Communicating Confidently

As I was reading my peers’ thoughts and experiences about communication, I came across one article that was particularly helpful. The author, Qian Chen, a college student who is in the same business literature class as me, brought up a key aspect within communication that caught my attention: confidence. In her blog “The Next Step”, she spoke about how she is preparing for the multiple interviews that is coming up. One of the ways she practiced is by doing recorded interviews which was interesting because prior, I didn’t know that companies actually used video recordings as part of their interviews. She also brought up a very provocative statement; “being more confident is very important, because it shows the other person you have faith and believe in what you are about to say.” (2018) When it comes to speaking on a topic, you must do it in a way where you are perceived to be educated in it. Because you can’t make others believe in what you say unless you believe in it yourself. The question you’re probably asking yourself is “How do I speak with Confident?”…

Speaking confidently is an attribute that many perceive to be challenging; however, it is not as complex as some may believe. One good tip is to slow down. A common mistake most people make is to speak too quickly and end up sounding nervous. Instead speak with a calm and deliberate manner; this can help you give of the impression of being in control. Also take your time engaging in a conversation. In other words don’t rush into speaking and cut the other person off. Knowing when to start speaking shows that you are relaxed, confident and interested in what the other person has to say. Also try to keep out filter words such as “ummm”, “like”, and “uhh”. You’ll know you are better at speaking confidently when people are actually eager to listen to what you have to say.

Blog Citation

Chen, Q. (2018, February 26) The Next Step [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://medium.com/verbal-communication/the-next-step-309067a4e9f7