5 Steps to Communicate Confidence With Your Boss

When a woman tells me she wants to work on communicating more effectively with her boss, she most likely is referring to her verbal communication. This is the number one mistake professional women make.

The more I work with women; I find that we often neglect the development of our nonverbal communication. Most of us think of communication as just talking.

Study after study has proven that body language is far more effective in communicating the right message than any words that may come out of your mouth. Therefore, using the right body language can make all of the difference in earning respect and credibility.

To earn the respect of your boss, below are 5 steps to help you communicate the right message:

Step 1.
Always approach your boss as an equal. You must demonstrate that you have earned the right to be a prominent member of the team just like she has. Always be respectful, but think and act like you belong.

Step 2.
Establish good eye contact. Never look up, down or to the side when talking as this conveys uncertainty and mistrust.  Practice keeping eye contact without staring by shifting eyes slightly to your boss’s forehead every now and then.

Step 3.
Walk tall and with confidence. When entering your boss’s office, walk all the way in. Linger in the standing position for some time, especially if your boss is seated.  This will require him or her to look up at you, putting you in a dominant position and balance out the power.



Step 4.
Keep your hands visible at all times while seated. This is difficult for some women, as we tend to keep our hands on our laps.  Use open-handed gestures to emphasize points.

Step 5.
Make sure you keep hands away from your face, mouth and hair. Touching any of these while conversing sends all the wrong messages from nervousness, boredom to weakness.

Try the above, and you should be off to a great start.  Remember, communication is more than just talking. What you say non-verbally speaks volumes.

Please share your comments and ideas.  I’d like to hear from you.
Take care,
Jocelyn

© Jocelyn Giangrande and "The Confident Woman", 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author  is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jocelyn Giangrande and "The Confident Woman" with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

3 Confidence Myths You Should Know

Welcome back!

How are things?

There are all kinds of myths about confidence floating around.  Below are 3 myths I thought you may find interesting.

Myth #1.  Confident People Are Born.   The other day I watched a public TV interview with CEO, Bob Fish of Biggby Coffee.  Mr. Fish has a welcoming and friendly nature and one that appears confident (check out his site and you will see what I mean).  Mr. Fish said many things however, one that stuck with me was his statement that "Confidence is a choice".

People choose to be confident.  According to Mr. Fish, when one chooses to be confident, they are choosing to have faith that they will be successful.  Therefore, people are not born confident, they choose to be.

Myth #2.  Confident people are perfect.   Not all confident people are perfect.  And perfect people are not always confident.  Being confident has nothing to do with being perfect.  It is more about an attitude that you are good enough to do it.  Confident people are comfortable in their own skin and take on the world with a positive attitude.

Myth #3.  Confidence can't be learned.  I agree with Mr. Fish.  One chooses to be confident by taking action.  Your confidence grows as you continue to exercise confidence building boosters.  It takes time, practice, patience and perseverance.  However, practice is the best confidence booster.

© Jocelyn Giangrande and "The Confident Woman", 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author  is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jocelyn Giangrande and "The Confident Woman" with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

3 Reasons to Start Delegating Today!

Network without Networking!

Join me and other professional women for a night of coaching and connecting.  We will have fun sharing candid conversations while learning how to enhance our careers and build the skills to move forward.  Come out and get the coaching you need in an informal setting and together we will build confidence and unlock potential!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010
6:30pm-8:00pm
Bloomfield Twp Public Library
1099 Lone Pine Road
Bloomfield Twp, MI  48302
$15
Register today!

Coffee Break Coach-How to Get Your Opinions Heard

Are You Really As Confident as You Think?

A question I often ask women is to rate their level of confidence. To my surprise, most rate themselves pretty high. On a scale of 1-5, the majority rate themselves between a 4-5. That is pretty darn confident.

However, it always baffles me when I ask the same women to tell me what they do well. Most struggle to answer the question.

In my opinion, a good test of a high confidence level, is knowing what you do well. Most confident people understand the importance of using everything you have to compete. Therefore, knowing their strengths is important.

Do you know what you do well? What you do better than anyone else? If you have to think about it, maybe your confidence can use a boost.

Rate your confidence level by taking this brief Confidence IQ Survey.  
Be sure to click the link below for results.

(Please note: the survey is not a test.  The point is not to answer how you think you should, but honestly.  This is not scientific, or a psychological profile, etc. It is based on various research and findings and designed to give you somewhere to start.)

Click Here to Get Your Results
Be Sure To Take the Survey First!

Take care,
Jocelyn

© 2010 Jocelyn Giangrande and SASHE, LLC. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jocelyn Giangrande and The Confident Woman with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Celebrate You Day Challenge!

Join us and help to get 100K women to take a day to celebrate how wonderful they are.   Spread the word!  Celebrate You Day, June 27th!
 
Who says you can't pat yourself on the back?  Self praise is difficult for most women.  However, waiting for others to recognize you can take a lifetime.  Recognize yourself on this special day and learn to appreciate you.  If it doesn't start with you, it may never start at all.

Tell us how you plan to spend your day 

in 50 words or less and you could Win your own Professional Career Toolkit (A $100 Value). Leave your comment to enter.