Three Tips to Help You Speak With Confidence

Speaking with confidence means your ideas get the attention they deserve. When you build your credibility as a communicator, you earn respect. You have more influence because people listen to what you have to say.  

In our Speak with Confidence half-day course, participants learn to manage confidence busters, flex their speaking style to engage listeners, and replace habits that undermine credibility. 

Here are three tips we teach: 

Tip 1—Handle interruptions with poise 

Don’t take it personally! People often interrupt because they’re excited or curious. We don’t want to embarrass anyone or damage the working relationship when someone interrupts. Instead, show a balance of warmth and assertiveness. The key here is tone. How you say it is as important as what you say. Use gentle, open-hand gestures and hold the floor by speaking in a steady, neutral tone. 

Say something like: 

• “Hang on a moment please! I want to make sure this lands clearly.” 

• “Thanks for your comment. Let’s pick that up next.” 

• “Hold that thought. We’ll come back to that...” 

Tip 2—Overcome imposter syndrome 

When your confidence is lower than your competence, it’s time to become your own best friend.  

• Remind yourself of achievements 

• Visualize success 

• Use positive self-talk 

• Set realistic expectations 

• Show self-compassion for mistakes 

No one performs perfectly all the time, so don’t hold yourself to an impossible standard. Instead, use mistakes as a learning opportunity.  

Tip 3—Stop over-apologizing 

The words you use can inadvertently erode your credibility. Along with fillers like “um” and “ah”, one major culprit is the word ‘sorry.’ 

Sometimes, you legitimately need to apologize and absolutely you should. But for many of us, over‑apologizing becomes a habit in situations where no apology is needed. 

It often shows up as: 

• Apologizing for taking up space 

• Apologizing for asking a question 

• Apologizing before offering an idea 

• Apologizing for things outside your control 

Replace those habitual apologies with gratitude or clarity. 
 

 
It’s not enough to feel confidence when speaking—you need to project confidence. Try these tips to enhance how you communicate so you build your credibility and your reputation as a confident communicator.