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Description

Self-Confidence: Establishing Your Professional Presence

Speak up, defend your views and hold your ground without changing who you are

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

A lack of confidence rarely shows in technical skills: it shows in the contributions never made, the opinions held back and the opportunities turned down.

Two days to understand what fuels self-doubt, practise in realistic workplace situations and build a form of assertiveness that fits your own personality.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the mechanisms that fuel self-doubt and self-criticism
  • Recognise your skills and achievements in factual terms
  • Assert yourself without aggression or self-effacement
  • Speak up and defend a viewpoint in meetings
  • Receive criticism and voice disagreement constructively

What makes this programme different

Progressive practice, moving from low-risk to more exposing situations
Small-group work within a clearly agreed confidentiality framework
Individual trainer feedback on presence, posture and voice

Programme

1Understanding What Confidence Is Built On

Distinguishing self-esteem, self-confidence and assertiveness

  • Self-esteem, self-confidence and assertiveness: three distinct levers
  • The mechanisms of self-criticism and perfectionism
  • How limiting beliefs play out in workplace situations
  • What confidence is not: neither permanent self-assurance nor authority

2Drawing on Your Own Resources

Starting from reality, not from an ideal

  • Factual inventory of your skills and achievements
  • Describing what you do well without overstating or downplaying it
  • Accepting praise and recognition
  • Setting realistic development goals

3Asserting Yourself in Relationships

Neither doormat nor porcupine

  • The three defensive attitudes: avoidance, aggression, manipulation
  • Expressing a need, a refusal or a boundary
  • Voicing disagreement while preserving the relationship
  • Receiving criticism without collapsing or counter-attacking

4Holding Your Ground in Front of a Group

The test of the collective setting

  • Speaking up in meetings: timing, framing, length
  • Steadying your voice, your eye contact and your physical grounding
  • Managing nerves and the physical signs of stress
  • Defending a position when challenged

Who is it for

Any professional seeking greater ease in workplace relationships, public speaking, negotiations or when taking up a new role.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.