How to Speak confidently anywhere you find yourself

Speaking with confidence will improve every area of your life.  Below are a few tips on speaking with confidence that will help you develop the strong, powerful tone for projecting confidence in any situation.

Slow down

The most common mistake people make that prevents them from speaking with confidence is speaking too quickly.  When you speak quickly it often gives the impression that you are nervous, insecure, or lacks self-control.  It’s crucial then to practice speaking at a slower, more relaxed pace.  Speaking in a calm, deliberate manner shows confidence and dominance.

When to start speaking

Another mistake is that they rush into speaking. Jumping in and talking immediately like can make you look a little too eager and even worse make the other person may feel as though they were not heard.  A good practice then is work on pausing for a second or two after a person speaks before you start talking.  Taking your time like this shows you are relaxed, confident, and are actually interested in what the other person is saying.

Eliminate filler words

Filler words such as “uhh”, “like”, etc. are used to take up space while a person tries to figure out what to say next.  But using them just makes you look uncertain of what you are saying.  So if you want to sound more confident when speaking, eliminate these filler words completely.  If you need a moment to think of what to say next simply pause and hold that silence.  Silent pauses are incredibly powerful as they build tension and suck people in.  If you can hold those brief moments of silence without feeling the need to fill that silence with useless sounds, people will start to hang off your every word.

Don’t just be loud

Some people sometimes confuse speaking with confidence as speaking loudly.  While speaking loud enough to be heard is important, what matters even more that volume is your pitch and cadence. To project confidence then, be sure to keep a low pitch and a smooth cadence when speaking.

Speaking without tension

That low, dominant tone that makes you sound confident comes about naturally when you release the tension in your voice. The muscles in your shoulders, neck, jaw and throat all affect your voice tone so you want to relax those muscles when speaking.

Adding authority to your speech

When people are uncertain of what they are saying, the pitch of their voice automatically goes up at the end of sentences.  You hear this all the time when people ask questions but it can happen when people give statements, too.  If you want to add an extra touch of authority to your speech do the opposite and end your sentences by lowering your pitch.

Stay present

Stay aware of the sound of your voice when you speak.  This will keep you grounded so those nasty habits such as speaking too quickly, tightening your voice would not come creeping in unnoticed.