Building Confidence

Confidence: the feeling that you are capable of handling a situation successfully

Communication Apprehension (fear of speaking, usually in public)

Fear - agitated feeling caused by the anticipation of danger

Normal and universal

Biological

Phobia- irrational fear

Symptoms: forgetting words, upset stomach, flushed face, dizziness, shortness of breath, sweating, wobbly legs/knees

WHY??

Body preparing for “emergency”

Dislike the thought of being judged

Dislike possibility of embarrassment/failure

Accurate Perception (how you see things)

An accurate (objective) perception is a tool to help us learn more about ourselves, others, the world

Inaccurate perception can cause us to blow things out of proportion, jump to conclusions, be a horrible judge of self

PERCEPTION of AUDIENCE - unless speaker points it out, audience is unaware of nervousness

PERCEPTION of SPEECH - it’s sharing information NOT putting on a show

PERCEPTION of SELF - Don’t be afraid to fail

Recognize your individuality & self-worth

See your unique qualities

Everyone is human

Self-esteem - how you feel about yourself

The “planks” of CONFIDENCE -

ten components to help build self-confidence

C - Content: have something meaningful to say

O - Organization: ideas are easy to follow

N- Notes: reminders of what you want to say

F- Friendliness: warm, caring attitude

I -Impression: getting off to a good start

D- Dedication: practice, practice, practice

E - Empathy: know how it feels to be there

N- Newness: be original

C- Conviction: believe in what you say

E- Enthusiasm: use emotion and be excited about what you say