Is confidence a skill?
Self-confidence is defined as a feeling of trust in one’s abilities, qualities, and judgement. Being able to tackle something no matter the odds, difficulty or diversity is definitely a skill to strive for.
Confidence is an invaluable business skill
Some people have confidence by the bucket load, they probably have been confident all their lives. While some of us may struggle with confidence and have good and bad moments depending on the situation. Confidence is a fragile and complex quality that can be very challenging to attain and hold onto – but it is also recognised as a major component of most business models of superior performance.
The good news is we can improve our self-confidence, as it’s a completely learnable skill. Here at The Method we help our clients teams, leaders and managers use observable behaviour change to dramatically improve their confidence.
Here are some tips if improving your self-confidence is high on your list of skills.
Confidence is not a personality trait
If you think being unconfident is just part of who you are, you might like to think again. How do you behave with friends and family in familiar social situations? Maybe you act differently in a more challenging work meeting? How confident you are, completely changes depending on the context and situation. It’s not set in stone, and how you react in less comfortable situations can be adapted and developed over time.
Practice makes confidence perfect
Confidence takes practice, the more familiar you are with behaving confidently the easier it will become to be it. The more you practice being confident in areas you would usually find difficult, the less fearful and more relaxed you’ll be the next time.
You can be confident and quiet
Confidence doesn’t have to be loud, brash and bombastic. You don’t have to force your point on others to be heard, but you do have to believe in yourself. If you’re a quiet person, you can be confident in your own way.
Baby steps and small confidence changes
Just over half of our communication is non-verbal. Our body language goes a long way in showing how we’re feeling in certain situations. Think about your posture, whether you’re smiling, eye contact, where you position your arms and hands. All these tiny gestures all play their part in portraying how confident you are, and how confident you feel.
Creating Star Performers in Business Roles
Our unique performance enhancing system is designed to help create Star Performers in business roles. Drawn from the world of acting, our exclusive behavioural toolkit builds your capabilities to embody your best, “high performing self” and deliver more impact and value … when it matters.
