We’ve all heard the phrase “fake it until you make it”. It stems from the idea that we can instill enough confidence in ourselves if we make ourselves believe it. We spoke with events and business professionals who share their best tips on how we can appear more confident in important situations, even if we don’t feel it. Mark Lynch of Sonas and Aaron Winston of Express Legal Funding talk about the importance of appearing confident in order to find success and increase personal growth!
Dress the part
Lynch says that finding some inner confidence can actually start from the outside which is why we need to be more careful with what we wear. “Dressing well at your place of work or for an event can really help when it comes to building your own confidence. When you dress nicely, you tend to think more highly of yourself and carry yourself differently. Even if your place of work is more business casual, there’s nothing wrong with wearing more tailored pieces of clothing to make you feel and look good.
At events, it helps you to stand out and be more memorable if you dress well, as it can cause you to feel better about yourself. This often means you network more, make more eye contact and have a stronger voice within a large group of people.”
Be outgoing
“Try to be more outgoing and push yourself out of your comfort zone if you want to seem more confident. When you do this you build the confidence to be able to take on more responsibility and opportunities at work which can help greatly with your self-esteem. Even if you are more of an introvert, pretend to be an extrovert for a day. Talk with coworkers, crack a joke and try to have a positive attitude for the entire day. You’d be surprised how much this can help you to come out of your shell and find some self-confidence to help you at work or in the situation of a large event.” Lynch continues.
Let your strengths shine
Winston suggests that you let your personal strengths be the focus. “If you know your strengths, use them to your advantage. Do what you know best and you will look like you know a lot at work. Doing so often also helps you to take on more risks at work and interesting projects which helps to make you appear even more confident and like you know what you’re doing, even if you aren’t 100% sure. Many of us suffer from imposter syndrome, but if we keep reminding ourselves of the strengths that got us the job in the first place, then we lessen that feeling of being unqualified.
Other people will notice you more and want you to be a part of special projects or ask you to take on new responsibilities. When people can see your strengths at work, they have a better idea of what roles you can play.”
Pump up other people
Winston says that it also helps to encourage others to give them more self- confidence which in turn helps you. “When we lift each other up, it has a tendency to rub off on us. When you’re at an event and you and multiple people have to give a speech or presentation, give them a few words of encouragement. It’s often reciprocated, and you tend to feel more at ease and it gives you a little self-esteem boost.”
