If you’re struggling with self-confidence, this is for you

Do you second guess yourself in situations where you’re the expert? Do you feel you’re lacking confidence in your professional life? If you answered yes to either question, you’re not alone.

The most common challenge people talk to me about is their struggle with self-confidence.

These people are very capable, highly skilled and accomplished professionals. And yes, there is this persistent and energy-draining issue they have to deal with again and again.

The Challenge:

You have developed your technical skills, your business acumen and you have achieved results that speak for themselves. Yes, you don’t feel as confident in your abilities as you should and you can’t find a way to reassure yourself that you deserve a seat at the table and a chance to further prove yourself.

The Solution:

Public Speaking. Hear me out.

Getting on stage might be the last thing on your mind and you’re getting sweaty palms just thinking about it, but let me try to convince you that it’s the best way I know to build confidence that translates into every area of your life.

Public speaking goes beyond delivering a speech on a big stage. It can take many different forms, including:

●     Delivering a public webinar

●     Being a guest on a podcast

●     Presenting in your next team meeting

●     Recording and publishing youtube videos

●     Presenting your use case at a vendor conference

●     Hosting a lunch & learn session for your colleagues

●     Speaking in front of the parent & teachers association

And many more…

Yes, speaking in front of an audience is daunting and even with practice you will continue to feel at least a bit nervous and get butterflies. It does wonders for your confidence, though.

 The first time is likely the scariest, after that you’ll improve different things with every talk and you’ll notice your progress every time. That gives you confidence.

Here are my key tips for getting started and for really noticing how your confidence improves:

Pick a topic you really want to talk about.

○     If you built a great dashboard, show it off to your team and explain the benefits - what’s in it for them, how will it make their lives easier?

○     Love cooking? Organise a shared lunch at work where everyone brings a dish and challenge yourself to hold a short 2 min speech at the start of the lunch, welcoming everyone and explaining your idea behind the get together

○     Have a great use case for the data integration platform you use at work? Apply to speak at their next user group and tell people how your organisation uses the platform.

Deliver your talk

○     Prepare, rehearse often (especially the start and the end) and then get in front of that audience

○     I promise, you will not die doing this. It can be really daunting just moments before it’s your turn, so take several deep breaths, exhaling slowly and fully. When you’re in front of the audience, plant your feet firmly on the ground before you start speaking

○     Find a friendly face in the front rows and speak ‘to them’ to ease your nerves

Reflect and analyse

○     After you’re done, take a few minutes to reflect: what went well, what would you like to improve next time, how did the audience react, what questions did they ask?

○     How did it feel compared to what you thought it would be like? Was ist harder or easier?

○     We’re often our own harshest critic, so if your friend delivered the same talk, what would you tell them?

The Next Step:

 Once you’ve given your first talk, the hardest part is done. Now it’s a matter of repeating, adjusting, tweaking, improving and seeking feedback. And doing it all again and again.

 Over time, you’ll notice that speaking up in a meeting gets easier. You’ll start grabbing the microphone to ask a question when you are in the audience yourself. Maybe you’ll consider hosting an internal webinar or starting a podcast with someone else.

You’ll start having ideas that were inconceivable in the past. Now you’re more confident and you’ve built the skills that help you turn that confidence into new opportunities.

At the end of the day, that’s what it is: public speaking is a skill. It’s something you can learn and improve over time. It’s the best way I know to build confidence.

If you’re struggling with your own self esteem and confidence and you feel it’s holding you back in your career, why not give this a go?

Have a great week!

Eva