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3 Ways to Communicate With Confidence Set awkwardness aside with these three tips.

By Nina Zipkin

Being the face of your company is an unexpected, exciting and sometimes frightening aspect of entrepreneurship. For some, nothing throws them out of their element quite like public speaking, or being with a group of new people. But before you freeze up, keep these steps in mind.

1. Know your story. Have an answer ready in your back pocket to explain what you do, how you got started and why it's important to you.

Related: Leaders Can Achieve 'Personal Mastery' With These Simple Steps

2. Be curious. You'll find that asking questions will help take the pressure off. By inquiring about what others are excited about, you could learn something new, or find that you're in a position to help them.

3. Be an active listener. Conversation is about give and take. Make sure you aren't just hearing others but really listening to what they are saying. Also don't forget to laugh, nod and make eye contact when they are speaking.

For more networking advice from THINQACTION's Antonio Neves, check out the video above.

Related: 6 Ways to Improve Your Conversations

Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

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