Let's go through these 5 ways to sound more confident one by one.

1. Speaking clearly helps you sound more confident.

One of the biggest confidence busters is someone who just can't seem to get words out of his or her mouth. They speak quietly, they slur their words together, or they just don't speak each word in a sentence very clearly.

When you are speaking to someone, whether one on one or whether you are giving a presentation to a larger group of people, make sure that you project your words confidently. This doesn't mean that you are shouting everything that you say! Instead, make sure that your voice is mildly loud, so that everyone can hear it, but also clear. Avoid "salesperson voice", and instead strive to be genuinely clear.

This leads us directly to our next tip, which is:

2. Enunciating your words and cutting out mumbling will help you sound more confident.

How many times have you had a business meeting with someone and you just couldn't understand what they were saying to you, so you decided not to go with their bid? If they aren't confident in what they are pitching or explaining to you, how can you be confident too?

Make sure that you enunciate each and every word that you use. Endings of words particularly get lost in sentences, so don't overemphasize the endings of your words, but make sure that those endings are there.

Don't mumble. Speak up. Make sure that those around you can hear you. You don't have to be overbearing, but mumbling indicates nervousness and insecurity. Avoid it.

3. To sound more confident, avoid slang.

Avoiding slang in your speech will help you sound more intelligent, polished, and confident. Slang also includes filler words such as "like" and "you know" and anything else that is extraneous.

A good rule of thumb is that if your teenager uses the word in daily speech, you should not. Instead, emphasize proper grammar. Using slang and other filler words make it seem as if you have no other, more refined way to express yourself. You come off as not quite as competent as others might be, or as polished.

Avoiding slang instills trust. Other people will be impressed by your calm assurance and your ability to rise above the pitfalls of everyday speech.

4. Clarifying your comments can help you sound more confident.

If the above tips seem somewhat self evident, here's one that most people overlook. When someone asks you a question, do you simply answer with a basic yes or no? In order to sound more confident and more assured, clarify your comment. Complete the statement with, "Yes, I read that report just the other day." Or you could say, "No, I haven't ever met John, but I've heard a lot about him."

Clarifying your comments encourages conversation. A simple yes or no is too blunt, and makes it seem as if you don't know what else to say, and are uncomfortable with the situation that you are in. Completing your statements gives a great impression, and is absolutely necessary in any work situation, sales pitch, presentation, or interpersonal communication.

5. Practice, practice, practice!

Just like anything else, good, confident communication requires practice. Listen to yourself speak. Practice using these different techniques. Develop a manner of speaking that is friendly, confident, and not fake or overbearing. Ask someone you trust to give you pointers and tell you what they really think.