Session plan

CONFIDENCE BUILDING
PLANNING FOR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
AT A GLANCE
This session provides young people with a range of activities that help them get to
know each other, promote their strengths and build self-confidence.

CURRICULUM LINKS
 CDI framework for
LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Use creative methods to communicate with others about themselves
careers, enterprise and
employability education:  Identify their own strengths, skills and ambitions
2, 10, 11
 Understand what confidence is and the strategies to improve it
 PSHE framework KS4 L4,
10, 12, 23, 24

LLN OPPORTUNITIES
ACTIVITIES
 Use of language in ACTIVITY TIME PAGE
session and group
discussion to describe Icebreaker 15-30 minutes 03
self-improvement and
development areas. Understanding and developing confidence 45 minutes 05

Self-promotion challenge 60 minutes 07

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ICEBREAKER
Use this icebreaker activity to help learners understand the importance of something
positive to them.
TIME REQUIRED
15-30 minutes
MATERIALS
 A phone or something to
use as a timer
 An object or picture that
relates to something
that is important to you
and the group (one per
person)
ACTIVITY STEPS
1. Before this activity, ask each young person to find or think of
something that is important to them that they are going to talk
about. For instance, this could be a mascot or object that has
significance for them, a postcard or picture of somewhere they
have been, etc. Provide some examples of what they should bring,
so that learners get a sense of what is the correct and appropriate
sort of item to share. Allow some time at the start of the session
to research and consider some ideas, in case some forget or are
unable to do this preparation.
Remind the group that in this session, listening, empathy and
trust are very important. While no-one should share anything too
personal, taking part in this activity requires trust in each other,
to create a safe space in which everyone feels comfortable
sharing their experiences. These are important skills to develop
as part of work and their day-to-day lives.
2. Explain that it is really valuable to find out about people’s interests
and values as part of team building, and this is a good way to start
(especially if this is being done through remote teaching).
3. Lead the session by introducing your chosen item or picture and
describe it according to the following questions:
 When – when was the picture taken or did the item come into
your possession, what time does it remind you of?
 Where – where does it reminds you of, why is that place
important to you?
 Who – are there any people in the picture, or does the item
remind you of a particular person who is important to you?
 Why – why does it matter to you?
Bring out how it makes you feel. Speak for a minute – you could ask
someone in the group to time you.
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4. Ask the group to spend a few minutes thinking about what they are going to say about their own
picture or item, using the same prompts as above. Tell them that they will have a minute to talk about
their picture or item.

5. If you have confident people in your group, either nominate or ask for volunteers. Encourage
questions from the others, ensuring they keep them positive and neutral, and not personal, to
respect people’s privacy.

6. End by thanking the group for sharing their items and presentations. For those that presented, ask
them how they found this activity: did they feel confident speaking about their chosen subject? Did
they find it easy to talk about something that was important to them? Would they have felt differently
talking about something they cared or knew less about? Explain that even if they were nervous, this is
completely normal. Talking confidently may not come easily but it is a vital skill for social and working life.

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UNDERSTANDING AND
DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE
This activity will encourages learners to understand different levels of confidence and
develop strategies to become more confident.

TIME REQUIRED
ACTIVITY STEPS
45 minutes 1. At the start of the activity, explain what the learning outcomes are
for this session. Ask the group what they understand by the word
‘confidence’. In what types of situation do they feel more or less
confident? Discuss this with them.

MATERIALS 2. Explain that confidence is a state of mind, a feeling of trust in one’s

 Flip chart and pen or
virtual whiteboard tool
 Pens
abilities, qualities, and judgement, which are often developed
when we’re very small. Confidence affects what we think we can
do in life, a true reflection of what we really can or cannot do. It is
a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at
something.

3. Ask learners to decide in their heads how confident they are, with 1
WORKSHEET as very low and 10 as very high.
 Activity 1: Levels of
confidence 4. Working in twos or threes, ask them to look at the activity 1 of the
 Activity 2: Questions worksheet. Explain that it has three headings – ‘under confident’,
for discussion
‘confident enough’ and ‘over-confident’. Below these headings are
 Activity 3: Boosting different statements relating to how we might act in work, school
confidence
or social situations. Explain that they will have a few minutes to link
the statements to the appropriate level of confidence by either
colour coding or drawing lines. Depending on how well the groups
are working, you might want to take feedback and discuss whether
these could be added to.

5. Once finished, ask everyone to continue with the questions in

activity 2 of the worksheet in pairs or small groups. These relate
to when they have felt confident or lacked confidence, giving
reasons for each. They may not want to share this beyond their
small group, or, depending on the young people you are working
with, you may feel it’s better for them to do this activity individually.

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6. Again, in small groups, using the activity of the worksheet, ask them to imagine that they are advising a
friend on how they could be more confident. Use the scenario below, which can also be found on the
worksheet, or you could even ask the groups to come up with their own stories:

“I’ve been trying to get a part-time job and have handed in loads of applications, but so many places
have turned me down. I keep looking at social media and seeing friends who are getting work
experience, my best mate even just landed an amazing apprenticeship. I feel like everyone is doing
better than me and that maybe I’m just not good enough or don’t have the skills. One place has got
back to me and offered me an interview, but I’m so nervous and I don’t feel confident about it all.”

