July is a natural pause point. Half the year has passed.

You’ve sat in meetings, said “That’s a good point” when you had a better one or stayed quiet because you weren’t 100% sure your words were “correct enough.”

If that sounds familiar — you’re not alone.

Here’s what professionals I’ve spoken to this year have shared:
• “I don’t speak up because I’m scared I’ll say something wrong.”
• “I feel intimidated by my younger colleagues — they seem so confident.”
• “I want to be more comfortable, but I don’t know how to start.”
• “What if they ask me a question and I freeze?”

These aren’t grammar problems. They’re confidence blocks. And they’re more common than you think.

So, if you’re tired of watching opportunities pass you by, here’s a mid-year reset designed to shift your confidence, not your calendar.

Reset Move 1: Prepare your openers and closers
When you start strong, everything flows better. And when you end with purpose, your contribution carries weight, even if you spoke briefly.

Try these openers:
• “Let me share one perspective on this…”
• “Here’s what I’ve seen work in similar situations…”
• “I’d like to add something from our side…”

And these closers:
• “To summarise, I think the key point is…”
• “That’s the main thing I wanted to highlight for now.”
• “Let me know if you'd like more detail — happy to expand.”

You don’t need to say more. Just say it with structure.

Reset Move 2: Replace hesitant language with clear framing
We all use hedging language sometimes — especially when we’re unsure or want to sound polite. But too much hedging makes us sound uncertain, even when we’re not.

Instead of:
• “I’m not sure, but maybe we could…”
• “This might be a silly idea, but…”
• “I don’t know if this makes sense, but…”

Try:
• “One approach we could consider is…”
• “Here’s an idea worth exploring…”
• “Let me walk you through my thinking — I’d love your take.”

You’re not being arrogant — you’re being clear. And clarity is respectful.

Reset Move 3: Handle questions with calm, even when you don’t know the answer
There’s often a moment in meetings that triggers panic — the unexpected question. Even confident professionals freeze when they’re caught off-guard.

You don’t need to know everything. You just need to respond with calm, structured language that buys you time and keeps your credibility intact.

If you have an idea, but need a second to shape it:
• “That’s a great question — let me think aloud for a moment.”
• “I’d approach it this way…”
• “Here’s how I’d tackle that based on what I know so far…”

If you genuinely don’t know:
• “That’s something I’d like to double-check before giving you a clear answer.”
• “Let me look into that and get back to you with the right information.”
• “Good question — I don’t want to guess, so I’ll confirm and follow up after the meeting.”

You’re not hiding — you’re showing responsibility.

We often think confidence comes from being extroverted, fast or fluent. But actually, it comes from something else: having the right tools at the right time — and practising how to use them.

And that kind of reset is available to anyone. Even now. Especially now.