[sighs deeply]
- I'm wise.
I'm here for a reason.
Yes, I'd love to speak first.
(Averie) - Asserting yourself at work,
not always easy, but it's beneficial
for so many reasons.
It can improve your motivation, happiness, resilience.
It may also increase your visibility at the company,
and this can help you advance in your career.
In this video,
we're gonna explore some situations
where communicating with confidence at work
is essential but often uncomfortable.
As you watch, I'm going to provide tips
and advice on how to communicate with confidence
to your manager and in group meetings.
[videotape plays]
(Morgan) - How are things going?
(Amelia) - Things are good, yeah.
[Amelia chuckles] A little busier than usual.
Actually, I'm having kind of a tough time
with that project you recently assigned to me.
There's just a lot of moving pieces,
and I'm managing a couple other projects
on different teams,
and there's a lot of overlapping deadlines.
And, uh, I'm a little stuck.
[Amelia chuckles]
I was wondering if you had any thoughts on it.
- Well, thanks for letting me know.
It definitely can be tough managing
multiple deadlines.
But have you tried blocking out time on your calendar
so you can focus on each project?
[videotape pauses]
- Yes, I tried that.
[laughs] I tried everything.
Oh, I don't know what to say.
[videotape plays]
Yeah, um, I already tried that,
but I'll just keep doing it.
[chuckles] Thanks.
[videotape pauses]
- Amelia walked into that conversation
hoping her manager would take something off her plate,
but that didn't happen.
It seems like Amelia's manager wants
to help, but Amelia's lack of confidence prevented her
from getting the support she needs.
I think we can all empathize with this.
Asking for help is hard,
especially from a person who's in a position of power
and is someone we want to impress.
When I've been in this situation,
I turned to my trusted mentors and colleagues
to give me the comfort and wisdom I needed.
- I'm overwhelmed by the amount on my plate right now.
The deadlines my boss has given me aren't realistic.
I tried talking to them about it, but nothing happened.
I rambled and wasn't very confident.
[sighs] I don't want them to think
I'm incompetent.
You always seem so collected,
and you speak about your boundaries
with confidence.
Do you have any advice for me?
(Diane) - Absolutely, yes,
and first of all, good for you for speaking up.
Just because you couldn't get your point across
the first time doesn't mean you won't get
it across the next time.
I'm glad you came to me. I have tons of thoughts on this.
First, come prepared with talking points.
Whenever I have a specific outcome
I want to achieve in a conversation,
I like to jot down a little script for myself
so that I can stay on track.
As for you, your talking points
might include a description of the problem,
what you're doing to address it so far,
and then maybe one or two specific suggestions
on how your boss can step in at this point.
Then, I practice saying it.
I like to record myself while I speak
or role play with a friend or trusted colleague.
I might even have them take a video of me,
and then when I play it back,
I can listen to see if there's certain phrases
that I wanna practice again.
- That's a good call.
I just kinda winged it.
I'm gonna try these next time.
[Amelia chuckles] - I mean, don't sweat it.
That's why we're chatting, you know?
The next piece of the puzzle is about mindset shift.
First of all, I want you to re-examine
the way you talk to yourself when you're nervous.
Try talking to yourself like you would a good friend,
you know, really pump yourself up.
When we get stressed out,
we have a tendency to think about our past failures.
Instead, try thinking about the times
that you really hit it outta the park
and exceeded expectations.
You can even write these down so they really sink in.
Second, and I know it sounds cheesy,
but I like to practice power poses
before any big meeting.
You go, girl!
Your body can't tell the difference
between real feelings and acting,
so when you act confident,
your brain will subconsciously convince you
that you do have impact and that you belong here.
- Okay.
Positive thinking, power poses.
This is great. Thank you so much.
- Of course.
- That's good advice.
Taking the time to think through
and rehearse your talking points
can give you the boost of confidence
you're looking for.
Now, let's see Amelia put those tips into action.
[videotape rewinding]
[videotape plays]
- Okay, so this is great.
Is there anything else that's on your mind?
- Um...
There is, actually.
I mentioned how I was having a tough time
with that project you recently assigned.
Reflecting on it, I realized I wasn't very clear
in my communication, and I'd like to try again.
- Okay, great, go ahead.
- I've been working on this project
for a couple of weeks now while managing two others
with similar deadlines,
and the volume has just become unsustainable.
I've tried a number of solutions on my end,
like time blocking my calendar, but at this point,
I'm looking for your support to help make things manageable.
I have two solutions in mind.
We could stagger the other two deadlines
and keep me on the project,
or we give the project to a different team member
and keep the timeline intact.
