Self-confidence is not handed out to you when you were born; it is something you can develop. While developing it may mean hard work, you can adopt particular steps and strategies to help you build your self-confidence.
Learn from past mistakes. Don’t allow your past mistakes to keep weighing you down. They are lessons, providing you the stepping stones and the higher vantage point from which to acquire more knowledge and wisdom. Although you would not want to make the same mistake again, be generous with yourself and acknowledge that you are not quite perfect.
Speak confident. In your conversations, it pays to use positive terms consistently. Even if you may have some concerns, say simply that you will be something done or that you’ll get it finished on time. This inculcates confidence inside you, and increases your chances of accomplishing the task. Practice speaking without resorting to qualifiers: do without ifs and buts, remove the maybes, stop saying I’m not sure.
Look confident. No matter how you may feel on a particular day, groom yourself as if everything is dapper and you are on top of the world. Stand erect as if you are an inch taller and walk confidently, stride firm and conveying a sense of purpose. Walking with head up and maintaining good eye contact makes others more confident in you. The positive feedback you get will build your confidence.
Start a conversation. It is never easy starting a conversation with people you don’t know, but it is a good exercise so make yourself do it. All relationships begin as strangers. Initiating a conversation with a stranger at a gathering, whether it’s a party or a conference, will build your confidence. Don’t worry, they’ll not run away; they may be grateful for your interest in them. This will make people see you as self-confident person, and treat you that way.
Be ready for discussions. One way of preparing yourself to handle tough situations (at meetings, interviews, or conversations) is to rehearse ahead of time. Write some notes about possible questions and your responses. If you usually find yourself at a loss of for words, especially in social situations, play through ‘small talk’ topics about which you chat or ask questions. Often, what matters most is that you are able to speak with confidence about something.
Emulate self-confident people. Observe the self-confident people you know and look for behavior that you like. It could be in the things they say, the way they work, or how they carry themselves. Select one behavior at a time and try to integrate it into your own personality. If self-confidence in others catches your eye, you may have the capacity for more of it in yourself: the qualities that attract us usually indicate the capacities that remain underdeveloped in us.
Building self-confidence primarily involves discovering the things that make you feel good about yourself, and then doing them more frequently. It means showing yourself and others that you have accomplished things and will continue doing so; at the start, no accomplishment is too insignificant. As others perceive your positive attitude, their confidence in your will increase, and that will surely increase your self-confidence.
by Clement Low
Article by Clement Low, Chief Sales Coach at BridgingPoints Sales Coaching Services. Subscribe to our free fortnightly newsletter at http://www.Salespotentiator.com specially for sales professionals and business owners who want effective time tested strategies to increase their sales. Every newsletter is filled with innovative and proven sales tips and techniques. Plus revealing and powerful training lessons to help you close more sales.
