[We see Baasit Siddiqui sat behind a desk in a virtual studio. The University of Derby logo is on the desk, 'Get Ready for Uni' is on the two side screens, and the Kedleston Road site is seen through the window behind him.]
Baasit: Hello I'm Baasit Siddiqui and welcome to Get Ready for Uni with the University of Derby.
The future is now and there are so many exciting opportunities just around the corner for you.
[We transition to a slide which displays 3 panelled videos alongside one another showing a student studying, working on a job, and packing a suitcase.]
You might be considering going to university, starting an apprenticeship, getting a job, or going on a gap year.
[Back in the virtual studio.]
All these options have one major thing in common, meeting new people.
Some of us are naturally more outgoing than others. However, there will be others who need more support and encouragement and that's perfectly normal. Today's workshop is aimed at finding ways to boost everyone's confidence levels helping you to feel empowered and able to overcome challenges much more easily.
Let's get ready and get confident.
[An arrow wipe transition takes us into the next section with text 'Get Ready For Uni', then 'Get Confident'. Baasit is back in the studio.]
I'll let you into a secret, confidence isn't a skill that can be learned overnight so don't worry if you don't emerge as an extrovert tomorrow. You and your friends have all got your own roles and behaviours with each other, so I totally get that it might feel inauthentic to change or start acting like a different person. This isn't about being someone else, it's about presenting the best version of you. Think beyond today, to the people you're going to meet out in the world.
[An arrow wipe shown with a video in the centre of a group gathering at a desk and doing work and chatting.]
How do you want to come across to someone new who doesn't know your past, your reputation, or current circle of friends. How you hold and present yourself can influence how people see you. There are some small changes you can make or take on board and work on ahead of the next phase after school and college that will help you to settle into your new phases of life much more comfortably.
[Baasit is seen back in the studio.]
Now don't just take my word for it, let's hear from somebody who's putting this into practice.
[An arrow wipe transition takes us into the next section where Izzy is shown sat in a room with the wall behind her having a scenic tree wallpaper.]
Izzy: Hi I'm Izzy, I'm a Marketing Associate at the University of Derby.
[A swipe text transition appears with 'Isobel Kinder' with 'Graduate Marketing Associate' underneath. This then swipes back out of the frame.]
on the Future Talent Graduate Program. I studied English literature at the University of Derby and I graduated in July.
Before starting university I wasn't sure exactly what career path I wanted to pursue so I focused on the things that I enjoyed doing. I knew that I loved reading and writing so I decided to pursue an English degree. In addition to exposing me to a vast array of literature, my course also enabled me to develop key skills including my research skills, written and verbal communication, and innovative thinking. In particular I think a skill that stands out to me was my confidence skills grew whilst I was studying.
I think university has played a key role in improving my confidence as my course was assessed via a mixture of written coursework and seminar participation and presentation. This meant that I was encouraged by my lecturers to really grow my communication skills and we frequently did presentations in those kinds of activities.
I found that when I was doing a presentation it really helped if I could practice before going in so I would do a run through of my presentation with my family and friends and I'd also very thoroughly research my area so that I could make sure I had all the background knowledge that I needed so on the day I'd have a very clear plan of what I was doing and I'd feel comfortable to do so.
I think in particular an experience that stands out to me was the conference which I did in my second year.
[An arrow wipe shown with a video in the centre of the University of Derby's Atrium at their Kedleston Road site looking busy. A clip of someone presenting in a lecture theatre then displays which pans to the audience who have smiles on their face.]
This was when I researched and presented a conference paper to an audience of the public and academics. Although this was an experience that initially made me feel quite nervous,
[The video resumes back to Izzy.]
I found that now I've done it it's something that I can draw strength from because knowing that I've done that before, I know now if I have to do any public speaking that I have done it and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was so now I feel more comfortable to do it again in the future.
Whilst I was studying I wasn't sure exactly what career I wanted to do, so the university supported me by encouraging me to pursue internships. It was on these internships that I discovered my interest in marketing and I'm now a Marketing Associate on the Future Talent Graduate Program. On my graduate scheme, I've been involved in a variety of activities including liaising with businesses, scheduling social media posts, assisting with events, and editing website content.
