How to Project Confidence in Business

Whether you are attracting potential investors or presenting at a staff meeting, you must project confidence. Your self-assurance shows others that you believe in your business ideas and helps you sell effectively.

In some ways, the presentation of an idea is more important than the idea itself. Emotional energy is more important than content. Investors want to invest in people, not invest in ideas. Learning to convey confidence has to do with being congruent.

For example, if you are talking about the most interesting feature of your product, your expression should be large, your voice active and committed to your body. Being restless and looking at the ground would seem out of sync and of course this does not give investors confidence.

Congruence is the ability to truly believe what you say. It is a matter of being fully committed to your message emotionally and intellectually. This conviction can be difficult to muster in a high-stakes presentation, but it can be learned with will and simple practice.

Here are 4 tips to help you feel more confident:

1. See rehearse on video
Viewing your performance is the easiest way to recognize what you need to improve. Video analysis shows you when you are not being fully congruent.

Analyze the moments that seem awkward or unconvincing. Notice if eye contact is broken, and monitor the enthusiasm in your voice and body. Try to remember what you were thinking or feeling in your weakest moments and face doubts or concerns, this will help you move beyond them.

2. Print emotion
When you are presenting an idea, it is easy to lose the passion to explain the details. To appear confident, stay away from power point slides or your notes. Presentation must come from emotion. A business presentation is much more effective if people hear you speak from the heart, and not see letters projected on the wall.

You can use illustrations or drawings if you need to, but anything you can express verbally and impressively is best done that way.

Imagine that you are in a bar and try to tell a friend what your company does and what it’s worth. Show your conviction and belief in the product, that emotional energy seems more secure and inspires others to believe in what you are doing.

3. Match your emotions and body language
Movement is incredibly important, especially when it comes to convincing others. The physical movements that respond to your message hold the attention of others more effectively and make you appear much more compelling.

When giving a presentation, involve your face, hands, and body to help you get a point across. If you are excited, it is possible to walk or make grand gestures. Or, if you are explaining a problem, a frown or a more serious tone of voice would be ideal. There must be a change since you are talking about different emotions.

4. I acted without hesitation
When you talk to others, appearing decisive is especially important, that is, people you trust do not show any hesitation between deciding to act and taking action. Doubt makes movement less fluid and reveals a lack of confidence.

Practice acting in a fluid motion and surprise yourself in moments of doubt or hesitation. Ask yourself, what is the worst that could happen if I do this? Or, what is it that makes me insecure? Answering these questions will help you overcome your reservations.

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