Present a Confident You
When leading or attending a professional meeting, appearing confident is a must. In the face of nerves, despite whatever is riding on your performance, portraying belief in yourself, your product or your pitch will steer the meeting towards success. Take heed of the following points to facilitate your inner confidence.
1. Location
Choose a central meeting venue with excellent transport links for convenience. Creating a positive impression will be easier when your audience are not travel weary. The venue should complement your objectives and the conference room facilitate your agenda. Take a tour of the venue prior to presentation day to make sure that it is professional equipped and aesthetically pleasing. Staff and service are also paramount: only the best will do. Consider serviced office staff your sidekicks in sealing a business deal: ensure that they will represent you well before you make a booking. Hiring the perfect meeting room is an implicit indicator of your awareness, ability and will allow you to be confident in your choice.
3. Research
Know who you are meeting with and what their involvement is before your turn up to plan, pitch or preach. This of course should be married with thorough groundwork supporting your own ideas. A solid understanding of both the client and your objectives will help you create an angle, apply some leverage and operate with precision. Without comprehensive understanding, apparent confidence may evade you.
4. Conduct
The biggest factor in appearing confident is you. Consider your meeting an acting opportunity and think about your performance beforehand. Prepare to lower your voice slightly to appear authoritative, speak more slowly and avoid, um, filler words, like… you know? Reinforcing what you say with strong, smooth gesticulation emphasises your belief in your points and persuades your audience likewise. Attempt to adopt the body language of a confident person: remember to make varied eye contact with people as they speak in turn, sit straight, walk with your head up and most importantly, smile. In moments of silence, remember to keep the act up: appear engaged and interested through your body language.
However, the principal that must guide your application of every one of these techniques is rapport. Building rapport is incredibly important in establishing an understanding. Adapt your behaviour to that of your meeting attendees. Shouting emphatically to a small, reserved and softly spoken group may serve more to alienate you than convince of confidence or competence.
