Confidence has an important role to play in encouraging people to engage in activities, step out into new territories and take risks in living, especially in relation to learning. But how can changes in confidence be captured and the outcomes of learning be recorded? With financial help from the Department for Education and Skills, these authors were able to design a small study to attempt to find answers to these questions. In a literature search conducted by the authors on confidence and self-esteem in relation to learning, they concluded that self-esteem and confidence are complex concepts about which there is little consensus. The study examined the impact of confidence on learners and their learning. Learners reported that participation in learning did enhance their confidence but that their levels of confidence varied in different situations. The changes had an impact on their lives in both general and specific ways. The authors believe that their study provided some powerful evidence that there is a strong connection between learning and confidence. There is evidence that there are features and characteristics which can define confidence. One of the dominant indicators of confidence, or a growth in confidence, was the ability to speak up, especially with strangers.