The Fix: Overcome performance fears
At some point, we're all going to be thrown into the spotlight. Whether it's a client pitch, company presentation, public address, or high-stakes conversation, taking center stage can seem be exhilarating and terrifying, producing a mix of dread, uncertainty and self-doubt.
And while a little bit of performance stress can actually be a good thing (listen to my conversation with West Point's director of high-performance psychology for the reasons why),?many people would simply prefer to avoid the pressure of performing altogether. The good news is that we can limit the fear factor by training our minds to view the act of performing differently.
This week's fix: How to overcome your performance fears.?
From my own experiences on stage as a TEDx and global keynote speaker, I've found that three techniques help settle my nerves and give me an edge. Each one is research-backed, easy to adopt and can be developed without much time or training.
Have a good chat with yourself
Strange as it sounds, there's good reason to talk to ourselves before stepping up to perform. Self-talk centers us in the present moment and helps us refocus on the task at hand. This allows us to talk our way around distraction by screening out the stimuli that weaken our concentration. Not only that, but self-talk also creates the conditions for better decision-making and helps rescue us from doing things we may later come to regret.
In practice, researchers have found that interrogative self-talk (where we pose and answer a series of questions to ourselves) can prime performance. It might go something like this:
Me: (Freaking out) I'm about to speak to 500 HR practitioners. Can I do this?
Myself: Yeah, I’ve done this lots of times. I got this.
Me: Why should I be so sure?
Myself: Well, I was asked to speak at this event. I've given this talk before. And I know a lot about the topic, so I'm qualified and prepared.
Me: But what if something goes wrong?!
Myself: I've been in situations where things have gone off script and I always found ways to rebound. I know how to improvise if something doesn't go according to plan.
领英推荐
As these thoughts run through our heads, we're reinforcing our qualifications, burnishing our credentials and drawing on our lived experience – giving us just the right amount of confidence and clarity we need to proceed.
Name the monster
?As humans, we've become conditioned to run from perceived threats in our environment. But it turns out that heading them off is a much better approach – especially if we "name the monster" that may be causing the fear, anxiety or plain old stage jitters.
Researchers at UCLA found that people with spider phobias showed fewer signs of reactivity when they verbalized their emotions. They discovered that by simply noticing and naming their state of being, participants cut internal stressors in half.?So before you slip into a panic, label the emotions you’re experiencing as a way to contain them.
Naming emotions can bridge the gap between thoughts and feelings. The transition from “I am this…” to “I am feeling this” helps us isolate the emotion, view it as temporary, and lower its intensity. Once controlled, emotions are simply distractors, not derailers.
Get in your reps
We’re often told that "practice makes perfect." It’s a nice adage, but it doesn’t hold up to reality. (I'm still trying to throw the perfect spiral after 20 years of effort.) A more accurate way of putting it might be "practice makes permanent." The more we do something, the more likely we’ll be able to do it again, with minimal recall.?Brain scans show that people use the same neural architecture whether they are actually moving or just thinking about the movement. Researchers call this "phantom practice," but its effects are quite real: Simply going through the motions has been shown to have the same effect as physical practice – and it can even produce a boost in our performance.?
So before your next turn in the spotlight, run through a mental sequence of what you're about to say or do. Replaying your performance steps will make you feel like you've already mastered the act by the time you have to do it "again” for real.
Even under bright lights, we can take the glare off our fears by staying in the moment, labeling our emotions, and rehearsing the right moves. The result may be our best performance yet.
Research round-up:
* * *
Dr. Joe Hirsch is the managing director of Semaca Partners, a?TEDx?and?international keynote speaker, and the author of "The Feedback Fix." His work and research has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Inc. and other major outlets. He also hosts the popular podcast,?I Wish They Knew.