How to Walk with Confidence

Co-authored by Sandra Possing

Last Updated: October 21, 2022 References Approved

Walking with confidence is a great way to create a great first impression or simply demonstrate your confidence to the world without saying a word. It's easy to fall into bad habits like slouching and looking down when you are in an uncomfortable situation, but these habits can make you seem nervous or scared. If you want to work on your walk in order to appear more confident, there are some simple strategies that you can use. Keep reading to learn how to walk confidently!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Preparing to Walk Confidently

1
Develop a dressing ritual. Laying out your clothes the night before a big event can help you during the event. By laying out your clothes, you can identify any issues with what you plan to wear (lint, loose threads, etc.). This ritual can also help increase your confidence by giving you a chance to visualize how you will look at the event. ^{[1]
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2
Practice walking. Aim to walk for 30 minutes per day at least three times per week to improve your stride. As you practice walking, remember to stand tall, keep your arms at your sides, and take long brisk steps. The exercise will do you good and your walk will also improve as a result.

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3
Practice power posing. Standing tall with your arms and legs spread out wide will help you to feel more confident. This type of dominant pose also reduces cortisol and increases testosterone, which will add to your confidence. Take a moment to duck into bathroom stall or empty room and power pose for a minute before you need to walk confidently. ^{[2]
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4
Distract yourself from negative emotions. If you are nervous, don't focus on how nervous you are because that will only make you more nervous. Instead, distract yourself by looking at humorous images on the internet or talking to a friend who is good at making you laugh. ^{[3]
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- You can also try a distraction technique like trying to count down from 100 by 7. You can also pick a color, and look around the room to find all the objects that you can that contain that color.
5
Keep mouthwash on hand to quickly freshen your breath. Always keep a small bottle of mouthwash on hand to quickly swish away bad breath and brighten your smile. This small ritual will eliminate any fears you may have had about bad breath or food stuck in your teeth and allow you to walk more confidently.
- Some people recommend chewing a piece of ginger. This both helps keep your breath fresh, and may help you relax.^{[4]
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  PubMed Central
  Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
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6
Check the news for ice breakers. Being in the know can also boost your confidence by giving you some interesting topics to bring up in conversations with strangers. Just steer clear of bringing up anything too depressing or politically divisive. Stick to lighter topics that you think others might find interesting.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Walking into a Room

1
Smile as you walk and keep smiling. Smiling projects your confidence and makes you seem approachable as well.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Sandra Possing
Life Coach
Expert Interview. 15 July 2020.} You don't need to sport a huge grin, just a subtle smile will do. Try not to force your smile. Instead, showcase your natural smile as you walk. ^{[6]
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2
Stand up straight. A hunched appearance projects a lack of confidence. Instead, walk straight and tall to seem confident. As you walk, keep your shoulders back and lift up your chin slightly.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Sandra Possing
Life Coach
Expert Interview. 15 July 2020.} You can test your posture by holding a pencil in each hand and making a fist. Let your arms fall loosely at your sides. If the pencils face inward (towards you), then you are hunching your shoulders. Shift your shoulders back until the pencils face forward to see how your ideal posture should be while you walk. ^{[8]
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3
Walk briskly. A brisk walk projects confidence, while walking slowly makes you seem preoccupied with your own thoughts. To seem more confident when you walk, adopt a brisk pace. Try practicing walking to the beat of a favorite quick paced song to help you develop your brisk walk. ^{[9]
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4
Lengthen your stride. Walking silently makes you seem meek or afraid, so don't tiptoe or walk silently. A bit of noise is good when you want to walk confidently. It demonstrates that you want to be seen because you are confident in your appearance. ^{[10]
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5
Keep your arms at your sides. Crossing your arms while you walk makes you seem vulnerable, so don't cross your arms. Allow your arms to fall loosely at your sides and move them back and forth slightly as you walk. Keep your posture open, as this helps others see you and friendly and approachable.^{[11]
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Don't walk closely behind someone. Walking right behind someone that you came with can send the message that you are weaker than that person and that you require protection. If you will be walking with someone, make sure that you are in front of the person or at least side-by side.^{[12]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Maintaining a Confident Appearance

1
Greet people as you walk into a room or down a hallway. Make eye contact with people you know as well as strangers.^{[13]
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Expert Source

Sandra Possing
Life Coach
Expert Interview. 15 July 2020.} Introduce yourself if you haven't met before, but only offer your first and last name at first. Simply say, “Hi, I'm ___ ____.” Then wait for the other person to speak. Stopping at your name will make you seem more confident and intriguing. ^{[14]
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- A strong handshake will also demonstrate your confidence and competence.^{[15]
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  Sandra Possing
  Life Coach
  Expert Interview. 15 July 2020.}
2
Use your hands when you talk. Gesticulating will keep you from doing things like putting your hands into your pockets or fidgeting. These gestures demonstrate nervousness and gesticulating while you talk will have the opposite effect. You will seem more confident and powerful by using your hands while you talk.^{[16]
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3
Choose an interesting object or painting to focus on. Pick something that is at eye level. If you begin to feel nervous, look at this spot to keep yourself from looking down at the floor.
4
Breathe deeply. If you begin to feel overwhelmed or anxious, force yourself to take five deep breaths. Breathing deeply will not only calm you down, it will also increase your alertness so that you can continue to be at your best. If you are giving a presentation, take five deep breaths right before you begin to speak.
- Try slowing down your speech by about half a second. This will help you breathe deeper and sound more calm as you speak. Practice by reading a book out loud and going just a little slower than you normally would.
- Make sure that your voice sounds loud enough.^{[17]
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  Sandra Possing
  Life Coach
  Expert Interview. 15 July 2020.}
5
Ask questions. When you are meeting new people, the best way to keep the conversation going is to ask questions and listen intently. Ask things like, “What do you do?” “What do you think of the party?” “What are you working on currently?” “Where are you from?”

Expert Q&A
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Question

How can I be confident?

Dawn Smith-Camacho
Career & Life Coach
Dawn Smith-Camacho is the Owner of Whole Life Solutions, a business in which Dawn provides professional speaking on effective decision-making and navigating major changes for entrepreneurs and employees. She also supports individual coaching clients by identifying their core values, managing time, prioritizing, and honing in on their ideal path. Her clients include Vistage, UNICEF, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the Wedding Industry Professionals Association (WIPA), NACE, and Oracle.

Dawn Smith-Camacho

Career & Life Coach

Expert Answer

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To help yourself feel more confident and positive, try incorporating a practice like meditation, breathing exercises, or gratitude journaling into your daily life. For instance, each night before you go to bed, reflect on what your day was like. Then, identify the best part of your day, the worst part of your day, and one thing you're proud of yourself for.
Question

How do I make my point in a group of people?

Paul Chernyak, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
Paul Chernyak is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Chicago. He graduated from the American School of Professional Psychology in 2011.

Paul Chernyak, LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Try engaging in the slow talk technique mentioned in this article to help get your point across clearly.
Question

How should I walk in front of others as I am afraid?

Community Answer

Don't be afraid, though we all know we have weaknesses or faults we should think that nobody is perfect. We make mistakes. We all have talents and good quality. Don't be afraid. Challenge yourself to be brave than to be weak.