Finding Your Voice: How to Build Confidence, Speak Up, and Own Your Power

The ability to speak up with confidence is more than just a nice-to-have—it’s essential for career growth, leadership, and personal fulfilment. Yet, many professionals struggle with self-doubt, fear of judgement, or uncertainty about how to articulate their thoughts. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

A study by the Harvard Business Review found that 69% of employees feel uncomfortable speaking up in meetings, even when they have valuable insights to share. The good news? Confidence isn’t something you either have or don’t—it’s built through action. Courage comes before confidence, and the very act of doing what feels uncertain is what creates certainty. When you step up, speak out, and take action despite discomfort, you strengthen your capability, build resilience, and prove to yourself that you can do it.

The Neuroscience of Confidence: Rewiring Your Brain

Confidence isn’t an innate trait; it’s shaped by experience and reinforced by neural pathways in the brain. Every time you hesitate to speak up, you strengthen the habit of self-doubt. But the opposite is also true—each time you step forward with courage, you lay the foundations for lasting confidence.

• Reframe fear as excitement – Your brain perceives speaking up as a risk, triggering the amygdala (your fear centre). Studies show that telling yourself “I’m excited” instead of “I’m anxious” shifts your mindset and enhances performance.
• Use visualisation – Athletes use mental rehearsal to sharpen their skills, and you can do the same. Visualising yourself speaking with confidence activates the same neural pathways as actually doing it, making the experience feel more familiar and natural.
• Practice micro-bravery – Confidence doesn’t appear overnight; it’s built in small moments. Start with low-risk situations—share an idea in a meeting, ask a question in a group discussion. Each step conditions your brain to see speaking up as safe, eventually making it second nature.

Know Yourself: The Power of Authenticity

Finding your voice isn’t about being the loudest in the room—it’s about speaking with authenticity and impact. True confidence comes from knowing who you are, what you stand for, and embracing your unique style.

• Clarify your personal brand – What do you want to be known for? What unique perspective do you bring? The more you own your strengths and values, the more naturally your voice will carry weight.
• Embrace what you don’t know – Confidence isn’t about pretending to have all the answers. Owning your knowledge gaps and being open to learning builds credibility and fosters trust.
• Find your communication style – Not everyone needs to be bold and extroverted to be impactful. Thoughtful, intentional communicators can be just as powerful. The key is to embrace your natural style while refining clarity and delivery.

Adapting to Your Audience: The DISC Model of Communication

One of the most powerful ways to ensure your message resonates is to adapt your communication style to the people in the room. The DISC personality model helps us understand different communication preferences:

• D (Dominance – Results-Driven, Direct, Fast-Paced)
• I (Influence – Social, Energetic, People-Oriented)
• S (Steadiness – Supportive, Relationship-Focused, Thoughtful)
• C (Conscientiousness – Detail-Oriented, Analytical, Structured)

By recognising these styles and adjusting your approach, you increase the likelihood that your message is not only heard but also received with engagement and interest.

Crafting Clear Messages: The Art of Powerful Communication

Even the most confident speakers lose impact if their message isn’t clear. To truly own your power, you need to articulate ideas in a way that is concise, compelling, and memorable.

• Start with the ‘So what?’ – Busy professionals don’t have time for rambling. Before you speak, ask yourself: What’s the key takeaway? Why should my audience care? Leading with the most important point makes your message instantly stronger.
• Use structure – A simple framework like Point, Evidence, Conclusion (PEC) helps keep you focused. State your key point, back it up with a relevant example or data, and wrap up with a strong conclusion.
• Pause for impact – Silence is powerful. Pausing before making a key point not only makes you sound more confident but also gives your audience time to absorb your message.

Projecting Your Strongest Personal Brand

Your voice is a key part of your personal brand—it signals your confidence, credibility, and leadership presence. How you show up in meetings, presentations, and everyday conversations shapes how others perceive you.

Remember your personal brand is what people say about you after you've left the room, so make it memorable for all the right reasons.

• Mind your body language – Research shows that 55% of communication is non-verbal (Mehrabian, 1971). An open posture, strong eye contact, warmth and purposeful gestures reinforce your message and make you more persuasive.
• Manage your tone – A steady, warm, and engaging tone conveys confidence far more than speed or volume. Avoid ending statements with an upward inflection (which makes them sound like questions) unless you’re actually asking one!
• Be consistent – Your communication style extends beyond meetings—it’s reflected in how you write emails, contribute in discussions, and interact daily. Consistency builds credibility and strengthens your professional presence.

Final Thoughts: Own Your Power, One Step at a Time

Speaking up isn’t about being the loudest—it’s about having the clarity, courage, and conviction to share your insights in a way that resonates.

Confidence isn’t something you wait for; it’s something you build through action.

So, the next time you hesitate to speak up, remind yourself: Courage comes before confidence. Take a deep breath, trust in the value of your voice, and step forward. The more you do, the stronger your certainty, capability, and confidence will become.

The world needs your ideas—don’t hold them back.

And when we get this right, everything becomes much easier.

The better it gets, the better it gets!

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Naomi Oyston has more than twenty years leadership experience within the Corporate, Financial and SME Business sectors.? She has had extensive executive level success, with direct responsibility for leading the implementation and performance assessment of Customer Service Excellence, Sales Performance, Performance Coaching, Organisational Culture, Productivity and Leadership training within multiple major corporations.

Passionate, engaging and insightful, Naomi specialises in helping business leaders to create High Performing teams through a combination of mindset, toolkits and skillsets that are street proven to deliver results that matter.