New York auctioneer Lydia Fenet shares 3 top tips for gaining confidence — and keeping it
An experienced auctioneer reveals how to develop confidence in front of a crowd — and keep it going
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lydia Fenet is a charity auctioneer who has taken the stage in front of hundreds and even thousands of people during a 20-year period.
She spent 24 years at Christie’s Auction House — and now owns her own boutique charity auctioneer agency, which trains and places quality auctioneers with charity auctions all across the country.
"If you have someone who knows what they’re doing on stage, you can get 50% more [during the auction] if someone knows how to work an audience," she told Fox News Digital in an interview.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New York City resident revealed how she's found the confidence to command a crowd over the years — and how others can do so, too, no matter what line of work they may be in.
Here are Fenet's top three tips.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}1. Get out of your comfort zone
"First of all, I would say start trying things that you don’t think you can do," she said.
Fenet shared her top tips for gaining confidence and keeping it, including getting out of your comfort zone — and how people gain from doing this. (Lydia Fenet)
Pushing out of a comfort zone and trying new things can grow people's confidence enormously, she suggested.
"When you try [things] you don’t think you can do, whether you gain something or lose something, you gain confidence because you’ve lived — on one side — and now, on the other side, you've done something you didn’t think you could do," she said.
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The auctioneer and business owner said it’s easy to get comfortable — but that it's really important to continue pushing.
"Don’t surround yourself with people who are threatened by things [that] are going well in your life."
"We all get so comfortable in our lives that we’re scared to try something because we fear looking silly," she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Instead, she advised, "do whatever you want."
2. Travel more
Fenet recommended traveling to see parts of the world that you’ve never seen before, as it will challenge you to think differently.
Fenet said traveling can be highly beneficial to your confidence, as it puts you in new and different situations. (Lydia Fenet)
"If you can, get outside of where you live your day-to-day," she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The mom of three said this could be something as simple as getting on a bus or train and going somewhere new.
"Seeing something totally new is really a gift that you can give yourself," she said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fenet said her mother is British — which allowed her the opportunity to spend time in England at a very young age.
That gave her confidence, she said, to be able to speak to people from all over the world.
"It’s given me a huge amount of confidence in conversations, since I’m not scared to speak to someone who’s southern and has completely different views than all of my friends in the Northeast because I understand both points of view," she explained.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Confidence is what Fenet said sets her apart from others when organizations set out to choose an auctioneer for a fundraising event. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Chefs for Kids' Cancer)
3. Surround yourself with people who lift you up
The charity auctioneer said it's wise to keep people around you who lift you up and push you to be better.
"Don’t surround yourself with people who are threatened by things going well in your life," she said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Instead, "surround yourself with people who say, ‘Let me tell you what else I think you can do to make it go even further.'"
Fenet has been a auctioneer for over 24 years — spending most of her time with Christie's Auction House in New York before starting her own boutique auctioneering agency, Lydia Fenet Agency. (Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images)
Fenet said surrounding yourself with secure and confident people, including family members who fall into this category, is important for your success and growth.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"When you’re in that kind of ‘trust tree’ with people, I don’t think you can go wrong," she said.
Fenet is the author of two books that discuss success as an auctioneer and growing your confidence, "The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You" and "Claim Your Confidence."
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