Office Tricks : Confidence To Speak Up When Required

Dear Cypress Ghana Blog Readers,

Everyone could do with more confidence!  Confidence is crucial for success and confident people get more out of life because they take more risks and get things done.

A lot of people dream about it and many spend their whole life ‘wishing’ they had more of it; some people believe they just don’t have any and yet still others are criticized for being too confident – can you imagine?   So what is confidence anyway?

CONFIDENCE is “a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something” – that is all.   It costs nothing except applying the mind with a positive thought and believing that one can do something.  In short, anyone can have confidence.  It can then be used to achieve specific goals and get the results we want.  Read on for some great tips on how to increase your confidence levels.

Thriving (not just surviving) in an office has a lot to do with relationships with others and successfully dealing with situations as they arise - it could be a suggestion to improve on a process or bring attention to unfair treatment and anything in between.  Whenever people lack the confidence to speak up about issues when they want to, relationships will not be healthy, which in turn will negatively affect the quality of work carried out in the course of performing one’s roles and responsibilities.  In short, things stay the same instead of progressing.

Most people will experience varying levels of confidence in different situations – that is acceptable and understandable.  However, the more we can get confident in situations where we normally do not feel it, the happier, more effective and more successful we will be – at work or any other area of our life.

 
When you want to speak up about an issue in the office, the following will help you to easily and effortlessly put your new found confidence into action:

Get the facts straight– Seek as much information on the issue as possible and look at it from different perspectives in addition to your viewpoint.  For example, if you feel you are being treated unfairly, are you comparing your treatment to a colleague’s situation and if so, are your circumstances the same?  What does your office policy or terms and conditions say about what you should expect?  What evidence can you provide to back up your claim?  It may be that you believe you deserve a raise or a promotion. 

Identify the basis of this expectation and use details of exceptional contributions you have made which warrant this belief that you have.  Have accurate information and be willing to answer questions and clearly state your position without being defensive – be composed.

Talk to the relevant person or group of people: Find out the right person to deal with the issue, whether it’s a colleague, your superior, your team, a member of the Human Resource department or any combination of these.

  
The right environment:  There is a time and place for everything.  A conducive environment will put all concerned in a positive frame of mind and make them more receptive.  Set up a meeting at a mutually convenient time, to ensure that parties will listen attentively without distraction.

A positive mindset: Attend the meeting or go and see the other party with a positive mindset – this means having a belief that you can speak up, be listened to and the result will be a good one for all concerned.  Make sure you leave the conversation clearer or aware of the decision taken if any.

Many people are afraid of what will go wrong, being criticized or not getting agreement from others - that is all quite limiting or negative and geared towards failure.  Instead, see any possible failure as FEEDBACK.  Also, believe that your idea is a good one and your opinion is valid.

Bear in mind that any lack of confidence about speaking up is not something you were born with but rather learned from experience – growing up at home, how teachers and your mates responded to you at school and now you are modeling that programming at work.  

Examples are constantly being told how to ‘behave right’ in front of elders, teachers, seniors, parents, visitors etc or being laughed at for making a mistake or bringing up ideas that others did not believe in, value or understand the way that you did and therefore responded negatively.

Finally, in addition to being clear and concise, recognise the importance of non-verbal messages.  We all know that “actions speak louder than words” and it’s not just a cliché.  To look more confident, stand upright, yet relaxed, keep your shoulders back and maintain good eye contact. 

Speak with a positive tone and at a reasonable pace.  Avoid filling thinking time and pauses with “errmm….” and other similar habits.   Be courteous but not overly apologetic or appear to be groveling by using excessive ‘please’ and ‘thank-you’.   Confidence helps you contribute to your colleagues and your company.

Treat your desk area with due care and discipline – it will help you to perform better at work and give a professional impression!!!

By Jennifer Agyeman