Confidence is key to business recovery in 2010

[Candice]

There’s no doubt that 2009 was a tough year. Gloom hung heavy in the air and business confidence hit its lowest level in 10 years.  The worst is now behind us but the question, “now what?” remains. “Now what?  Now we turn our faces forward and focus on the future,” says Monique Rissen-Harrisberg, CEO and founder of The Voice Clinic.  “We lead by example, rally the troops and start transmitting confidence to all who surround us.”

Rissen-Harrisberg explains that the global credit crunch left a large number of employees insecure and anxious in its wake. For business leaders and decision-makers, now’s the time to re-energise, motivate and inspire colleagues and employees.  Think Mel Gibson in Braveheart without the Scottish accent.

Building confidence in a team requires confidence. It’s all about employing good communication skills which can sway the masses, thrill people and influence them,” says Rissen-Harrisberg. How people receive you has less to do with the content of your message as it does in the way that message is delivered.  Delivering a message that is heard has to do with your choice of words, tone of voice, speed of speech and how you organise your thoughts: thirty-seven percent to be exact.  The rest of your communication message is made up of fifty-five percent image and body language, and only seven percent is attributed to that wonderful thought that you are communicating.

With this in mind, Rissen-Harrisberg offers the following advice on how to instil confidence in a team and be heard!

• image and body language play an enormous part in people’s perception of your credibility. And that in turn goes a long way in making yourself heard.
  
• Use space in a way that displays confidence. Small gestures convey the impression that you are unwilling to take risks, timid or frightened with little to contribute.  Using the full amount of space available is highly recommended.
• Taking time to speak clearly shows people that you are confident in your communication and that you deserve to be heard.
• Being aware of the pitch of your voice, and learning to control it so that it remains at a natural level will portray that quintessential confidence. If you find your pitch rising, consciously breathe and relax your neck and shoulder muscles.  Picture your voice rolling around inside you and reframe any small, constricted images of your voice.
  
• The volume of your voice has a subconscious effect on your body language. The louder you speak, the more gestures you tend to make. By combining appropriate volume and gestures, you immediately convey a sense of authority or expertise on the subject at hand
• How you frame your thoughts and convey them is also key. Don’t use words that fail to convey confidence, such as ‘It feels like we should” or space fillers like “um”. 
• Beware of minimising words. Minimising words are those that diminish the importance or size of your idea, question or message.

 “Those who are struggling to ‘be heard’ should consider taking a professional programme in voice and communication skills which will give them the tools to reach their personal and career goals,” concludes Rissen-Harrisberg.