How do you use body language and voice tone to convey confidence and professionalism?

Before any important interview - for a job or in the press for your business, don't just 'fake it til you make it.' Try to actually change the science in your body and brain to be more confident. Reinforce what you know about yourself, remind yourself about your past accomplishments by reading your own resume or other accolades you have. The sum of all your experiences and knowledge gained is significant, don't lose sight of that when you are in a new scenario. Breathing controls our heart rate, so try to do deep breathing to make your body calmer, which will make your brain and voice calmer. Lastly, start with a smile, enter the room with warmth so that the person you are meeting with feels your confidence in the first few seconds.

You can create a connection between yourself and an interviewer by mirroring some of their behaviors. This can help candidates feel more at ease when they see interviewers relate positively to unspoken but recognizable gestures. For example, if your interviewer is leaning in, also lean in. If they're laughing or nodding, do a little of the same. Greeting their behavior with a similar one will make them feel heard and engaged. Remember that an interview goes both ways - they too, want to make a good impression and be well-received. Lastly, use this 'Jedi mind trick' carefully. You don't want to overdo it to the point where you appear ingenuine (like a copycat) or lose focus when listening and articulating your qualifications.

Too many of us aren't comfortable with awkward pauses and don't know how to end a sentence. Practice your points in advance, so that during an interview or meeting when your thought is complete, stop speaking and smile lightly. Nervous laughter or dragging sentences comes from not having your messaging fully prepared and not being comfortable with silence.

To deliver a strong, clear and confident tone of voice you must use proper posture. Standing or sitting up straight, shoulders back, neck straight, all while not overly tensing the muscles will open up your thoracic box and when combined with proper breathing, pushing your belly out and forcing air in and up with the right amount of strength from your stomach, up your chest and out your mouth, will amplify the power of your voice and will simultaneously make you sound confident. Like any skill we develop, it takes practice so don't be discouraged if you don't get it at the first try. There are plenty of resources online to guide you step by step if you want to master this ability.

Arrogance is often a psychological defense. It can stem from a person having low self-confidence so they imagine they are better than someone to compensate for feelings of inferiority. A person may develop arrogance after accomplishing something, but suffer from "imposter syndrome." Rather than feeling confident, they adopt arrogance to enable themselves to talk about their success or abilities. Sadly, an arrogant attitude makes them unlikable. While in reality, they are seeking validation for a particular accomplishment of skill, their attitude creates a barrier between them and the person they are wanting to acknowledge it. To help avoid arrogance, a person can internalize their own successes, rather than seek validity from others.

Avoid sounding arrogant in an interview by remembering the employer's needs when discussing your skills and experience. If you've done your homework, you should grasp the company's culture and needs beyond the job description. Maybe the interviewer has even alluded to its team's challenges. You can show them that you have their needs in mind by connecting the stories you share to the work you'd be doing for them. You may further articulate humbleness by acknowledging room for growth and expressing the desire to learn a new skill or be cross-trained (also an added value for their team). One of the biggest pitfalls I see in interviews is when a candidate fails to acknowledge weakness or cannot successfully share a time in which they failed.

Familiarity breeds confidence. You will have an easier time feeling confident and speaking confidently during an interview if you are familiar with what the organization does and what it is looking for in a candidate from your research, and you are familiar with your own skills, accomplishments, and qualifications. It sounds basic but be familiar with what is on your resume and whatever else you submitted. It is easy to forget the details of something you did 5, 10 years ago if you don't review it, so being familiar with your own application materials will help you confidently communicate everything you have to offer!