Four Techniques to Stay Calm and Confident in High-Pressure Situations
Laura Bergells
Executive Presentation Coach | Speech Rehearsal & Media Interview Prep for Top Execs
Picture this: You're in the middle of a high-stakes meeting, and suddenly, someone throws you a question you never saw coming. Cue the sweaty palms, the racing heartbeat, and the sudden urge to sprint out of the room like a startled gazelle!
It can happen. Freeze, flight, and fight are natural responses to a perceived threat. But don't worry! You can use four techniques to slow or stop these oh-so-natural freeze, flight, or fight responses. Here's how:
1. First things first: do an exercise I call "Anticipate and Prepare." This is where you brainstorm a list of tough questions your audience might ask. Then, practice answering those questions out loud.?
No, it's not just good enough to "think things through in your head." You'll actually want to drill these answers out loud! That way, your mouth and body will know what to expect as they work together with your brain to deliver your response. Practicing out loud in a low-stakes setting helps your body respond better in a high-pressure situation.?
Top-performing athletes do drills before they play a big game. You need to do your drills, too!
2. Second, take your time answering. Take a pause. When faced with a daunting question or unexpected challenge, don't be afraid to take a moment to collect your thoughts. Pause, breathe, and channel your inner Buddha or Saint Francis. Embrace the power of silence.?
Your pause is a power move. When there's a break in a pattern, people will pay more attention to what you're saying. And when you've rehearsed your responses, you'll know exactly what to say and how to say it! That pause makes you look unrushed and confident.
3. Third, check your body language. When it comes to impromptu speaking, your body can have a mind of its own – and it's up to your brain to keep it in check! Avoid fidgeting like a squirrel on caffeine. Instead, opt for open, relaxed gestures. Put your hands out where people can see them: this shows your audience you have nothing to hide!?
Stand up straight by keeping your shoulders as far away from your ears as possible. Take a deep belly breath. This means you take in air to fill the bottom of your belly like a balloon. As you breathe deeply, keep your shoulders from rising and falling. Instead, let your tummy pooch out a little! An erect posture coupled with deep belly breaths helps your vocal power so that you sound more confident.?
4. Fourth, if you're anxious before speaking, try breathing exercises. You might be thinking – "What? I've been breathing since the day I was born. What's the big deal?"
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Well, there's breathing, and then there's?breathing. Those deep belly breaths you do on stage? They help you in more ways than one! Sure, belly breaths help your vocal power. And in a clutch situation, deep belly breaths also help you calm your nerves and clear your mind.?
But if you're anxious before a high-stakes presentation, you may need to calm yourself down beforehand. Breathing exercises are an excellent way to do that!
My favorite breathing exercise to calm pre-speech jitters is the "4-7-8 Technique," also known as. "pranayama." This is where you inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for seven, and then exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of eight. Repeat as needed — usually 1-3 minutes will do the trick. It calms you down like, whoa. If you're too restless to sleep the night before a presentation, this is also a great exercise to wind you down before bed.
And while 4-7-8 works the best for me and most people, a lot of folks have trouble remembering those seemingly random numbers. So, if you forget the magic numbers, relax! There's also a technique called "Box Breathing" that works, too. This is where you visualize tracing the outline of a square with your breath. You inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold for four. As in pranayama, 1-3 minutes of box breathing can calm you down well!
That's it! Those are four ways to stay calm and confident during impromptu speaking or question-and-answer sessions. Anticipate and prepare, take a pause, check your body language, and remember to b-r-e-a-t-h-e.?
Until next time, keep speaking like nobody's watching (even if they totally are).
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10 个月https://www.tiktok.com/@jaga.official7?_t=8m7buhrK29R&_r=1
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10 个月https://www.tiktok.com/@jaga.official7?_t=8m7buhrK29R&_r=1
Sale maneger at AL Harir karandi
10 个月Sales manager
Healthcare Management || Executive Support II Office Manager II Senior Medical Secretary II Medical Staff Officer
10 个月Thank you for this post! Actually I was doing some self reflection these couple of days, as I have noticed that I can not translate what's on my mind into spoken words. While they're in my head, they make perfect sense and once I open my mouth, words come out as gibberish. After reading this article, I was able to pinpoint the reason when you said in point one that it's not enough to think things in our head. Apparently my mouth and body aren't aligned and by practicing out loud as you recommended, I think I will be able to properly express the thoughts in my head.
Manager
10 个月That's great advice! Really like the way how we can overcome the Q&A with confidence. If we anticipated and prepared and even did a memo with someone else before the session as well, sometimes there is something we leaved or left to prepare or maybe we think it's not that important and that not going to be a question in the session; sometimes it's going to the first one. Maybe the first one is gone to be the most important part and the balance will definitely be distracted and not be able to well perform. Madam, I need a remedy for the preparation for these Q&A. How we can maintain the positiveness and calmness when your first one or two questions get dissatisfaction and how we can satisfy with another answers with great energy.