How Young Professionals Can Improve Communication Skills at Work: Confidence Built Through Everyday Practice

Have you ever held back an idea during a meeting because you were unsure how your colleagues would receive it? Or replayed a conversation in your mind afterwards, wondering whether you could have expressed yourself better?

In our experience working in theatre, education and communication training, we have come to appreciate that having something worthwhile to say and feeling confident enough to say it are two different things.

For young professionals entering the workplace, communication can be particularly challenging. They are expected to contribute ideas, present recommendations, engage colleagues and respond to unexpected questions, often while still finding their professional footing.

We frequently tell young people to speak up, be confident and make their voices heard. But confidence cannot simply be switched on because someone tells us to.

Confidence is built through experience. It grows when we take small risks, learn from our interactions and discover that we are capable of handling situations that once felt uncomfortable.

So, how can young professionals develop greater confidence in workplace communication?

1. Speaking in Meetings: Give Your Ideas a Voice

Silence in a meeting does not necessarily mean a lack of ideas. Sometimes, it reflects uncertainty about when to speak, how an idea will be received or whether our contribution is valuable enough.

Research by Amy Edmondson (1999) found an association between psychological safety within teams and learning behaviour.[2] When people feel safer taking interpersonal risks, they are better positioned to ask questions, share ideas and learn together.

For young professionals, start with something manageable. Prepare one observation, suggestion or question before a meeting. Contribute early rather than waiting for the perfect moment.

You do not need to dominate the conversation to make a contribution.

We often remind learners that effective communication is not about saying more than everyone else. It is about recognising when and how to contribute meaningfully.

AI-generated image

2. Presenting Ideas: Make Your Message Clear

Knowing your subject does not automatically make it easy to explain your ideas to others.

When preparing a presentation, begin by asking: What do I want my audience to understand, and why should it matter to them?

State your main recommendation, explain your reasoning and clarify what you need from your audience. Use relevant examples to make unfamiliar ideas easier to understand.

Through our experience as trainers, we have learnt that speakers sometimes become so focused on remembering what they want to say that they forget to consider what their listeners need to hear.

A presentation is not simply an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge. It is an opportunity to make that knowledge accessible and useful.

Clarity is not about simplifying your thinking. It is about helping others understand it.

3. Handling Questions: Learn to Respond, Not React

Unexpected questions can unsettle even experienced speakers. When we feel pressured to respond immediately, we may rush our answers or become defensive. Our background in theatre has taught us the importance of responding to what is happening in the moment rather than relying entirely on a prepared script. Workplace conversations require the same flexibility.

When faced with a difficult question, pause. Listen carefully. Clarify the question if necessary, then organise your response.

If you do not know the answer, acknowledge it honestly and explain how you will follow up. You do not need to have every answer immediately. What matters is how you handle the moment.

4. Networking: Build Connections Through Listening

Networking can feel uncomfortable when we approach every conversation as an opportunity to impress someone.

What should I say? How do I make a good impression? What if the conversation becomes awkward?

Research by Boothby and colleagues (2018) identified a phenomenon known as the liking gap: people often underestimate how much their conversation partners like them and enjoy their company.[3] This suggests that our concerns about how others perceive us may sometimes be greater than the reality.

Instead of trying to impress everyone, begin with curiosity. Ask thoughtful questions, listen to the answers and build on what the other person shares. Active listening is not simply waiting for your turn to speak. It requires attention, understanding and a genuine interest in another person's perspective.

In our view, this is one of the most overlooked aspects of communication. We often focus so much on expressing ourselves that we forget the value of making others feel heard.

5. Communicating Under Pressure: Find Your Pause

A difficult conversation with a colleague, an unexpected request from a senior leader or a challenging client call can make even a capable professional feel uncertain.

Research by Savitsky and Gilovich (2003) suggests that people often overestimate how visible their nervousness is to others. What feels obvious to us may not be nearly as noticeable to our audience.

When pressure rises, give yourself permission to pause.

Take a breath, identify the central issue and respond with a clear, concise statement before adding supporting details.

In communication training, we encourage participants to explore how they respond when situations change unexpectedly. The aim is not to eliminate nervousness, but to develop the ability to remain attentive and constructive despite it.

Sometimes, the most confident response is not the quickest one. It is the one that has been considered carefully.

6. Leadership Presence: Confidence Is More Than Speaking Loudly

Leadership presence is often associated with charisma, assertiveness or being the most vocal person in the room. But effective leadership communication also involves listening, acknowledging different perspectives, disagreeing respectfully and following through on commitments.

Research by Detert and Burris (2007) found that managerial openness was associated with employee voice, with psychological safety helping to explain this relationship.[6] Although their study focused on managers, it highlights an important principle: how we respond to others can influence whether they feel comfortable contributing.

For young professionals, leadership presence begins long before a formal leadership appointment. It can be demonstrated by asking thoughtful questions, communicating clearly, taking responsibility and treating colleagues with respect.

You do not need to imitate someone else's personality to develop your presence. You need to understand how you communicate and how your communication affects others.

Confidence Is Accumulated, Not Summoned

At SpeechWorth, our approach communication development through Applied Drama, drawing on techniques such as improvisation, role-play, storytelling and voice work. These methods create opportunities for participants to practise real-world situations, experiment with different responses, receive feedback and try again.

AI-generated image

For example, a participant might rehearse answering a challenging question from a senior colleague. Through reflection, they can examine their response, identify what could be improved and practise a different approach in a supportive environment.

This process reflects an important principle in learning: experience becomes more valuable when we have opportunities to examine it and apply what we have learnt.

Research on self-efficacy by Albert Bandura (1977) also highlights the importance of successful experiences in shaping our beliefs about what we can do. Applied to workplace communication, this suggests that small, achievable challenges can help young professionals build confidence progressively.

Of course, practice does not guarantee that every conversation will go smoothly. But it can equip us with more ways to respond when things do not go as expected.

Across our work in performance, education and training, we have seen the value of creating opportunities for people to explore, practise and reflect rather than simply telling them to be more confident.

Confidence is not a personality trait reserved for a fortunate few. It is something we can develop through purposeful practice and experience.

For young professionals, the journey begins with everyday interactions: contributing an idea, asking a question, listening more attentively or approaching a difficult conversation differently. You do not have to transform overnight. You only need to take the next opportunity to practise.

Because professional potential is not defined only by what we know, but also by how effectively we communicate what we know.

At SpeechWorth, we believe communication is a skill worth developing—through experience, reflection and purposeful practice.

References

[1] Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215.

[2] Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.

[3] Boothby, E. J., Cooney, G., Sandstrom, G. M., & Clark, M. S. (2018). The liking gap in conversations: Do people like us more than we think? Psychological Science, 29(11), 1742–1756.

[4] Kluger, A. N., & Itzchakov, G. (2022). The power of listening at work. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 9, 121–146.

[5] Savitsky, K., & Gilovich, T. (2003). The illusion of transparency and the alleviation of speech anxiety. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 39, 618–625.

[6] Detert, J. R., & Burris, E. R. (2007). Leadership behavior and employee voice: Is the door really open? Academy of Management Journal, 50(4), 869–884.