怎样提升自己的自信心?

Confidence can make or break your career. Luckily for those lacking it, self-belief is easy to boost.

How important is confidence?

“Hugely from a leadership and team perspective,” says Rob Yeung, a corporate psychologist at Talentspace and author of Confidence: The Art of Getting Whatever you Want.

“You must be confident for others to have confidence in you. People equate confidence with competence.”

Bob Etherington, a sales, negotiation and presentation trainer, says it can be the difference between success and failure. “Companies aren’t run by people who are the best but by people who think they’re the best.”

What about faking it?

“Often you do need to feign confidence at first,” says Mr Etherington. “You try and adopt the feeling of someone who knows what they’re doing.”

But, he adds, the best thing about faking confidence is that it often evolves into the real thing. “You get a picture in your mind of the outcome you want. Athletes do it all the time – they see the ball going into the hole. Even though you don’t really believe it, your brain latches on to it. That gets your confidence going.”

What can I do to build my confidence?

When engaging in conversation or making presentations, Mr Etherington’s advice is: “Speak clearly and drop your voice, stand with your feet about 30 centimetres apart, use your hands when you talk and make eye contact.”

Peter Shaw, an executive coach at Praesta, says that personal experiences can also help. “Remember occasions when you have been confident in the past. Encapsulate memories of success,” he says. “You could also have a mantra, like ‘I can do this’ or ‘Keep calm and carry on’. Or you can think of situations where you’re confident outside of work and then transfer some of that into the work environment.”

Mr Yeung says: “Psychologists also talk about the ‘illusion of transparency’. Most people believe that when they are nervous everyone can see this. But they can’t. Just remembering this can make you more confident.”

How important is preparation?

Two ways to improve how you come across are to make sure you have done your homework and to show up to meetings with plenty of time to spare. “You may not actually need to read all those pages the night before but it will boost your confidence,” says Mr Shaw. “Preparation is as much psychological as practical.”

Arriving early is also a good way to collect your thoughts. “If you arrive flustered and have to apologise, you won’t inspire confidence in those you’re meeting and you start on the back foot.”

Can you be overconfident?

There is a fine line between self-belief and arrogance. A confident manager is grounded enough to “accept criticism and welcome feedback”, adds Mr Yeung.