7 Skills to Stop Being SO F*cking Awkward

Because confidence isn’t magic—it’s a damn skill set.

This isn’t your average self-help fluff. This is a 7-week tactical series designed to obliterate habits that make you freeze, ramble, or feel like an outsider in every room you enter.

Delivered in the raw, no-BS style of Dan Martell, each weekly installment examines one very fixable awkward trait and provides strategies to overcome it—with real frameworks, daily drills, and live calls to action.

Are You Ready to Become More Confident?

This series is perfect for you if you:

• ✔ Tired of overthinking every social interaction

• ✔ Ready to lead, pitch, connect—and actually be remembered

• ✔ Done letting self-doubt hijack your voice and presence

  
  

You weren’t born awkward. You trained for it. Now let’s train you out of it.

⚒️ Skill 1: Radical Self-Awareness

You can’t fix what you can’t see.

Most people rarely confront their social blind spots because it feels uncomfortable. As a result, they repeat the same awkward patterns over and over again.

Do this:

• Film your next Zoom call or conversation.

• Watch it back. (Yes, it’s cringe. Good.)

• Spot 1–2 awkward tells: tapping, filler words, voice cracks, or overtalking.

  
  

Pro tip: Use the Mirror Rule: if watching it makes you squirm, that’s your skill gap.

🎯 Daily Drill: Record yourself speaking for 2 minutes every day this week. Identify and tackle one tell.

👁️ Skill 2: Deliberate Eye Contact

The difference between creepy and confident? Intention.

Avoiding eye contact sends a strong signal of insecurity. But staring too intensely can make others uncomfortable. The magic is in controlled, deliberate eye movement.

Try this:

• Use the Triangle Technique: cycle your gaze between someone’s left eye, right eye, and mouth every few seconds.

• Practice the 60/40 Rule: Hold eye contact 60% of the time while speaking and 40% while listening.

  
  

🎯 Daily Drill: Practice eye contact with 3 strangers today—cashiers, baristas, whomsoever. Hold for 3 seconds and smile.

💪 Skill 3: Power Posture & Movement

Your body says what your mouth can’t.

If you walk in slouched with arms folded and a low voice, you’re asking the room to ignore you. Own your posture, and the room will respond accordingly.

Practice:

• Keep your shoulders back and spine tall.

• Keep your hands visible, not tucked in your pockets.

• Walk like you’ve got somewhere important to be.

  
  

🎯 Daily Drill: Start every morning with 2 minutes of power posing (Wonder Woman or CEO stance). Then record a video and compare it to your usual slouch.

🎙️ Skill 4: Tactical Storytelling

Storytelling done right builds trust, credibility, and curiosity.

Done wrong? You might come off as a narcissist, rambler, or, even worse—boring. Learn how to tell short, punchy, relevant stories that land like a TED Talk.

Structure to use:

• ABT Formula: “I was doing X AND I thought I was crushing it… BUT then Y happened… THEREFORE I learned Z.”

• Keep it under 60 seconds. If they want more, they’ll ask.

  
  

🎯 Daily Drill: Share one short personal story today using the ABT formula—on a call, in a post, or via DM.

❓ Skill 5: Strategic Questioning

Asking better questions makes you more interesting—even if you say almost nothing.

Stop asking “What do you do?” Start asking questions that uncover stories and foster connections.

Use these questions:

• “What’s been lighting you up lately?”

• “What challenge are you solving right now?”

• “What’s something people misunderstand about your role?”

  
  

🎯 Daily Drill: Ask someone 3 layers deep today. Start with a question, then follow it with “Why is that important to you?”

🧠 Skill 6: Real-Time Feedback Loops

If you can self-correct during a conversation, you become unstoppable.

Most people realize their awkward mistakes after they happen. You can train yourself to adjust in real time.

Tools:

• Ask mid-conversation: “Does that make sense?”

• Watch for facial cues (confusion means you might need to adjust your tone or slow down).

• Self-score immediately after interactions on a scale of 1–10 for confidence.

  
  

🎯 Daily Drill: At the end of every conversation today, write down one thing you did well and one area to improve.

🧱 Skill 7: Intentional Environment Design

Your physical surroundings influence your social energy. Set them up for success.

A cluttered desk, bad camera angles, poor lighting, or echoey rooms can sap your confidence without you even realizing it.

Environment tips:

• Stand for calls whenever possible.

• Use lighting that accentuates your eyes.

• Clean your desk before important conversations.

• Create a “Confidence Corner” where you film or record—make it your sacred space.

  
  

🎯 Daily Drill: Audit your environment right now. Fix 1 thing today—be it lighting, posture, background, or sound.

🚀 Final Thoughts

You’re not awkward—you’re just untrained.

Confidence isn’t a personality trait. It’s a stack of skills. Learn the stack, drill the reps, and install your new operating system.

This blog is your launch pad. The full course provides the accountability, coaching, and frameworks you need to make the transformation stick.

Are you ready to elevate your confidence and communication skills? Click here for more information.