Self-confidence

Developing a growth mindset

It is often easy to spot confident people who appear to be more resilient than us. They know what to do in difficult situations, they take the lead to resolve problems, create laughter at tense times and always know the right thing to say in the right situation. Too often you can assume that the outward appearance of confidence is something that others naturally possess, and you don’t have it and that it can’t be learned.

Can you learn to be more confident and can you become more resilient in the process? The research in this area suggests that you can learn the tools, techniques and skills of being confident in a variety of situation through:

• experience of taking on new activities
• growing your repertoire of handling different situations
• dealing with different people
• reflecting on what went well and what you could do better and
• listening to and responding to feedback on your performance