Page 42 - 2021 English Magazine - Final
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Confidence101
by Hui Yee and Jie Ee
External confidence Communication
Posture Never glue your eyes to the floor when talking to
people! Making eye contact is extremely crucial
Bet you a penny that you’re reading this either in during any form of speaking. You may feel uncom-
fetus position or hunching over your device like fortable doing it at first but it is proven to make a
that two-humped camel from National Geograph- good first impression on your audience. It makes
ic. If you were to present an idea in your current the listener more comfortable and pay more at-
position, exuding horrendous amounts of uncer-
tainty, how could anyone take you seriously? tention to you.
Furthermore, communication is effective only if
So if you want to be confident, hold your head you transfer your message clearly. Therefore, you
up high, flatten your back and widen your chest. should always practice your speech beforehand
This is called an ”open posture”. Being in an open
Confidence is trusting yourself and the abilities you hold. It’s and work on your pronunciation and elocution.
understanding your skills and assets, playing to your strengths. How- posture heightens confidence and focus. Focus on speaking clearly and not quickly so that
ever, confidence is not something that you are born with or something your speech can be executed with clarity and con-
you can acquire with a swish of the fairy godmother’s wand. It takes Body language has shown to be notably influential ciseness. How would the audience catch anything
time to evolve and build one’s confidence by learning from crucial life in presentations and interviews. The term “fake it you say if you’re just rambling?
experiences. Why do you need to be confident? This is because confi- till you make it” seems cliche but it’s true, some
dence is the key to success. It helps you gain social connections, boosts people use certain power poses to help them act As fellow students, we suggest those who fear
personal growth and helps you learn how to handle situations well, confident and calm on stage. speaking in public to take up a committee role in
providing you with vast job opportunities. As long as you are willing to their club. You can gain experience in speaking in
make small changes physically and mentally, you CAN be confident! The first step to being confident is showing confi- front of a crowd as well as increase your chances
dence on the outside by making minor tweaks in of having social interactions.
your posture.
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