How to appear confident

Your body language is the very first thing someone notices about you. We’ve all heard the cliché phrase “fake it ‘til you make it”– but in this case, it’s true. Fake confidence by taking a power stance, putting a relaxed expression on your face and holding your head high. You will not only look more confident, but feel more confident by positioning your body this way.

Mirroring taps into the power of mirror neurons. These neurons are essential to human connection. You can use this principle to help you improve your communication skills and unlock how to show confidence . When you’re interacting with someone, “mirror” them: match their body language with your own, adjust the tone of your voice to be closer to theirs and even choose words that are similar to their vocabulary.

Standing slumped over or with your shoulders caved in is no way to exude confidence . Instead of allowing your body to hunch over, stand up straight, hold your head up high and push your shoulders back. Additionally, when you’re speaking with someone, it helps to have your body directly facing theirs. When you’re discovering how to appear more confident , always remember to start with adjusting your posture and everything else will fall into place.

Nervous energy often leads to fidgeting to relieve discomfort. Fidgeting includes wringing your hands, bouncing your foot or tapping your fingers against a table. While this may help eliminate some nerves, it also makes you look unprofessional. If you find yourself fidgeting, take a deep breath to help yourself exude confidence and stay in the present moment. If your hands are fidgeting, place them on your lap or fold them together so they’re no longer a distraction. Then you’ll be able to resist fidgeting altogether.

The way you hold your hands is a big part of how to show confidence. If you’re unsure of what to do with your hands when you’re talking or listening, use a gesture that exudes power and certainty in what you’re saying: the hand steeple. Make a steeple shape with your hands by placing the tips of your fingers together so they form a point. This is an excellent gesture that can be used to exude confidence in many situations.

Direct eye contact lets people know you’re focusing your attention on them and is a technique with high returns when working on how to show confidence. However, making too much intense eye contact can be off-putting, so aim for a happy medium. A good rule of thumb is the 80/20 rule. Meet your partner’s eyes 80% of the time you’re speaking and allow your eyes to wander or focus on something else the other 20%.

 Meeting someone new can often generate anxiety, but you’ll exude confidence and distract yourself from any nerves if you’re able to work on how to appear confident instead. When meeting someone ­– especially in a professional setting – your first contact is often the handshake. A quality handshake can set the entire tone of your interaction.

Body language speaks volumes in your quest for how to appear more confident, but keep in mind your voice and expression also play a major role. Happy people are perceived as more confident and relaxed, so putting a smile on your face is a quick and easy fix when finding ways for how to seem confident. The tone and inflection of your voice is also important. When you smile, your voice will naturally sound pleasant and more confident.