7 Small Behaviour Changes to Make You Appear More Confident
Faking it until you make it can work
Confidence is the not-so-secret ingredient for success in all playing fields.
Do you want to pick up the girl of your dreams?
How about a raise at work?
Or maybe you simply want to gain more respect from your peers?
Guess what?! Confidence is needed for all of those.
Implement these 7 small behavioural changes, and you’ll come off as more confident!
1. Maintain eye contact (but not too much)
The studies don’t lie when it comes to eye contact. People trust those who maintain eye contact 25% more than those who don’t.
If you’re not used to making eye contact and then start trying to switch, it’s easy to overcompensate and end up looking creepy.
A good rule of thumb is to maintain eye contact for about 50% of the time while talking, and 70% while listening.
Keeping good eye contact will not only make you appear confident, but you’ll also be perceived as:
Assertive
Competent
Charismatic
A win all around!
2. Hold yourself up straight
For this one, close your eyes and picture two people. One who is slouched like and another who is standing up straight like Superman.
Who appears more confident?
You will also be viewed as:
Reliable
Capable
Professional
All the traits of someone confident!
3. Make fun of yourself
You know those people who get super offended when anyone makes a joke about them? Don’t they come off as insecure and unconfident?
If someone makes a joke about you, you can continue to play off of it instead of letting it get to you.
You can do the same when you screw up.
Make a light joke about your failures or mistakes, and you will immediately appear more comfortable and confident in yourself.
4. Choose your words wisely — speak with conviction
It is wise not to speak too often. The more often you speak, the easier it is for you to say the wrong thing.
This doesn’t mean you should avoid talking altogether.
What it means is that you should choose your words wisely, and when you do speak, speak with conviction.
Because you aren’t speaking too often, it will be a lot easier to do so.
This will make you sound more intelligent and well-thought-out, leading you to appear overall more confident.
5. Yes, your handshake matters
This is so cliché, I know, but it still rings true to this day. The floppy handshake makes you come off as if you are not confident.
I’ve been guilty of this one many times.
It happens when I think someone is about to “dab up”, and then I end up shaking with a floppy one.
I have been working on correcting this one, and just always going in with a firm handshake instead.
Do this, and people will take you more seriously. Especially those who are old school.
6. Be your authentic self
It’s pretty damn easy to tell when someone is not being themselves. The longer you spend time with them, the more obvious it becomes, too.
That means that if you want to create any sort of meaningful relationship with someone, you need to be your authentic self.
On top of that, it’s way easier to appear confident if you aren’t acting.
Unless you’re a spy, just be yourself.
7. Tell the truth
There are some liars out there who are hard to figure out, but the truth always comes out eventually.
When you lie, you have to remember your made-up story; otherwise, your lie will be exposed.
The more lies you create, the harder it will be to remember.
Eventually, you won’t be confident in your own lies, and you will look like a “insert word of choice here”.
Just tell the truth.
Bonus behaviour: Go to the gym
By going to the gym, you’ll have more energy, strength, and be healthier. With all of these benefits, you will automatically appear (and become) more confident.
An interesting conclusion
The best part about these small changes is that while they make you appear more confident, with consistent effort, you’ll also increase your confidence.
For example, how you hold yourself changes your physiology.
Not to mention, being your authentic self will result in positive feedback from others. This will raise your confidence.
What I’m saying is… It’s worth faking it until you make it!
Thanks for reading