Here’s a neat little list on ways to build confidence in a child, sent to me by the author, Sara Dawkins. Among the suggestions are:
- Encourage independence
- Praise the process, not the product
- Applaud safe risk taking
- Show unconditional love
- Be a self-confident role model
- Foster an “I can” attitude
With just a little tweaking this list is relevant to a wide variety of topics we talk about in interpersonal communication, e.g., self-esteem, empowerment, relationship development. Nor is the list limited in application to children—much of it (again, with a little tweaking) can be applied to the workplace and the classroom.