Building Confidence in Teenagers – Catching the Confidence Bug – A Confidence Guide for Teenagers and Parents
Growing up is challenging. Teenagers today, it seems, have a lot more to cope with than just a few decades ago.
There’s the pressure of making friends and surviving social media, for a start. Then there’s preparing for important exams and falling in love for the first time. There’s handling all the emotions of growing up and dealing with parents who can often appear negative and busy.
The rational part of our brains doesn’t fully form until we’re about 25 which is why teenagers can often be prone to poor judgement and histrionics as they approach adulthood. For parents, this can also be a confusing and challenging time. It can have a significant impact, however, on how teenagers think and feel about themselves which makes building confidence in teenagers an important task.
- Research by Dove in 2017 found that 61% of girls between the ages of 10 and 17 have low self-esteem, particularly when it comes to body image.
- Another survey carried out by the Mental Health Foundation found that nearly a third of British teenagers were ashamed of their bodies. .
Building confidence in teenagers, where they feel good about themselves and make informed, safe decisions, is integral to building self-esteem and has a huge effect on future success and happiness.
How Parents Can Be More Supportive
Parents often find it difficult to help their teenagers through this difficult period in their lives. It’s a lot more than just getting the right grades at school so they can go on to have a great career. Supporting kids through a whole bunch of challenges, missteps and travesties is just as important as helping them deal with success.
There are plenty of life skills that will be useful and are often not taught in school. Supporting children to learn these is critical in development.
For parents, it’s also important to listen and hear what someone is saying, however, inarticulate they are in explaining what is happening. Unfortunately, with us all living busy lives, it can be something we only pay passing attention to.
Learning to Communicate with Confidence
We take talking almost for granted. It’s something we learn as we grow older but it’s also something that can be taught and improved with the right approach. Good communication skills enable individuals of all ages to get their point of view across and present an argument. That in turn can boost self-confidence and esteem very quickly.
Taking a course in public speaking might seem like extra work to some teenagers, but it can help transform them into super-confident adults who have the world at their feet.
It gives you a clearer understanding of what your words mean and how other people interpret and react to them – a valuable skill for teenagers and parents alike.
It builds confidence in teenagers to stand up in front of your peers and talk clearly and with passion.
It’s a skill that not only benefits your self-confidence, but it’s also something that will help you throughout life. Companies looking to hire top talent nowadays actively search for those with proven communication skills, particularly speaking in public.
Overcoming Nerves When Presenting
Speak to anyone who regularly gives speeches to large groups of people and they’ll tell you their biggest challenge is handling the nerves. Even old pros like actors and politicians can struggle with the fear of presenting.
When you learn public speaking, you also get some great tips for overcoming nerves, things like breathing exercises as well as making sure you prepare your presentation properly. These again are life skills that will benefit you well into adulthood.
Sonal Dave is an award-winning public speaker and offers courses, workshops and mentoring for those who want to improve their communication skills.
