You may have crafted the perfect message, but your delivery will say it all. The fact is, how you look and sound makes a huge impression and your audience will form opinions quickly. In fact, research suggests that people form impressions about a speaker’s competence in less than 2 minutes. This means that you only have a matter of seconds to convince your audience that you are knowledgeable and trustworthy. The good news is that there are ways to convey power and confidence, even if you are nervous on the inside. Here are a few ways to look confident when you begin your presentation.Â
Dress for Success
Your outward appearance speaks volumes about your level of self confidence. Fair or not, people will make judgments about you based on your clothing. It is important to choose something that looks professional. Think about it…would you be more likely to believe the guy who walks in wearing jeans and flip-flops or the guy who walks in wearing a suit. When selecting your outfit, it is also important to choose something that you are comfortable in. There is little to gain from wearing a professional outfit if you don’t feel your best. You should also be mindful when choosing shoes and accessories. Remember, you want to look clean, polished, and professional. That will give off confident vibes before you have even spoken a word.Â
Make Eye Contact
There’s simply no better way to connect with your audience and gain their trust than through eye contact. When you look a person in the eye, you communicate confidence and belief in your point of view. When the audience sees you looking at them, it invites them to engage with you and listen to you more closely. Eye contact demonstrates assertiveness and it makes you a more powerful speaker. One of the most powerful means of communicating confidence and conviction is through sustained eye contact.Â
Pace Yourself and Pause
Many speakers try to memorize their presentations and they end up talking way too fast. This can also end up making them sound way too rehearsed, lacking authenticity. Confident speakers, however, vary the pace of their delivery and slow down to accentuate important points. They even pause, to create a more dramatic effect. Unfortunately, many speakers end up using filler words like “uh†and “um†because they are afraid of silence, when it’s that exact silence from pauses which make a speaker appear confident and sure of themselves. If you slow down your pace and even pause, you can guarantee that whatever you say next will be instantly memorable.