Writing | Fiona ThomasRegret over missed opportunities, terrified to ask for a pay rise, or dread in the pit of your
stomach at the thought of an upcoming presentation? We’ve all been there, but a lack of
confidence doesn’t need to hold you back any longer...S
tand up straight. Talk
loudly. Sell yourself.
Words that are drilled
into us before we attend
a job interview. But once
hired, how do we keep up the
momentum? There are so many
aspects of work that make us feel
inadequate, and research suggests
that we may be in the midst of a
confidence crisis.
Unsurprisingly, public speaking
ranks as one of the biggest pain
points, with 52% of workers
claiming they lack the confidence
to present in front of large groups.
Added to that, 35% of employees
are too shy to ask for a pay rise,
while 32% are afraid of putting
ideas forward.
We look at the most confident
people in the office and think that
they’re lucky. They were born that
way, right? Well, kind of. It’s true
that many of our personality traits- from shyness to creativity – are
rooted in our genetic makeup.
But just because some people are
naturally confident doesn’t mean
that the rest of us are sentenced
to life in the shadows. Confidence
can be genetic, but it can also
be learned, and that’s where
neuroscience comes in.
Our brains are made up of
millions of nerve cells, which
are responsible for our thoughts,
mood, emotions, and intelligence.
The British Neuroscience
Association says that our brain
affects our physical movement,
breathing, heart rate, and sleep. It
makes us who we are.
I spoke to Kirsty Hulse,
founder of Roar Training,
who has a passion for social
neuroendocrinology (a field of
study in neuroscience, focused
on how hormones impact social
behaviours) to find out how we can
get strategic with our own self-
confidence.
I took part in one of her practical
workshops recently and, although
I was eager to learn, I thought I
would struggle to match Kirsty’sconfidence. She’s so at-ease on
stage that on this particular day,
she incorporates burping into
her talk, and still comes off as
the ultimate professional. With a
background in stand-up comedy,
I felt like she had an unfair
advantage in the world of work,
but I was wrong. What Kirsty
graciously admitted to us all that
day, is that she, too, suffers from
major confidence dips at work.
The secret for Kirsty is knowing
that these feelings are intrinsically
linked to our brain. It’s all just
chemistry. Here are her tips:NEUROSCIENCE:
THE KEY TO CONFIDENCE
Scenario one: Someone else is
taking credit for your workHaving the confidence to stand
up and get recognition for your
work can be hard. It can feel like
bragging, and most of us hate to
do that.
Kirsty explains that it all lies
in our brain’s perception of the
situation. >>>