confidence

Six Ways to Boost Your Confidence at Work

By in Learning, Living Well Tags:

Confident_Guy

Some people are just naturally confident. They feel proud of the work they do and the things they accomplish on the job.

Other people have a harder time believing in themselves. They might do excellent work, but they still have doubts about their skills and competencies. If you fall into this second category, here are six ways that you can banish your concerns and boost your confidence:

  1. Tell people when you’ll get a task done and then meet that deadline. You’ll feel good about what you accomplished, and this will help to increase your feelings of confidence. And it will make other people respect your skills and abilities.
  2. Speak up. During meetings, you don’t have to talk constantly or dominate conversations. But when you feel like you have something valuable to say, say it! The more practice you get in this area, the more comfortable you’ll be speaking in front of your bosses and coworkers – and the more confident you’ll feel.
  3. Learn how to deal with criticism. We all get criticized occasionally, and it can be hard to take. But criticism really can be beneficial. You just need to stay calm, not get defensive, listen to what’s being said, and gather more information if necessary. If you determine that your manager’s criticism is valid, try to change your behavior. And most of all – don’t let it shake your confidence. Don’t obsess over what was said. Instead, try to focus on all the strengths and skills that you have to offer.
  4. Get some additional training. If you feel like your knowledge is lacking in certain areas, seek out additional training. As you learn more, your confidence (and competence) will grow!
  5. Smile and be peppy. Confident people actually do smile more often than those who lack confidence. And they walk in a peppy manner. So if you can do those things, you’ll look more confident, other people will think you’re confident, and this, in turn, will help to make you feel more confident!
  6. Spend time with encouraging friends and/or coworkers. Nothing builds up your confidence more than being around people who support you, remind you of your strengths, console you (when necessary), and encourage you.

 

Brandon, J. (2014, October 6). 10 ways to build your confidence at work. Inc. Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/john-brandon/10-ways-to-build-your-confidence-at-work.html

 

How to Feel Confident at Work

By in Living Well Tags: , ,

Confident_Employee

Confidence is a great quality. Confident employees tend to feel positive about their work and motivated to get things done. They trust in their own abilities. They’re productive and successful.

Confidence is something that you can build over time. And there are a lot of things that can boost your confidence. For instance, gaining relevant work experience, earning your coworkers’ respect, and receiving positive feedback are all things that can make you feel confident about your skills and abilities.

But according to author Sammi Caramela, there are also “confidence killers” that can bring you down and cause you to question your strengths. Here is a list of those confidence killers, and some tips on how to overcome them:

  • Being a perfectionist – It’s great that you take pride in your work and want to do a good job. But in many cases (especially when working on team projects in which you don’t have full control over the end product), it’s simply not possible to be perfect. So being a perfectionist can be incredibly stressful and make you feel terrible if you miss the mark. To avoid this problem, try to remind yourself that you don’t need to be perfect – you simply need to do your best. And your best work is something to be proud of.
  • Having a micromanaging manager – Micromanaging managers can make you feel like you’re not doing your job properly. They’re so involved in every detail of your work that they can make you start to question your skills. To avoid this confidence killer, try to remind yourself that micromanaging managers behave this way with all of their employees. You’re not being singled out, and the quality of your work is not being called into question.
  • Feeling disengaged – If you feel disengaged at work, it might be because you’re being asked to do work that doesn’t take advantage of your strengths or perhaps you never received the proper training. This can cause your confidence to drop. To stop this from happening, try talking to your manager about taking on projects that would play to your strengths. And if possible, try to get additional training, which would really help to boost your skills and confidence.
  • Being frightened of making a mistake – If you’re afraid of making a mistake, you’re probably going to avoid taking on challenging projects. So you won’t feel confident in your abilities because you’ll never have the chance to try something different and learn something new. To combat this, start small. Take on a new task that’s a little bit outside of your comfort zone. Once you realize that you can accomplish it, you’ll be ready to take on new challenges and you’ll have much more confidence in your abilities. And remember – even if a project doesn’t turn out exactly as you planned, it’s still a success if you learned from it.
  • Having critical coworkers – Try not to let critical coworkers bring you down. Do your best to be civil so you can continue to work together. Always be fair, polite, respectful, and professional. It’s OK if you don’t have (or want) a close relationship with certain coworkers. But don’t waste your energy being angry, and don’t let negative coworkers chip away at your confidence. Try not to take their comments personally.

…

Caramela, S. (2018, June 26). 5 workplace confidence killers and how to beat them. Business News Daily. Retrieved from: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7828-women-career-confidence.html

Confidence Boosters

By in Communication Tags: ,

Talking_Confidently

Would you like to sound confident when talking to clients, managers, and coworkers – even if you don’t feel confident? Would you like other people to view you as knowledgeable, trustworthy, and authoritative? If so, author Jayson Demers suggests that you try these simple techniques:

  • Speak slowly – Speaking quickly can make you sound nervous, and you’ll be more likely to stumble over your words. In contrast, if you speak slowly, you’ll have time to choose your words carefully, and everything you say will sound more weighty and important.
  • Take pauses – When you pause while speaking, it gives you the chance to gather your thoughts and take a deep breath (if you’re feeling anxious). Pauses also make you sound relaxed and confident. They can be used to build suspense and emphasize a certain key point. And they give your listeners the chance to absorb and process what you’re saying.
  • Don’t go off on tangents – When you go off on a tangent, you run the risk of looking scattered, nervous, and disorganized. So don’t tell that adorable story about your cat unless it’s actually relevant. Stay focused on the topic at hand.
  • Lower your voice – People who speak with a low tone of voice tend to be viewed as more knowledgeable and trustworthy. So try to bump yours down just a bit. Don’t go too far, or you’ll probably sound weird. But if you go just a tiny bit lower than usual, it can have a positive effect.
  • Stand up straight – Posture is important! People will respect you more if you stand up straight with your shoulders back, your head held high, and your arms at your sides.
  • Gesture a lot – Don’t just wave your hands around. That would be strange. But you should use hand gestures to draw attention to what you’re saying and emphasize important points. It will help you to appear more confident and make your words seem more important.

