Confidence Up!

     What if you are one of the many people who did not have a "confident upbringing" and get shaky every time you have to perform under pressure? How would you ready yourself for an upcoming pressure moment, like giving a presentation to your senior managers, auditioning for a play, making a sales call to a potentially huge client, or having to present and defend your graduate school thesis?

Over the last twenty years, I have had the privilege of working with many successful people in all sorts of professions. Athletes, Navy Seals, company presidents, top sales professionals, all individuals who have mastered the skill of readying themselves for a pressure moment. And I've made two observations.

Number ONE: they have a procedure or method to prepare themselves. And number TWO: more or less, they all use the same strategies. Follow this procedure to build your CONFIDENCE to perform for an upcoming pressure moment:

FIRST, Practice, Practice, Practice: This is the mantra of successful people preparing for a pressure task. Elite athletes practice more than the others. That is why they are elite, not because of their natural talent. You probably don't have to practice for 10,000 hours to give an excellent presentation, but you do have to practice until you feel you are ready.

You CAN'T feel confident giving a sales pitch if you don't know all the details of the product you are selling. Think about questions you might be asked and practice answering them. If possible, ask a friend or co-worker to listen to your presentation and have him or her rate how you come across on a scale of one to ten. Ask how you can be more effective and build suggestions into your practice. Then practice some more.

SECOND, Rework Basics: Now that you know your stuff, mix up the order of the material. If you had three key points, practice giving them in reverse order, or start with the second. Mixing it up will reinforce your knowledge of the material. If you are studying for a multiple choice test, give yourself essay questions that would incorporate the information you have to know.

Practice in unorthodox ways. When your taking a shower, or when your walking through the supermarket, mentally practice your introduction. Taking this step to heart will make you feel even MORE confident. Practicing in unorthodox ways develops your fluid intelligence, the ability to adapt to novel and unexpected situations.

THIRD, What if?: Recall the pressure solution: Anticipate, Anticipate, Anticipate. Increase its power for pressure reduction by building it into your practice. Never assume smooth sailing. There is always the unexpected.

Make a list of each and create your "emergency procedures." The more thorough you make and internalize your procedures, the more in control and naturally confident you will feel. Many airline pilots would vouch for this practice component.

Fourth, Practice in a Confident Pose: Associate confident feelings with your pressure task. Do this by practicing your task in confident poses. In effect, you will condition yourself to FEEL confident when you perform the task. In turn, the confident feelings you evoke will make you more adept in performing your task.

Fifth, Visualize your performance: For this component to build your confidence, you need to take your time. In color and with special effects, visualize yourself performing your task. For maximum benefit, include all details in the scenario: what you are wearing, how others are dressed, and the size of the room. The more details the better. Include a few of your unexpected events, and visualizing yourself going through your emergency procedures.

And finally, Repeat the process frequently: Remember the mantra: practice, practice, practice! Hard work pays off. You still might not get the high marks you want, but feeling confident, you will feel proud that you performed your best.

To learn more about how to instill yourself with Confidence, check out: https://pressure.hendrieweisingerphd.com

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