It's been such a varied role so far but I've been finding it very rewarding to work at the university because I get to share a positive experience I've had at university with future students and help them along their journey.
I think my main tip would be to seize every opportunity you can even if it makes you feel a little bit nervous at first. Whether it's something that might seem quite small like raising your hand in class or something a bit bigger like presenting a paper. I think that exposure to different experiences is a really key way to give yourself the confidence to know if you've done it before, you can do it again and these things often aren't as bad as you might initially think. I think that being confident is more than just being the loudest in the room.
I think it's also about having something to say and putting your ideas forward, especially if you're working in a team, it's important that we all can bring something to the table.
[An arrow wipe transition takes us into the next section with Baasit seen back in the studio.]
Baasit: For the past fifteen years having worked in education, and the last six running my own business supporting young people,
[An arrow wipe shown with a video in the centre of Baasit presenting on stage to an audience in the University of Derby's Atrium at their Kedleston Road site. The University of Derby's logo is displayed on the stage and in the background.]
I've been lucky enough to do so much in the world of meeting new people and talking on stage.
[Baasit seen back in the studio.]
I wanted to give you an idea of how to come across confident in two different settings. The first one is part of my day-to-day job as an educator and speaker and the second one is around having one-to-one or group conversations with new people.
There are of course differences to think about in these two settings however, whether you are talking to one, ten, or hundreds of people, there are certainly some similarities too. Here are a few tips to come across confident in these different situations.
When doing one of my talks I make sure I come across as relaxed as possible. However, there is so much practice that goes into a talk on stage so you can come across as relaxed. Whenever I do some of my training sessions and teaching people how to speak on stage, I always encourage them to write their speech in two minutes but practice it for ten.
[We transition to a slide which displays the text 'Practice' with three arrowed pointers. These state 'Decide on your script', 'For every 2 minutes of public speaking, spend 10 minutes rehearsing it aloud', and 'Improve and adapt your phrasing as you practice'.]
Now what this really means is that it's really really important to practice. Two minutes to write it, ten minutes to actually practice it,
[Baasit seen back in the studio.]
is just echoing the fact of how important it is to practice it because once you've said it out loud a couple of times you'll start to relax into it, you'll start to make changes that suit your personality. This could mean adding a bit of humour or personal stories to it as well. At the heart of that the first bit of advice practice, practice, practice. One of the best bits of advice I was given when speaking on stage was to pause. Take your time.
[We transition to a slide which displays the text 'Pause' with three arrowed pointers. These state 'Insert a pause beat', 'Get everyone's attention back', and 'You can get ready for the next part'.]
Having that moment of silence not only gets the attention of everyone in the room, but it also gives you a chance to collect your thoughts.
[Baasit seen back in the studio.]
Remember you'd have practiced what to say so you know what's coming up, but pausing or owning the stage, will make you come across as relaxed and confident. Something I definitely wanted to touch on and if I'm honest with you this is an area I have to remind myself of is this idea of body language and tone of voice. They both play a really important part of the personality.
[We transition to a slide which displays the text 'Body Language / Tone of Voice' with two arrowed pointers. These state 'Stand tall - don't shrink into yourself', and 'Take your time - don't rush, do slow it down'.]
Standing tall, I'm going to in fact remind myself of standing tall, and talking with a positive slower tone really does help you feel confident.
[Baasit seen back in the studio.]
I'll be honest with you, if you saw me in Tesco or out and about with my family, I don't think I'd be standing as tall and proud as I do right now or when I'm on stage. It's all about feeling confident and people can sense that so posture, body language, tone of voice, and what you are wearing all help.
When it comes to the stage side of everything my final bit of advice when it comes to this whole stage aspect is something that has not only been well received by my clients and companies I've worked with, but it's led to me working with them over and over again. To put it as simple as possible, is simply be authentic.