Which of these options do you think is best?
- Thanks for bringing it up again and being so direct.
I hear you loud and clear,
and I appreciate both solutions
that you've brought to the table.
But let me give this some thought
and get back to you by tomorrow
with confirmed next steps, okay?
- Great.
[videotape pauses]
- That was so much stronger.
Even though Amelia might have still been nervous,
she advocated for herself with confidence and clarity.
You can tell that she took Diane's advice
to prepare in advance, practice,
and do some of those mindset shifts.
I also love how she suggested two different solutions.
This reiterates her confidence and competence
and also gives her manager less wiggle room to push back.
Well done.
(speaker) - If you're looking
for a new job and you don't have
the Indeed mobile app,
you're seriously missing out.
Click the link below
or search Indeed in the App Store.
- Large meetings can also be a challenge
when it comes to communicating confidently.
Sometimes it's hard because everyone else
just won't stop speaking.
- These people are so much smarter than me.
Should I say my idea now?
Is now a good time to jump in?
(Averie) - Fortunately,
even for the most extroverted among us,
communicating confidently in group meetings
is a learned skill,
and it's one you can totally tackle.
Even the most confident people at your workplace
had to start somewhere.
And let's be honest,
they were probably nervous from time to time, too.
Actually, now is a great moment to visualize someone
whose confidence you admire.
This would be a great person for you to check in with
and ask how they mastered their craft.
Let's see what happens when Amelia tries this strategy.
[videotape rewinding]
[videotape plays]
- I really admire how you make smart contributions
to all our meetings,
even with so many cooks in the kitchen.
[Amelia sighs deeply] I'd like to be able to speak
with the same kind of confidence,
and I'm wondering if you can tell me how you do it.
- Wow,
that means a lot that you asked.
To be honest, I get nervous all the time.
Okay, but here's what I know.
First, I prepare in advance.
I wanna be as well-versed on a meeting's agenda
as possible.
That way, I don't have to come up with brilliant stuff
on the fly.
If the meeting is about big ideas,
I make sure to come in with a few well-researched
and relevant ideas written down.
If the meeting doesn't have an agenda,
I like to send a friendly note to the meeting owner
just to ask what to expect so I can prepare.
Then when it comes to actually speaking in groups,
I don't wait for the right moment to strike.
I don't wait to feel comfortable.
I expect and understand that communicating
in big meetings is gonna feel uncomfortable.
But I should do it anyways
and as early in the meeting as I can,
especially if there are a few characters at the table.
[Amelia and Diane laugh]
- And then what's your take on asking questions?
Sometimes I worry the answer to my question's obvious.
- So, if you haven't done your research
or it's a question that you could ask on your own time,
I would think twice.
Otherwise, go for it.
A former boss told me that they loved
that I always asked questions in meetings,
especially about industry lingo
or a concept I didn't yet understand.
Questions don't make you seem dumb.
They're proof of your interest, Amelia, and confidence.
- Okay, this is great.
So, I'm going to do my prep work in advance,
speak up early in the meeting,
and ask questions. Got it.
- I also wanna say that it's okay to start small.
You don't need to dominate a conversation
to come across as confident.
In fact, sometimes less is more.
Come in with one or two things that you wanna say
with the goal to say one of them.
If you don't get to say what you wanted
or you need more time to digest,
don't feel like you lost your chance.
You can always follow up via email
or start a side conversation.
You've got this!
- Yes, I second all of this.
Now, let's see Amelia put these lessons into action.
[videotape plays]
(Morgan) - All right, I wanna thank
everyone for joining.
We're here to talk about our marketing strategy...
- Remember, speak up as soon as you can.
You only need to speak once.
You can do this.
- I'd love to hear some new ideas.
Who wants to start first?
- I can.
- Perfect, go right ahead.
- Knowing that our target demo for this launch is Gen Z,
I recommend we dedicate some of our marketing budget
towards creator partnerships on TikTok.
I started a list of creators who I think would resonate
with our brand, and I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.
[videotape pauses]
- Is there anything better than overcoming your fears
and just knocking it outta the park like this?
I love to see Amelia's confidence
shine through when she jumped right in the beginning.
It was clear that she read the meeting's agenda
and came prepared with well-researched insights,
just like her colleague recommended.
With these tips in hand,
you'll be communicating with confidence in no time.
If you liked this video,
make sure to like and subscribe.
[beep]
- I'd love to hear some new ideas.
I sound Southern now. Ideas.
[laughing] Who wants to go first?
- I can.
[both laughing] Don't laugh, though.
Don't laugh at my idea.
- Okay, you ready? - Yeah, I'm ready.