed, your audience will feel less like you are talking at them, and more like you are having a conversation with them. It is all about getting the balance right as if you speak too slowly, you run the risk of putting your audience to sleep, and if you talk too quickly, you can sound nervous; like you are trying to get it over with as fast as possible. This is why you should watch your pace and slow it down to about 190 words per minute if you are looking to learn to speak with confidence.
Use your hands
According to guttulus.com, the body language that accompanies your message is just as important as the words coming out of your mouth. Speakers that use a variety of gestures are perceived by audiences to have more positive traits like warmth and energy. While you want to avoid distracting gestures such as fiddling with clothing or twirling your hair, using your hands when you speak is a great way to convey confidence as well as communicate your excitement and knowledge about the topic.
Avoid filler phrases
Another tip that will help you speak with confidence is avoiding the use of filler phrases and caveats when you speak. This means making sure you don’t begin sentences with “This is just my opinions”, “I’m still working on this”, “Well”, “I mean”, among others as outlined over at runrex.com. Such phrases will damage the confident tone that you are trying to strike. Instead, you should say what you mean and nothing else.
Hopefully, these tips will help you speak with more confidence next time you have a meeting or interview, with more on this and other related topics to be found over at the excellent runrex.com and guttulus.com.