How can we maintain confidence in a world that often demands perfection?
Confident communication can feel like an uphill battle, especially when we're wrestling with our own insecurities. EMBRACE OUR IMPERFECTIONS! Yet, it's precisely in those moments of vulnerability that the power of confident communication truly shines.
We all have areas where we feel less than confident. Maybe it's public speaking, networking, or asserting ourselves in a group setting. It's easy to get bogged down by our perceived shortcomings and allow them to overshadow our strengths. But what if we reframed our perspective?
Understanding that we're not perfect in all areas is the first step towards embracing confident communication. It's okay to acknowledge our imperfections and areas where we may feel insecure. In fact, it's liberating. By accepting that we're human and bound to make mistakes, we free ourselves from the paralyzing grip of perfectionism (this is an ongoing lesson for me).
Confident communication isn't about pretending to be flawless; it's about owning our strengths and vulnerabilities alike.
So, how can we harness the power of confident communication, even when we're feeling insecure?
1. Know Your Strengths: Take inventory of your strengths and areas where you excel. Whether it's your creativity, analytical skills, or empathy, recognizing what you bring can boost your confidence in any communication setting.
2. Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself with the same empathy and understanding you would offer to a friend.
3. Cultivate A Growth Mindset: A person willing to learn will always grow. Each communication experience, whether successful or not, offers valuable lessons for personal and professional growth.
4. Seek Support: Find your village. Surrounding yourself with a supportive network (family, friends, mentor, etc) can boost your confidence and provide invaluable perspective.
In the end, confident communication is not about eliminating insecurity altogether; it's about embracing it. By acknowledging our imperfections and focusing on our strengths, we can authentically connect more deeply with others.
Let's embrace confident communication and our imperfections.
Be well, Speak well, Be Confident!
Written by: Chiquia Lewis
Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash
About
Chiquia Lewis, Speaker | Public Speaking Consultant | Motivational Educator
Chiquia is passionate about helping
individuals desiring to elevate their speaking skills toÂ
find their voice and speak confidently.
 Her passion was birth out of her experience of beingÂ
an extroverted-introvert (someone who enjoys being
around others & speaking with others but also loves being alone)
 while struggling with thoughts of shame and abuse
which altered her confidence and speaking.
Personal development, self discovery, research and journaling
are some of the strategies she used on her journey toÂ
finding her voice and speaking confidently
again. She now gives talks on how confidence isÂ
one of the key factors to making the greatest impact Â
in your life and in your organization.Â
Chiquia holds 2 bachelors degrees; in Education and Business
Management and a masters degree inÂ
Communications. Her experience rangesÂ
from a language interpreter, K-12 educator, liaison to physicians,
to a college professor of Communications.
She is a mother of two and lives in Florida.
I love that.... confident imperfections. This reminds of the use of gold used by artisans to highlight the breaks and imperfections of a clay jar. So yes intend of shying away from our imperfections embrace them because they are unique to us and what makes us beautiful in God's eyes.