Have you ever been in a business meeting where a lot was at stake? Maybe you were expected to present important information or possibly were required to be involved in negotiations. No matter what takes place during a meeting, it is completely normal to feel nervous and lacking in confidence when pressure is high. Often your internal feelings of nervousness will not be obvious to those you are in a meeting with, but when a lack of confidence or nervousness is extreme, it may affect your ability to perform well under pressure in a business meeting.
Whether you are lacking self-confidence in general or only experience a lack of confidence when the pressure is high, there are things you can do to boost your confidence. In this article, we will provide tips on how to be confident in business meetings to help you be and feel your most successful. For more tips on building confidence in the workplace check out our previous article “How to Build Confidence at Work.”
It can be helpful to obtain the support of a qualified business coach when looking to boost your confidence. Lisa Jeffs is a certified life coach and business coach who has worked with hundreds of clients to boost their success and confidence in business and life. Book a discovery session with Lisa to make real and lasting change in your career and business today.
Confidence Boosting Tips for Business Meetings
Knowing how to be confident in business meetings does not have to be complicated. Try using our best tips for boosting confidence before a business meeting. Though building lasting confidence may take time, using this tip should help boost your confidence and allow you to conquer your meetings more confidently.
Get Prepared – anyone would likely feel overwhelmed, stressed and experience self-doubt if they were asked to do a presentation or meet with a client when unprepared. Preparing for your meeting might not take your nervousness away, but it should help you to feel confident about what you wish to present in your business meeting. Always take the time to get ready for your meeting and make sure you feel good about what you have prepared. If you know you have done a great job your feelings of confidence in your work will shine through to your audience. Do the work and reap the befits of walking into your meeting with confidence.
Ask for Feedback – it is more than ok to ask for feedback both before and after a business meeting. If you were in the meeting with a colleague or even your manager, consider asking them how they felt you performed. You might not always get positive feedback, but constructive criticism can help guide you in knowing what to work on next. Use this feedback to boost your focus and know that as you improve on your weak spots, you will develop stronger skills in business meetings. Try to only ask for feedback from someone whose opinion you value, you want feedback from people who support you and wish to see you succeed.
Dress the Part – this tip might seem frivolous but dressing for confidence is a simple way to help you feel good about yourself and present yourself in an authentic way. When you are in a business meeting, thinking about what you should wear might be on the lower end of your priorities. But when it comes to confidence, dressing for confidence can make all the difference. When you feel good about yourself, others see it too. Consider wearing clothing and accessories that are a reflection of your personality and make you feel good. For more tips and information on how dressing the part can boost your confidence see our previous article “How to Dress With Confidence.”
Give Yourself Credit – having confidence comes from your belief that you can accomplish what you want to do. When you are feeling self-doubt or lack confidence in your abilities, it is a good time to reflect on all the things you have achieved in the past. Everyone has had success in their life, whether big or small. Always give yourself credit for the things you have done well. This will help you to realize that you are capable and worthy and can accomplish what you put your mind to. Also, try to acknowledge that failure is part of the process and is to be expected along your route to success.
Sometimes the fear of failure or even past failures can stop us from feeling confident. Though your feelings surrounding failure are valid, it may be worthwhile to try adapting a mindset shift regarding failure. Work on understanding that failure is natural when trying something new, and failure almost always means you are making progress. If a past failure has knocked you down, see our previous article “How to Regain Confidence” for tips on coming back from failure.
Confidence Can Make the Difference
Having confidence is important in every aspect of your life. When we lack confidence, it limits our ability to live as our most authentic selves and can even limit our success. Though it is natural to feel less-than confident from time to time, it is crucial that you always work towards regaining and building lasting confidence in all areas of your life. For more information on why you need confidence in your life, see our previous article “Why Do We Need Confidence”.
When you are feeling stuck and lack the confidence you need to make your dreams a reality, working with a certified life coach can help. A life coach can assist you with strategies to boost your confidence and help you find clarity. Consider reaching out to Lisa Jeffs for confidence coaching that helps you take control of your success and move past your self-doubt. Lisa is here to help you break through fears of failure and make real and lasting change. Live your most authentic and confident life by booking a discovery session with Lisa today.
