Projecting a confident persona doesn’t just help to shape other people’s impressions of you. If you successfully manage to project a confident appearance, this will have a significant impact on your mind and behaviour. It seems that “fake it till you make it” is actually a viable strategy. If you act confident, you will soon believe it. Unfortunately, we all have those telltale ticks that give us away, whether it’s playing with your hair or biting your nails. If you’d like to change your behaviour to help you feel more confident, try these simple steps.
Confident people don’t slouch, so if you want to project a bold image, make sure you aren’t slouching. It can be difficult to retrain those back muscles to sit and stand up straight, so you might want to try a gentle yoga class to help lengthen your spine and strengthen the muscles in your back. Sitting at a computer all day can be the biggest culprit when it comes to slouching, so it might be time to invest in a back support to keep a gentle curve in your spine.
You don’t have to be an expert in body language to know that constantly playing with your hair or biting your nails doesn't project a confident image. The problem with this one is, most people don’t even realise that they have these nervous ticks. Ask a friend or colleague to be honest with you about your nervous ticks and you might find it enlightening. Once you know what your bad habits are, you can work on cutting them out. This might not all happen at once, but if you can cut them out during important meetings or presentations when you need to project a confident image, the benefits will be immediately clear.
Confident people aren't afraid to smile, so if you worry that your smile is holding you back it might be time to visit the dentist. A confident smile is strong social currency and can help to make people more likeable, which will help to boost your confidence. Discoloured teeth, missing teeth or misaligned teeth can all have an impact on how you smile, so it might be worth visiting a private dentist to discuss teeth whitening or denture implants to help give you more confidence when you smile.
Rebecca Harper is a freelance writer and small business coach living in London. She helps entrepreneurs to grow their business through introspective training.