Mic Drop: How To Speak With Confidence

Recently, I participated on panel for Usher's New Look where someone asked me, “How can I sound more confident in my communication?”. I was more than happy to discuss this topic because I had been there myself early in my career.

In my experience, people underestimate the importance of verbal communication and the impact it can have on their personal brand. When I realized this years ago, I joined a Toastmasters club, and since then, have dramatically improved my speaking abilities.

Resources in this Article:

To help you develop confidence in speaking, I have included various resources at the end of this article. This includes a link to the Toastmasters International site where you can locate a club in your area. But, first let me explain why speaking confidently is important for how others see you.

Why Speaking Confidently Matters

Speaking confidently is a way to communicate your ideas effectively. Even more, you demonstrate your competence, credibility, and leadership potential. When you speak confidently, you exude assurance in yourself, your work, and your value. This can help you build trust and rapport with your colleagues, clients, and managers, as well as open new opportunities for career advancement and recognition.

Early in my career I rarely spoke in meetings because I was not sure how to articulate my thoughts concisely. My lack of confidence kept me from giving 100% and stunted my growth and the brand I wanted to create. Further, if you are challenged by lack of confidence, speaking in public, or even struggles with imposter syndrome, these issues can single-handedly stop you in your tracks. Learning how to speak with confidence is an essential skill and something I knew I had to develop to achieve my career goals. 

What Are the Benefits of Speaking Confidently?

Speaking confidently can boost your personal brand in several ways.

• First, speaking confidently can help build rapport and trust with your audience, whether they are customers, clients, partners, or colleagues. By speaking confidently, you can communicate your value proposition, benefits, and differentiators, and show that you care about their needs, challenges, and goals.
• Second, speaking confidently can help increase your visibility and influence. By speaking confidently, you can attract more attention, engagement, referrals, and expand your network and reach. You can also inspire, motivate, and persuade others to take action, support your cause, or join your vision.
• Third, it can help establish your credibility and authority in your field or industry. By speaking confidently, you can demonstrate your expertise, knowledge, and skills, and show that you are a reliable and trustworthy source of information or solutions.

How to Speak Confidently: Five Practical Tips

Just so you know, speaking confidently is a skill that you can develop and improve with practice and feedback. When I look back over my career, there have been times when I was unsure about what I was communicating, and it showed! I had to learn how to prepare, dig deep, and develop self-assurance. Now, I can share with you how you can build your self-confidence as well. And since I did it, I know you can, too!

Here are five practical tips that can help you speak more confidently in any situation:

1. Prepare and practice. Before you speak, whether it is a presentation, a meeting, or a conversation, do some research and prepare your main points. Anticipate possible questions and objections and think of how to address them. Practice your speech out loud, preferably in front of a mirror or a friend, and pay attention to your tone, pace, and body language.
2. Focus on your message, not yourself. When you speak, don’t worry about how you look, sound, or what others think of you. Instead, focus on the message that you want to convey and the value that you can offer. Think of how you can help, inform, persuade, or inspire your audience. Remember that they are listening to you because they are interested in what you have to say, not because they want to judge you.
3. Use positive affirmations. Positive affirmations are statements that you repeat to yourself to boost your self-esteem and confidence. For example, you can say to yourself, “I am a confident speaker. I have valuable insights to share. I can handle any challenge.” You can say these affirmations before, during, and after you speak, or whenever you feel nervous or doubtful. Positive affirmations can help you overcome negative thoughts and emotions and reinforce your belief in yourself.
4. Be authentic and sincere. One of the best ways to speak confidently is to be yourself and speak from your heart. Don’t try to imitate someone else’s style or use words that you are not comfortable with. Instead, use your own voice, words, and examples that reflect your personality, values, and experiences. Be honest and respectful and show your passion and enthusiasm for your topic. Your audience will appreciate your authenticity and sincerity and connect with you more easily.
5. Seek feedback and learn from your mistakes. Speaking confidently is a continuous learning process. You can always improve your skills and performance by seeking feedback from others and learning from your mistakes. Ask for constructive criticism from your peers, mentors, or coaches, and listen to their suggestions and advice. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, and work on improving them. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but rather see them as opportunities to grow and learn.

Learning Resources  to  Build Confidence in Speaking

Now that you have better insights for building confidence in speaking, here are resources to help you on your learning journey.

• Toastmasters International - A learning experience in a safe environment, Toastmasters helps those who want to become confident speakers work through their challenges with proven methods. Check out the Toastmasters search tool to find a club near you.
• Think Fast, Talk Smart Podcast - This podcast series on YouTube delves into various communication topics. The linked episode discusses how to be more "confident and calm" in your communication.
• 9 Places to Learn Public Speaking for Free - Knowing the basic principles for effective public speaking is key to being confident. Use this list of free courses to get the knowledge and then apply it in practical situations for experience.

If you found this information useful, please "like" my post and share with your colleagues. And whatever you do, keep learning!

~Stacey

Stacey Young Rivers, Ph.D. is a talent development leader with expertise in developing strategies to close skills gaps, build talent pipelines, and create internal career mobility models. Dr. Rivers is also a mom, author , and researcher .