How to come off confident without really saying much?

Question

i am going to an orientation at my school with about forty people, i dont really ever say much when i first meet people. i dont want to give the wrong impression, people always think i am like scared or nervous. need help, PLEASE.

Answer 1

If you don't want to come off scared or nervous, don't look around a lot.  That is a characteristic of a nervous person.  If you want to look confident and don't want to say much, use body language.  Don't twiddle your thumbs or anything like that.  Just leave your arms down at your side or maybe put your hands in your pocket.  That way, you'll  leave people guessing about your confidence.  When you do say something, make sure that your voice doesn't shake.  You should do perfectly fine.

Answer 2

The words "I'm not really much of a talker" spring to mind.

From that, people will either assume you lack confidence, or are just intelligent enough to keep your mouth shut.

Answer 3

By not saying much, but saying something, and what you say, say confidently.  Wait until you have something confident to say.

People don't know, for the most part, whether you are confident or not.  They may draw conclusions about how you look.

But, when you say something, they will evaluate what you say.  Therefore, probably the less said the better.

If someone disagrees with something you say, don't back down.  If you think it necessary, explain what you mean for the sake of clarity.  If the other person still doesn't agree, don't let it turn into an argument.  At that point, I would say, "then we disagree."