Just looking for ways to get more confidence in general any advice from anyone ( i might be becoming to be a JNCO soon and need more confidence)
If I had a pound for every cadet that said what you have⌠you will probably benefit from some hands on help with someone from your Squadron, a staff member or senior cadet/NCO. Can you speak to someone who knows you better to get some hands on practical help?
When and what are you doing when you feel you lack confidence? For example taking drill, leadership tasks, speaking infront of cadets etc
I mainly lack confidence in taking drill or speaking in front of people eg a presentation
For drill, have a read of how commands are supposed to be given (AP818) and practice them at home (without shouting of course). This should give you a good start for taking drill. You should also ask your NCOs for help and guidance, itâs what theyâre there for.
For speaking infront of people that takes practice if you arenât used to it. If you fake a bit of confidence to start with then people will believe you are confident. Just remember nobody is going to judge you or talk about you behind your back for any mistakes or anything you make.
Feel free to ask any questions 
You canât really teach people confidence per se, just put them in the way of things to give them âconfidenceâ, some take to it and some donât, but doesnât mean they are better or worse people, itâs just how people are. There are some people who seem naturally confident but they are normally overly loud, better at BSâing than others and making it sound good. One of my brothers in law is like this and to honest he is a bore, even my wife and his elder brother tell him so and have done it around people heâs trying to impress.
Donât worry about things. The problems you think you have will start to disappear when you start taking drill and do some public speaking, the more you do it less apprehensive you become, not that in any circumstance you will lose your nervousness. Even today after doing these for years, I still feel apprehensive doing things. It might be regarded as having a pulse. But if I mess up so what, if anyone says anything Iâm always prepared to let them get on with it.
On the squadron Iâm OC of we get cadets from once theyâve passed their 1st Class exam taking drill, after a quick lesson on doâs and donâts from the Adult SNCO, then with an Adult SNCO on their shoulder, starting with a bit of static and building up. I donât let cadet NCOs do it unless Iâm certain I can trust them not to be overly critical. This was something I instigated when I took the squadron over, being something Iâd done for years when I was a cadet FS many years ago. The SWO wasnât keen to let me as a cadet FS do this, but let me run with it. It did stop the system of first taking the squadron for drill and final parade, the first night after you were promoted. It wasnât greeted well when I took over the squadron, but within a year, there was a general improvement in cadets actually doing drill as they understood some of the technical side.
Also public speaking is something we do almost from day one, with show and tell type sessions and pick an object from a bag. When we do these the staff do them as well and if they donât I encourage cadets to give them a hard time. If they donât I will and do it non quietly. This is something cadets are familiar with from primary school, so itâs not too frightening. As time goes on we pick cadets and give them a topic or let them pick a topic and give them a month to prepare a âtalkâ.
Does it result in âbetterâ NCOs, hard to say as there is more to being an NCO than just these things. We tend to think most cadets are better overall and seem to fair better against their peers from other squadrons. But in the long term, as long as the young people who join the squadron grow as individuals and if they just leave the Corps feeling able to do the sort of things they might need to later in life, job done on our part IMO. Which seems anecdotally to be the case.
Something you need to do is not try or expect to âgrow upâ so quickly, something that seems to have been âa thingâ for the last 25 or so years. Being an NCO is not the be all and end all and doesnât stop you having a bloody good time in the ATC. I wanted to be an NCO, but when I missed a couple of rounds, it was a case of just do what I was enjoying doing and if I was promoted that was a bonus.
If you mess something up, people may well pass comment, Iâve made mistakes taking and organising large parades and if someone has said anything I offer to let them do it next time. As yet no one has taken up my offer.
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Donât be afraid. Donât be afraid of what the cadets think because end of the day the main person you need to be impressing is your staff and NCOs. Do what you can the best and ignore what everyone else says. If you want 1 to 1 help send over a message
Building confidence can be a slow process. The only way to be genuinely confident doing something is to practice it. Until then, pretend.
âŚAnd keep pretending. Eventually you wonât need to pretend and you might not even realise it has happened.
Take small steps - put yourself in inconsequential situations slightly out of your comfort zone. It looks like youâve already started if youâre going for promotion. It might seem like a big deal, but there is no pressure - what you are presented with an opportunity to gain experience and that is true whether you succeed or not. Even if you arenât promoted, youâve developed.
@Teflon we run very similarly. We give opportunities for cadets to take drill, but with a cadet NCO on their shoulder. However, we are blessed with a great team of NCOs who developed their drill and leadership skills with me on their shoulder before going on to attend their NCO courses, leadership courses, and a formal drill course.
It wouldnât work if I didnât have confidence in them and it would still be me if that werenât the case, but after a couple of sessions with me nearby and offering my own feedback they were fairly set. It acts now as another opportunity for the NCOs to develop themselves and also the relationship between them and the cadets. For the most part I now know that I can let my SNCOs mentor my JNCOs in mentoring the cadets. I still helicopter in from time to time to keep an eye on proceedings.
We have 2-minute talks that develop into 5-minute presentations. The former are easy and usually personal and the latter occasionally descend into the surreal.
Iâm a firm believer in empowering cadets and not just delivering content. All the better if we can have a laugh on the way.
@CDTx, consider asking if there are any opportunities to take drill under guidance or if there are any jobs that you can do. If you need help or advice, just ask someone. If thereâs a particular topic that you really enjoy and know, ask whoever is responsible for that topic if you can help with a lesson - you donât have to do much, just assist in getting around the room during practice/practical sessions, or help to explain a small part of a larger lesson. With the backup of someone more experienced, youâve got a safety net should you need it.