Confidence can take many forms. By definition, it means believing in your abilities or the trust you have in yourself or somebody/something else. ‘Trust,’ ‘belief,’ and ‘control’ are three key aspects of confidence. Personally, I am quite a confident person myself. How do I know that? Because:

• When I speak, I speak with conviction. I am so sure of it.
• I have immense trust in my gut feelings and instincts.
• I have strong self-control and know none can sway me easily.
• I am not bothered by people’s reactions. I enjoy them, be they negative or positive.
• I hold my ideals dear, without compromising my flexibility. I am open to new ideas as long as they are conveyed properly.
• I believe my abilities will allow me to reach my goals.
• I can express myself clearly regardless of who I am talking to.

Many such traits allow me to speak my heart out, which conveys confidence to the audience. But was this ingrained in my DNA since birth? Hell no. I had to train myself for it. While it might be true that I find it easier to articulate myself due to my good memory and retention of knowledge, that does not equal confidence. I always remember this one piece of wisdom:

“Confidence is an act! The better you act, the more confident you get.” – Mishkat the Wise

Building Up That Confidence

1. First and foremost, knowledge!
   You must have heard, “knowledge is power.” How so? Because it gives you the strength to feel confident. You know what you are talking about. You know you can answer if asked a question.
2. Secondly, have the giver mindset.
   Remember, my dear reader, you are on the stage or in the limelight to give something, not to take. The hand on top always feels confident in front of the hand(s) on the bottom because you have zero expectations from the audience. Their reaction won’t bother you at all. If they can’t focus and take something from you, their loss. You have nothing to lose. Always keep that mentality.
3. Thirdly, if you are a natural hard worker, do some hard work/take preparation.
   Prepare yourself in such a way that when you step onto that field, you know none can stop you. And remember, on the stage, nobody would ever call you out for saying something weird or wrong. That is your field—trust your gut and just say whatever. In your domain, you are the boss. Have that belief.
4. Finally, even after all that, if you still do not feel confident, I have got one tonic for you—the all-healing potion!

ACT IT OUT!

Yes, we are back to square one. My final advice to you is—act it out. People cannot see what is inside—whether you are panicking or feeling nervous. Just go and act your part. Act as if you don’t care, as if you are there because you deserve it. Feel unapologetic. To act perfectly, do the following:

• Before heading in, breathe in and out slowly for a minute. This will help you relax your nerves.
• Visualize yourself acing it, over and over.
• Give autosuggestions to yourself. (Trust me, it works wonders.) Say, “I am an amazing speaker. I am a pro at what I am doing. I am an expert; hence, I will dominate the field.”
• Keep a water bottle in hand. Stop for a moment when you are feeling too nervous and take a sip. This will grant you time to think and regain your composure.
• Slow it down. As if you are saying something very serious, slow it down. People will stretch their ears and you will slowly get back in the rhythm.