How To Be Confident In The Workplace

Step 1: Think About Your Past Successes

Today, I'm going to be talking to you about how to be confident in the workplace.
Arguably, being confident in the workplace is key to having a successful and healthy working life.
My next eight how-to tips will get you on the way to fuelling that confidence and achieving those career goals you deserve to have.

My first tip is to think about all your past successes. Write a list of those times when you've been successful at something. Remember how you achieved this success, and how it felt when you did achieve this success. This is really going to fuel your self-belief, and so adding towards your confidence in those times when you don't feel as confident.

Step 2: Use Positive Affirmation

My second tip is to use positive affirmation in self talk. When you find yourself thinking negatively about yourself, then engage in these positive affirmation statements. They can be things like, "I'm someone who's intelligent. I'm someone who's confident." Say these sentences out loud to yourself. This will mean that you are literally talking to your subconscious brain, where your negative perceptions of yourself are stored. This is a really powerful technique to fuelling your self confidence.

Step 3: Become More Aware Of Your Outward Dialogue

My third tip, is around becoming more aware of your outward dialogue. How do you speak about yourself? Do you find that you put yourself down, and your abilities down? Do you find that you take the blame for things, even though it's not really your fault? You need to stop doing this, and start talking about yourself positively in front of other individuals, as this will show them that you are confident in who you are and your abilities.

Step 4: Focus On Your Body Language

My fourth tip is body language. Now we all know about body language, but we often forget the basics. Essentially it's easy. Whenever you go into a room, whenever you're surrounded by people in a working environment, make sure your head is high, you maintain eye contact and you're open, so you look friendly, confident and approachable. Actually, having this confident body language will also, psychologically, allow you to feel more confident as an individual.

Step 5: Try Some Modelling

My fifth tip is called modelling. Now this doesn't mean strutting in heels around the office. What it means is picking up certain characteristics from individuals whom you think are really confident. Notice the words they use; the way they hold themselves; the way they maintain relationships with other people. Add these characteristics to your own repertoire. This isn't copying, it's just being inspired by others, and allowing them to positively influence you.

Step 6: Start Framing Situations

My sixth tip is around framing situations. Think about those times in the workplace when you don't feel that confident. Note them down on a piece of paper and decide from now on in that you will start feeling confident in those situations.
For example, if you don't really like presenting, make sure you prepare well for that presentation, and tell yourself before that event that you are going to be confident when you're presenting, and that you will get fantastic feedback from those around you.
This technique is around taking control over those situations where you don't feel that confident and turning them around.

Step 7: Employ Visualization

My seventh tip is visualization. This is a really powerful life coaching technique. Essentially, what it means is that you'll start seeing yourself in those situations where you feel less confident. It's a little bit like watching a movie. See yourself being really confident; smell what the situation will be like; see it in your mind's eye, and start believing that that's what will happen in real time.

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