We’re told not to judge a book by its cover.
But, let’s face it, we can’t help ourselves.
For better or worse, people are naturally judgmental! For instance, we form solid first impressions of someone within 7 seconds of meeting them.
Coming across well is an important means of getting ahead in all areas of life.
The workplace, however, is one particular domain where these impressions make a difference. With a career ladder to climb and promotions, raises and responsibilities on the line, possessing an air of confidence is one way to come across positively.
But how do you come across confidently when you feel shy, awkward or anxious inside? Thankfully, there are numerous ways to fake it ‘til you make it. Interested in learning more?
Keep reading to discover 7 ways to come across confidently in the workplace.
1. Understand Current Perceptions
First off, try and establish how others currently perceive you.
After all, it’s all too easy to assume the worst about yourself. You might have a niggling voice inside saying that you’re too timid, meek and mild. However, your colleagues may see you as a confident and capable individual.
Of course, they might not! But there’s no way of knowing without seeking feedback.
Speak to someone who you trust and feel comfortable with. Ask them to be honest about how you come across at work, and how others perceive you.
The feedback might be difficult to hear. However, this newfound understanding will help you realize how to alter course.
2. Know Your Craft
It’s hard to feel confident when you feel incompetent.
For that reason, doing everything in your power to become more knowledgeable about your role can work wonders. Go the extra mile to educate and upskill yourself.
This isn’t about showing off your level of ability (that’s a recipe for jealousy and discontent in the team). Instead, it’s about laying the groundwork for personal development and success.
Confidence will always falter when you’re unsure how to perform the tasks required of you. Constantly asking for help from others is a recipe for feeling inferior.
Conversely, being a master of your craft is automatically empowering.
3. Speak Up
Don’t be afraid to express your thoughts and opinions at work.
Having made the effort to master the job, you’ll have valuable insights and ideas to share with the team.
Raising your voice for the first time is always the hardest. Afraid of saying something stupid or incorrect, it feels easier to stay silent. Unfortunately, the longer you go without speaking up, the harder it becomes to do it.
However, expressing yourself once gets the ball rolling. Having broken the ice, each time after that feels easier and easier.
The ability to speak up and help colleagues with their work will turn you into an authority in the office. People will start coming to you for answers! This trust can work wonders for anybody’s levels of confidence.
4. Remember Your Body Language
Pay attention to your body language at work.
You can recognize a confident person from the way they hold themselves.
They seem relaxed, purposeful, and open. They walk tall, with their shoulders back and head held high. They probably have an easy smile and a calm tone of voice too.
Everything about them implies that they’re comfortable, secure, and self-assured.
Try to emulate their example! Without being excessive or dramatic, work on conducting yourself in the same manner. You might feel inauthentic at the start, but in time you’ll come to play the role with greater ease.
5. Know Thyself
This ancient wisdom can help with your confidence levels.
Knowing who you are as an individual is a good first step to becoming comfortable with yourself. And when you feel comfortable, confidence is just around the corner.
Go into work with the understanding that you are enough! You aren’t fundamentally flawed or somehow inept. Next, heed the values you find yourself living by and stick by them.
Doing so will ensure you avoid the unsettling experience of behaving at odds with your beliefs.
Unsure about your values? Well, set about identifying some that speak to you. Working out who you want to be is key to becoming that person in future.
6. Commit to Positivity
A positive outlook is another vital component of feeling confident in yourself.
It’s also a choice.
We all experience challenges and adversity in life. However, not everyone reacts to them in the same way. Some of us get caught up in a wave of negativity and self-pity. Others take it on the chin, look for the positives, and move on.
Accepting responsibility for our mindset is empowering. It takes the cause of our problems from an external to an internal source. As such, the situation comes under control.
Rather than waiting for something outside of us to change, we take the bull by the horns and do it ourselves. Feel more positive by choosing to focus on the upside; take any adversity with a pinch of salt.
Taking this approach will cultivate an outlook that’ll naturally lead to higher levels of confidence.
7. Redefine Failure
This final tip leads on from the last.
Essentially, one powerful way of finding the positive in life comes from redefining failure.
It’s hard to feel confident when you’re overly concerned with doing something wrong. Fear of failing is exceptionally human, but it has drastic negative consequences.
Nobody wants to fail, but everybody does. Sooner or later, we all experience failure of one kind or another. People who succeed in life inevitably take it on the chin.
Cultivate confidence by seeing failure for what it really is: an unparalleled opportunity to learn. Reframing failure in these terms can ease the fear involved. After all, it’s hard to be scared of something with a positive outcome.
Time to Project an Air of Confidence
First impressions count, especially in the workplace.
Possessing an air of confidence is one helpful means of coming across positively and seeing success as a result. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done when high levels of confidence don’t come naturally to you.
Thankfully, there are numerous ways to go about cultivating it from nothing. Hopefully, this post will help you do exactly that.
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