It’s also a good idea to practice using these techniques. The more comfortable you become with them, the more effective they’ll be! Good luck!

 

Demers, J. (n.d.). The 7 best tricks to sounding confident (even when you’re not). The Muse. Retrieved from: https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-7-best-tricks-to-sounding-confident-even-when-youre-not

 

The Benefits and Dangers of Humor at Work

By in Humor, Learning Tags: , ,

Telling_a_Joke

Do you want your coworkers’ respect? Try telling a joke!

According to a recent study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, people who tell jokes at work are viewed as being more confident, competent, important, and intelligent than their more serious counterparts. People like and admire their funny coworkers.

And apparently, it’s also great when managers use humor. When managers are willing to joke around, their employees tend to be more cohesive, productive, relaxed, and creative.

But beware! You can’t just tell any old joke and expect to reap the rewards. It has to be an appropriate joke. Researchers found that when people tell offensive or off-color jokes, their status can immediately plummet. After just one inappropriate joke, they’re held in lower regard than people who never attempt to tell jokes in the first place.

So feel free to joke around, but make sure to do it in the right way. If you tell an appropriate joke, people will appreciate it. Even if they don’t find it funny, they’ll still view you as an intelligent, confident person.

 

Shellenbarger, S. (2017, January 24). The joke that makes or breaks you at work. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-joke-that-makes-or-breaks-you-at-work-1485273069

 

Feeling Stressed? Try a Power Pose.

By in Living Well Tags: , ,

Power_pose

In my last blog article, I wrote about how you can ease the pain of a stressful day by watching a cat video. But if you’re having a bad day and you’re not into cats, don’t despair! You do have other options! For instance, according to researchers, you can reduce your feelings of stress and boost your confidence by striking a power pose.

Power poses involve sitting or standing in an open, expansive way. One of the most famous has been dubbed the “Wonder Woman pose,” and involves standing with your feet apart, shoulders back, and hands on your hips. (It’s actually a pose that seems to be popular with both male and female superheroes. I’ve noticed that Superman tends to stand like this too.)

Researchers have found that people who spent two minutes in power poses experienced an increase in testosterone and a decrease in cortisol (a stress hormone). They also reported feeling more powerful, relaxed, and willing to take on difficult or risky situations.

So the next time you’re having a hard day, go ahead and strike a power pose. After two minutes, you might feel much better!

 

Carney, D. R., Cuddy, A. J. C., & Yap, A. (2010). Power posing: Brief nonverbal displays affect neuroendocrine levels and risk tolerance. Association for Psychological Science, 21(10). Retrieved from http://www.decisionlab.harvard.edu/CPL/Cuddy/2010_carney_cuddy_yap_psych_science.pdf

Want to Appear More Confident in 2015? Purge Your Speech of These 9 Lame Phrases.

By in Humor, Language, Leadership Tags:

dreamstime_s_25565898

Words are powerful. They can elevate, enlighten, encourage, and shame. They can heal and they can wound. They can also complement or detract from the image you want others to see when they interact with you. While we can’t choose every word we say, we can rid ourselves of the ones that don’t serve us. Here are the ones I plan to send to the dumpster this year:

  1. “I guess so.” Guessing is for the lazy and the clueless. “Yes” is stronger. “No” is stronger still.
  2. “Whatever.” This is passive-aggression at its worst. It translates as, “I’m not going to fight you, but I don’t agree.”
  3. “It is what it is.” This phrase may sound wise, but often it really means, “There’s nothing I can do about this situation and I’m not going to put any effort into it, in any case.” Instead, how about saying, “Let’s see what we can do.”
  4. “I’ll try.” This phrase is, frankly, a stall. It’s a stand-in for “no way!” when we just don’t want to say no in person. As Yoda once said, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Instead, say “I will” or “I won’t.”
  5. “I don’t know.” When we use this phrase too often, it can make us sound dimwitted or, at the very least, like someone who is not resourceful. Instead, consider saying, “Here’s what I know” or “That’s a great question. How can we find the answer?”
  6. “No one asked me, but…” These words reek of self-pity. Instead, say “Here’s what I believe/know/think…”
  7. “I’m sorry!” Although apologizing is crucial when you have harmed someone, these words become automatic for many of us, especially when we are trying to be “nice.” Unfortunately, it can make us sound less than confident. Substitute apologies with gratitude instead. Replace “I’m sorry for bothering you” with “Thanks for seeing me on short notice.”
  8. “Sort of” and its twin, “kind of.” These words dilute the power of your message. People who accomplish things don’t sorta kinda do them, they do them. You wouldn’t want your doctor to tell you he “kind of” doesn’t like the results of your blood panel and “sort of” thinks you should be on medication. Right? You want clarity from him, which is what everyone wants from you.
  9. “With all due respect.” This phrase signals to the listener that you are about to say something negative, tactless, or insulting. Instead, say nothing. No one wants to hear the next part of that sentence!

Which words and phrases would you add? Let us know in the Comments section!