My team and I delivered a series of career planning workshops for 250+ Qld employees in a global Fortune 500 company recently. Our mission? To help our attendees develop career strategies to drive both personal and business success.

Key elements included identifying what they offer and what they need in return. Strengthening their personal branding and social media marketing resources and developing sound networking campaigns. As well, determining their critical developmental needs, then building a robust strategy to drive their plan.

When it came to voicing what they actually do in words that would give their audience an idea of the value they offer, most fell short.

Now think about this. Given it costs a company $5M + for just one 30 second commercial in the US Superbowl, with a broadcast that attracts the largest audience globally, you’d want to get it right wouldn’t you? No second chance at a first impression there. And the same applies to us.

Whether in an elevator, at a networking event or meeting the boss for the first time, it’s helpful to have our own little 30-second spiel.

Here’s a simple formula:

This is who I am (your value proposition):

e.g. I’m a career specialist (my brand) – I help people develop and implement robust strategies to drive their personal and career success (my value)

This is what I do (summed up in a brief sentence):

e.g. I help them identify their ideal position, develop personal branding and social media marketing messages and create outcome-focused networking campaigns. All designed to build confidence to thrive in the world of work.

This is what I offer (a few key strengths):

e.g. I love developing, coaching, mentoring and leading my team to deliver to the best of their abilities. I’m good at adjusting my coaching style to meet my candidate’s needs. And I’m also known for my sound knowledge of social media and web-based marketing.

Now I suspect you are already thinking ‘I don’t like to talk about myself’. Hey, that’s common for us Aussies, given the whole ‘tall poppy’ thing. However! Confidence is king. And that comes from preparing and practising your commercial. Starting with those three little points:

• This is who I am
• This is what I do
• This is what I offer

Go on. Give it a go!

Standing like a superhero, not your gig? There are lots of other ways to fake it till you make it, whether at a job interview or presenting at a meeting. Alongside planning, preparation and practice, here are six techniques that just may alleviate those nerves and give the impression of confidence.

1 Use your eyes…

As over 70% of our sensory receptors are in our eyes (they dominate our senses) using the power of your eyes is a great way to simulate confidence. Meeting with your interviewer? Target your eye contact on her’s, and she’ll be less likely to look away or be distracted. Speaking at a team meeting? Make individual eye contact with each participant in the room. Linger a moment as you gaze into each person’s eyes. The whole room will feel the power of your gaze and be centred on you.

Controlling both the individual and the room with eye contact will give you the aura of a supremely confident person.

2 Sit and stand tall…

Sitting or standing tall and straight will help you project a heightened version of yourself and you will look confident regardless of those swirling butterflies. You’ll also appear to be ready to speak, respond, and contribute confidently to the discussion. If you have a choice, stand. Whether giving a presentation to a room full of people, or on a conference call, standing will impress those in the room, help with breathing and put authority in your voice.

3 Keep your body calm…

Busy gestures, jiggling knees, twitches, pen clicking, neck stretching, rocking back on your chair can all project confusion, nervousness and anxiety. Same with grooming gestures like fixing your hair, straightening your collar. Make every movement count, and your audience will see your confidence and poise.

4 Slow your pace…

I tend to speak rapidly and at a higher pitch when I’m nervous, yet doing so can give my audience the impression that I’m anxious to get this over with. Slowing my pace demonstrates that I’m comfortable speaking, that my ideas are important and that I want my audience to hear and appreciate what I have to say. Slowing down your delivery, lengthening the time you give to every word and increasing the length of your pauses, lets your audience know you want them to absorb each idea, and you’re giving them time to do so.

5 Ground your voice…

Guilty! Yet those deeper registers give my voice a quality that suggests I”m strong, formidable, and leader-like, even though I may be feeling insecure. As this is one of my biggest challenges, I consciously work on both deepening my voice and avoid rising inflexions on the end of my sentences, (something we Aussies are particularly guilty for). A deepened voice will resonate with seriousness and more significance.

6 Articulate your words…

We’ve all heard speakers who mumble. If you’re guilty, putting commitment and energy behind your words and speaking clearly so that your audience understands every word you deliver will make a huge difference. Good articulation also helps you avoid your energy falling off at the ends of words or sentences.

Implementing these six handy hints for projecting confidence will help you convey a powerful image of yourself and you’ll soon have those butterflies flying in formation. Oh and the bonus? By using these techniques, you will actually become more confident.

2012 Post…

The style jury is out! Should we dress according to someone’s dictate on what constitutes ‘age appropriate’, or should we throw caution to the wind and allow our own sense of style to drive our choices?

Do we take our cue from the late greats who exuded style without apparent effort…think Jackie Onassis and Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and the late Carolyn Bessette? From our currently acknowledged style meisters Victoria Beckam, Kate Middleton, Chloe Sevigny and Blake Lively? Or do we take an edgier approach where outcomes could look either casually effortless and über cool or verge on the tragic?

A case of personal taste of course but to me it’s all about confidence. Regardless of age, gender, shape or weight…confidence.

The ‘Advanced Style’ beauties (Ari Seth Cohan’s work) from my previous blog showcased elegance as defined by neutral color palettes and what the style gurus would consider ‘safe’ for those within this age demographic. Now, here’s a few who chose to take a walk on the wild side…and just look at that confidence!