[We transition to a slide which displays the text 'Be Authentic' with two arrowed pointers. These state 'Link the topic to your own experience/interests', and 'It's a chance to give your own perspective and feel more connected to the topic'.]
With every one of my clients I link whatever they want me to talk about to something I am passionate about or feel comfortable to talk about.
[Baasit seen back in the studio.]
Bringing in elements of being authentic will make you relaxed and feel confident in what you are saying. Now I'll be very honest with you, if I had a choice of presenting something on stage that I'd practiced over and over again versus having a group or one to one conversation with someone, I'd probably choose the stage.
[An arrow wipe shown with a video in the centre of someone shaking hands with multiple people.]
It's never easy meeting people in a new setting but here are a few things I do
[Baasit seen back in the studio.]
to help me meet new clients, new students, new people. If I had to choose, at the top of my list is self-awareness. As you grow older and encounter new experiences
[We transition to a slide which displays the text 'Self Awareness' with two arrowed pointers. These state 'Reflect on what you need to work on', and 'Always be open to learning more'.]
really try to reflect on what you do well and not so well, and most importantly never be ashamed to admit an area you know less about.
[Baasit seen back in the studio.]
This goes back to being authentic and honest with the people you are talking to. Now I hope this is really clear, this is easier said than done but something that will really help you is recognising what you do well. Thinking about the things you do well can help you hold your hands up and think that okay, this is an area that I need support with, I need help with, and then recognising the people that can help you. I'll say it again, self-awareness helps you to think about the people you don't interact with as well.
I want to give you a couple of examples as an educator and someone who has to network with new people all the time, I really try to do my best to go out of my comfort zone to listen actively to people with jobs and backgrounds I know less about. Asking them questions and showing a genuine interest will help you relax and celebrate learning new things.
[We transition to a slide which displays the text 'Active Listening' with two arrowed pointers. These state 'Listen to new information, paraphrasing back key points', and 'Ask questions that further your understanding'.]
You may have come across this as something known as active listening. Your interest in these people will help them grow in confidence too, so it's a win-win situation.
[Baasit is seen back in the studio.]
Last but not least practice empathetic communication and this sounds very fancy but all it really means is
[We transition to a slide which displays the text 'Practice Empathetic Communication' with three arrowed pointers. These state 'Try to understand the situation from the other person's point of view', 'Recognise what they're doing well', and 'Understand what their challenges are'.]
trying to understand someone's point of view and recognise their successes and challenges. One of the things I find most interesting is that people
[Baasit is seen back in the studio.]
who you'd expect to come across as confident, this could be people in a senior role, CEOs of businesses, people that have even been on television, they can actually face-to-face, one-to-one come across as quite introvert. Empathising and realising that other people struggle to communicate helps you to lead a conversation through active listening, empathising with their challenges, and most importantly celebrating their successes.
Of course being a confident communicator is so useful with whatever you plan to do in the future but bringing it back to me as a business owner a lot of work I have with all of my different companies and clients really comes from building meaningful relationships, but these things take time.
If you take one thing away from this session about confidence,
[We transition to a slide which displays the text 'Summary' with three arrowed pointers. These state 'Learn to reflect on the conversations you've had and how they went', 'Recognise what others do to communicate well', and 'Understand what their challenges are and tailor your responses to help'.]
I'd say is to learn to reflect on the conversations you have, and how they went. Over time they do get easier and can end up being a lot of fun.
[Baasit is seen back in the studio.]
[An arrow wipe transition takes us into the next section with Baasit in the studio.]
We're now at the end of the session but I hope this will be the beginning of your new journey to feeling more confident in those situations where you need to show yourself off. These are skills that can add value to your student life or whatever path you take after school. Whenever you're a bit anxious about meeting new people, moving to a new home, or giving a presentation to a room full of people, think back to today and what we've learned. I want you to get confident and stay confident.
[End titles - 'Get Ready for Uni with Baasit Siddiqui' - and the University of Derby logo.]
Get Ready for Uni: Get Confident video
Back to Get Confident