Building the confidence of young professionals

July 21, 2025|Accountants, Kim's Blog, Lawyers, Relationship Management|

At the recent MBL session on “Boost Your Confidence at Work – A toolbox for professionals” we explored a number of issues relating to confidence in the workplace – especially for those at the start of their career. Delegates included trainee solicitors and accountants as well as junior professionals in marketing and human resources. Amongst their aims was learning to adapt to working within a new team, tackling specific situations where confidence was low (presentations, networking, client meetings etc) and learning to look and feel more positive and confident. This article forms part of the learning resources for delegates. Building the confidence of young professionals – Four tools: Energy, Perception, Inner dialogue and Breathing

Key confidence lessons from the delegates

These were the key ideas that resonated most with the delegates – they mentioned them in their summarising takeaways from the session

Be aware of the energy of others
- Try to be more of a radiator than a drain
- Spend more time with those who are radiators (they boost energy, engagement and motivation) and less time with those who are drains
- This relates to emotional contagion – we adopt the dominant emotions in the workplace or team Emotional contagion, delegation, coaching and team meetings

Think and prepare before you speak
- Take time to be aware of what you are feeling (understand your emotions)
- Give yourself time to think before responding in meetings Assertiveness toolbox – Kim Tasso
- Refine your message – limit how many points you try to convey Power of three – Writing and presentation basics (Video)

Manage your inner dialogue
- Be aware of cognitive bias (e.g. spotlight bias, confirmation bias)
- Be alert to negative thoughts and your inner critic – seek evidence to challenge them
- Develop an inner coach
- Learn to reframe negative thoughts to positive ones

Use non-verbal communication Non-Verbal Communication (NVC) – the basics (Video)
- Maintain eye contact
- Adopt an upright and open posture
- Use expressions and gestures when speaking
- Make sure your voice is clear (articulate words carefully)
- Speak louder Assertive communication: The importance of voice
- Speak more slowly – and allow space to pause Be more confident – Slow down – Kim Tasso
- Dress appropriately – to look and feel more confident
- Be consistent in style, pace and tone

Use breathing and grounding techniques to restore calm

The value of experience

It was interesting when delegates thought about who they regarded as confident people. They nearly all picked people who were more senior and more experienced than themselves. So we know that our confidence will grow as we become more experienced ourselves.

We also noted that we tend to feel more relaxed and confident when we were with people who were like us – those of a similar age or in a similar job role. This is natural – we have more in common with people who are like us – and feel that they are less likely to judge us. It also relates to in group and out group bias. In-group bias – The Decision Lab

Seek positive energy

We talked about the impact of spending time with people who are

Radiators – generally positive, energised, upbeat and supportive
Drains – generally negative, critical, miserable and tiring

One delegate commented “I felt this difference in my old seat (much more positive) to my current one (where people only care about the work)”

Emotional contagion means that we are likely to “pick up on” and “tune into” the emotions of those around us. Emotional contagion, delegation, coaching and team meetings So we need to choose carefully who we associate with to protect our mental health.

We also talked about the need to avoid isolation and trying to do things on our own. Having a good social support network is important for our mental health. We should feel comfortable asking questions and seeking help or guidance.

Some firms will provide buddies, coaches and mentors to supplement your support group. But young professionals need to develop their own contacts – both peers and more senior people – to whom they can turn to for support.

Another delegate commented: “To improve the value of my networks, I need to be more active in professional groups – and ask for help more often – not just when I’m stuck”.

Check your perception

One delegate mentioned that throughout her six months’ probation she was convinced that she would be fired. So she was very surprised when her boss advised her that she had passed her probation. And she then received a pay rise a month later to reflect her hard work and good progress.

So this delegate had a negative perception of her performance and the imagined views of her seniors. Yet the seniors clearly had a positive perception about her and her performance. Same person and data – different perceptions or interpretations.

With low self-esteem we are likely to view the world in a way where everyone else is better than us and we then regard ourselves negatively. So we perceive and interpret everything from this negative perception. Sometimes, our thinking can be so distorted that we deploy catastrophic, black and white (all or nothing) and overgeneralisation thinking.

We need to be aware of any biases and distortions in our thinking. We need to remember our strengths and achievements. We need to look at the data and evidence so that our thoughts are based on facts not just feelings.

Some talked about the value in taking things day by day. Focusing on what you need to do and can do that day. Rather than speculating and worrying about the long term future. This helps us be more present in the moment and reduces the amount of uncertainty we need to deal with which can reduce anxiety.

We also explored the different coping strategies we adopt when we feel less confident. Some people talked more, some people talked faster and others used humour. Some coping strategies are helpful whilst others are less constructive and continue to erode our confidence.

Change your inner dialogue (and reframing)

Most of the delegates experienced Imposter Syndrome on a regular basis. Many delegates had a negative internal dialogue.

We tried to focus in on what our internal dialogue was saying to us – and whose voice we were hearing. Often, our internal dialogue is determined by what we hear as children from our parents and caregivers. Often, the internal dialogue uses a lot of “should” and “ought” words.

