Dr. Carol Fleming, Personal Communication Coach

You have credentials, you have experience, you have references, BUT you don’t speak with authority and assurance.  You hold your voice in the back of your throat.  Your face shows little movement and expressiveness when you talk. You may be aware of some tension in your throat.  It’s as if you are holding your cards close to your chest, fearful that someone will see what you’ve got.

Self confidence is immediately perceived to the extent that you energize your articulation and let your speaking be clearly visible on your face.  Now is not the time to mumble! By placing your speaking energy in the front of your face, you are illustrating your confidence in your talents, achievements and reputation.

Does this apply to you? You start your improvement by trying to honestly answer this question.  You must go outside of yourself to get the answer. (We always think we are speaking clearly!) Here are two ways of finding out if this is your problem.

1.  Do people frequently ask you to repeat yourself? If so, they are telling you that they are not getting enough information through their ears or their eyes to be confident that they have gotten your message.

While it is true that communication can be hindered by noise in the environment, a hearing loss in your companion, etc., the energy that you invest in your articulation can overcome those obstacles. » Read more: Interviews: Projecting Self – Confidence