Six little interview confidence boosters

Hi, there lovely readers! As a career specialist, I often hear folk say ‘I’m not confident with interviewing/talking in front of other people/networking.’ Confidence. Easy for me to say ‘stand tall like a superhero’, ‘imagine everyone naked’, ‘fake it ’till you make it’, but does that necessarily work for you?

Standing like a superhero, not your gig? There are lots of other ways to fake it till you make it, whether at a job interview or presenting at a meeting. Alongside planning, preparation and practice, here are six techniques that just may alleviate those nerves and give the impression of confidence.

1 Use your eyes…

As over 70% of our sensory receptors are in our eyes (they dominate our senses) using the power of your eyes is a great way to simulate confidence. Meeting with your interviewer? Target your eye contact on her’s, and she’ll be less likely to look away or be distracted. Speaking at a team meeting? Make individual eye contact with each participant in the room. Linger a moment as you gaze into each person’s eyes. The whole room will feel the power of your gaze and be centred on you.

Controlling both the individual and the room with eye contact will give you the aura of a supremely confident person.

2 Sit and stand tall…

Sitting or standing tall and straight will help you project a heightened version of yourself and you will look confident regardless of those swirling butterflies. You’ll also appear to be ready to speak, respond, and contribute confidently to the discussion. If you have a choice, stand. Whether giving a presentation to a room full of people, or on a conference call, standing will impress those in the room, help with breathing and put authority in your voice.

3 Keep your body calm…

Busy gestures, jiggling knees, twitches, pen clicking, neck stretching, rocking back on your chair can all project confusion, nervousness and anxiety. Same with grooming gestures like fixing your hair, straightening your collar. Make every movement count, and your audience will see your confidence and poise.

4 Slow your pace…

I tend to speak rapidly and at a higher pitch when I’m nervous, yet doing so can give my audience the impression that I’m anxious to get this over with. Slowing my pace demonstrates that I’m comfortable speaking, that my ideas are important and that I want my audience to hear and appreciate what I have to say. Slowing down your delivery, lengthening the time you give to every word and increasing the length of your pauses, lets your audience know you want them to absorb each idea, and you’re giving them time to do so.

5 Ground your voice…

Guilty! Yet those deeper registers give my voice a quality that suggests I”m strong, formidable, and leader-like, even though I may be feeling insecure. As this is one of my biggest challenges, I consciously work on both deepening my voice and avoid rising inflexions on the end of my sentences, (something we Aussies are particularly guilty for). A deepened voice will resonate with seriousness and more significance.

6 Articulate your words…

We’ve all heard speakers who mumble. If you’re guilty, putting commitment and energy behind your words and speaking clearly so that your audience understands every word you deliver will make a huge difference. Good articulation also helps you avoid your energy falling off at the ends of words or sentences.

Implementing these six handy hints for projecting confidence will help you convey a powerful image of yourself and you’ll soon have those butterflies flying in formation. Oh and the bonus? By using these techniques, you will actually become more confident.

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