One approach is to develop our inner coach – a more compassionate and positive voice to counteract the negativity of the inner critic.

Another technique is to reframe negative statements to more realistic, compassionate or positive ones. For example:

From “I failed” to “I have learned what to do and have a better chance of success next time”
From “I lack the knowledge and experience to do this” to “I am building my knowledge and experience every day”
From “I can’t do this” to “I am learning how to do this”

Overcoming low self-esteem – a self help guide using cognitive

Manage your breathing

We tried some breathing exercises during the session. The delegates found that even after just two minutes they felt calmer and more relaxed.

Simple box breathing exercises can help us calm our emotions and focus on the present.

We also considered breathing exercises with a longer exhale which can help restore the body from a stress state to a “rest and digest” state. Longer Exhalations Are an Easy Way to Hack Your Vagus Nerve | Psychology Today United Kingdom

There are some excellent apps to help you practice breathing, mindfulness and relaxation. For example:

Recalling situations where delegates felt most confident, we noticed that we had done the necessary preparation and were confident of the technical details. We were also really present in the moment and totally focused on what the client was saying and asking. So allowing ourselves time to prepare is important for confidence. It reduces overthinking and enables us to be in the moment – mindfulness.

I’ve summarised a few other articles that relate to some of the themes arising in the session:

Improve self-esteem in young adults

Understanding and Improving Self Esteem in Young Adults | Business Training Courses, Online, Global | Dale Carnegie 2024

Following Covid (where many were isolated during lockdown and now work in hybrid environments), employers are increasingly reporting a step decline in self-confidence among individuals, especially young adults who are just entering the workforce

SMEs have seen a 68% increase in employees who said they didn’t feel confident speaking in meetings or presentations since the pandemic
People with more confidence earn approximately $28,000 a year more than those who are less confident
A fifth of female employees say that since the pandemic they don’t feel very confident or have no confidence. 13% of male respondents feel the same

Building confidence is a gradual process that involves experiencing different social situations, learning to initiate conversations, handling criticism and developing important people skills

Confidence is a fundamental trait that plays a crucial role in both personal and professional success. It serves as a catalyst for self-belief, assertiveness and resilience. It empowers individual to take on challenges, explore new opportunities and build meaningful relationships.

Many employers now invest in confidence training including communication workshops, leadership training, public speaking courses or mentorship programmes.

Manage when your mind goes blank

Mind Blanking: Definition, Causes, and How to Fix October 2024

Mind blanking may be voluntary or involuntary and can be caused by stress, fatigue, burnout, information overload, distraction and overwhelming pressure. And over thinking.

It can happen to anyone. It is a common reaction if something triggers your threat response and your body goes into fight, flight, freeze or fawn response. Your cognitive abilities (including memory) are temporarily disabled.

Techniques that can help include:

Deep breathing exercises
Practicing mindfulness
Pause and collect your thoughts
Engage in physical activity
Rephrase questions

Delegate aims and poll results

Delegate aims for the session

Learn how to adjust more quickly to working in a new team (as part of training contract)
Start to feel better about myself and my abilities
Stop second-guessing myself (increase my self confidence)
How to come across as more confident
Know what to do in a stressful situation when my mind goes blank
Feel more confident when presenting
Appear more confident when talking to senior people
Being confident when I have a different opinion to others
Reduce the times I suffer from Imposter Syndrome
Feel more confident when networking
Believe that my colleagues like me and enjoy working with me
Increase my confidence as I learn about a new area of my work
Reduce negative thinking after a series of “bad” days

Delegate poll results

Confidence levels

	At the start of session?	How would you like to feel at work?	At the end of the session?
1
2
3
4
5
6	50%
7	50%		11%
8			78%
9		38%	11%
10		63%

How often do you experience Imposter Syndrome?

25% Occasionally
75% Often

Which is the situation where you most lack confidence?

80% Social/conversations Book review: “Now we’re talking” by Sarah Rozenthuler

40% Learning new things
20% Presentations/public speaking
20% Conflict situations
0% Telephone calls
0% Actual or virtual meetings
0% Day-to-day role within the team

Do you avoid things that make you feel nervous?

100% Sometimes

(I mentioned that you should not avoid the things that make you nervous. As this will usually increase your anxiety about it and make you feel more nervous Book review – Feel the fear and do it anyway by Susan Jeffers )

Are you mostly:

29% An optimist
71% A pessimist

How resilient do you think you are? Improve your resilience – tools to help you cope in difficult times (kimtasso.com)

86% High
14% Very high

What impact do you think clothes have on how confident you appear? (1=low, 10=high)

3
4
5
6
7
8 14%
9 57%
10 29%

Where does most of your personal power come from? How do you make a personal impact – Make a difference (kimtasso.com)

43% Presence
57% Authority
0% Impact

Do you think you are: Assertiveness skills – getting what you want and saying “No” (kimtasso.com)

0% Assertive
86% Passive
14% Passive-Aggressive
0% Aggressive

I think my boundaries are:

71% Porous
29% Healthy
0% Rigid