ASK THE STUDENTS TO NOTE THEIR IDEAS. YOU MIGHT FIND IT HELPFUL TO REFER TO THIS LIST:
 Get them to reflect on the things they are good at – what transferable skills might they have
gained from those things? E.g. If they’re on a sports team they probably have great teamwork
skills; if they use Instagram or YouTube a lot, they might be really creative and have strong digital
skills; being good at fixing things could make them a great problem solver
 Remind them not to compare themselves to other people – we are all different, no-one is
perfect, and social media can often show us a skewed picture of what is going on in other
people’s lives
 Suggest they go for a walk, get some exercise, or just sit outside and get some fresh air, to boost
their mood and give themselves more space to think and reflect
 Ask them to think about a plan for how to prepare – could they read over their CV, speak to a
teacher, family member or friend to roleplay the interview? Feeling more prepared will get them
feeling more confident
 Encourage them to look for volunteering opportunities – helping others is a brilliant way to feel
more confident, not to mention useful experience that could help strengthen their CV and, in
turn, get them more interviews
 Remind them that, even if they don’t get the interview, it’s not the end of the world – there will be
more opportunities!

7. Remind the group that although confidence can be affected by a range of things, it is also something
that can be positively influenced.

8. Ask them for one thing from the session that they will take away and use – it could be a tip for
boosting their confidence, something they have learnt about what confidence means, or a goal
they’re going to set themselves that will help them to be more confident in future.

EXTENSION :
Why not also get learners to create a collective list of confidence boosting tips? They could create
these as a poster, leaflet or small cards that they can take away from the session and refer to at a
later date.

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SELF-PROMOTION CHALLENGE
Use this activity to get learners demonstrating ways to confidently promote
themselves, including how this can help them get their dream job.

TIME REQUIRED
ACTIVITY STEPS
60 minutes 1. Ask the group to imagine that they are advertising themselves for a
job on Twitter or LinkedIn. Explain that social media can be a great
tool for finding new jobs. The aim is to get employers’ attention by
showing that they have the skills, personal qualities and passion for
the job.
MATERIALS
 Paper and pens or online 2. Show some job websites such as:
document • icould.com
 If possible, a Twitter • fledglink.com
account for the group
• nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers
to use
 Access to internet and
computers Explain that these give useful information about the skills,
qualifications and interests that are needed for different jobs.
Bring up one of the job profiles on these websites to show the
group an example. Explain that looking at these websites can help
them to figure out which skills they will need to demonstrate and
whether a job is the right fit for them.

3. Individually, ask them to research jobs that interest them. They

should pick out the skills, qualifications and interests needed for
their chosen job. They then need to focus on skills that they think
they can already offer. Remind them to think about transferable
skills such as teamwork, communication and problem solving,
which they might have developed in lots of different areas of their
lives. Some may need help with this.

4. In groups or individually, ask them to create a social media post

that explains:
• The job they are looking for
• Why they are the perfect candidate – what relevant skills do
they have?
• How passionate they are about this job

Remind them to keep it as short and snappy as possible. For an

extra challenge, tell them it’s a tweet, and so can only be 280
characters long! Encourage them to be creative too e.g. could they
include a photo, promotional video, some useful hashtags to make
their post easier to find?

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5. Go around each individual or group and ask them to present their tweet or post. Explain that they will
need to present it confidently and assertively, as though everyone in the room is a potential employer
that they’re trying to impress. Explain that it’s important to think about social media in the same way:
when putting out a tweet or a post, it’s sending a message out to hundreds, even thousands of people
– so they need to make it count! Remind learners that using social media means that they are leaving
another digital print, another reason to thoroughly think about what they are posting.

 Why not use some of the tweets or posts presented to display as ‘words of wisdom’ for
future cohorts?

6. Ask students how they found the activity:

• What did they learn about job requirements?
• What did they learn about the skills they already have to meet these requirements?
• How did they feel about writing and presenting about themselves? Was it difficult?
• If you completed the icebreaker activity at the start, how different do they feel now in terms of
their confidence when talking about themselves? Do they feel more confident than before?

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WRAP UP
 Remind young people that the outcomes for the session were
to be able to:
TIME REQUIRED • Use creative methods to communicate with others about
5 minutes themselves
• Identify their own strengths, skills and ambitions
• Develop an understanding of confidence and the
strategies to improve it
 Ask what has been learned as part of this session?
 Ask the group to rate their confidence on a scale of 1-10.
Has it changed? Ask for a show of hands for those who feel
more confident now they’ve done this session. If they feel
comfortable, ask those who raised their hands to explain
why they think the session has helped to improve their
confidence.
 Ask them to reflect on this and write down one or two ways
they will build on their confidence, using what they’ve learnt
today.

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