No matter how confident and successful we are, most of us will feel nervous ahead of big important meetings. Luckily, there are a number of simple things you can do to give your confidence a boost ahead of an important work event, as you will see below.
Confidence for Big Meetings
Dress confidently
It might sound silly, but the more confident you dress, the more confident you are likely to feel. When you look the part, it is easier to act the part and when you act the part it is easier to actually become the thing you need to be. So, put on your best pantsuit, choose the most colorful of your Joy Susan Purses and prepare to walk into that room with your head held high. The clothes really can make the woman.
Make sure you’ve prepared
This is really simple, but the more work you have put in to prepare for your big meeting the more confident you will naturally be. When you have read up on the order of the day and you really know your stuff, there is absolutely no reason to be nervous because you know you can handle any questions that are thrown at you with ease.
Try improv
This might sound a bit leftfield, but if you are someone who struggles with your confidence in situations where you are expected to speak publically, then taking an improv class can really help you overcome your issues.
When you do improve, you are thrown into random situations and have to not only perform them in front of an audience, but you also have to be quick on your feet to think of the right things to say. Both of these skills will help you to appear more confident during big meetings and other work events such as presentations.
Fake it until you make it
Fake it ‘til you make it may seem like one of those cliches that people trot out but which aren’t really workable, but actually, it can work well. If you walk into a room with your head held high and a smile on your face, and you speak with a calm measured voice, pretty soon, your faked confidence will become the real thing.
Meditate
If you are prone to get extremely anxious before big meetings, then learning how to meditate could be really useful for you. When you meditate, you are able to watch your thoughts without engaging them or believing them, and this gives you enough headspace to stay calm, cool, and collected no matter what. Spend 10 minutes meditating before that big meeting and you’re sure to smash it. Oh, and it will help to boost your brainpower too, which is good if you need to generate lots of new business ideas.
No matter how nerve-wracking that big meeting is, you can walk into it with your head held high feeling more confident than you ever imagined possible. Put the ideas suggested above into action, work on them to boost your confidence, and smash that meeting. You got this.
