Four Techniques to Stay Calm and Confident in High-Pressure Situations

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?"

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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What's Laura Up To Now???

• As I write this, I'm still working at the beach. I'll get back to the home office later this week. It's been great -- I actually worked outdoors in late February! In Michigan, this is all but unheard of at this time of year. I even did a few Zoom meetings outside, and it was so unreal some attendees thought I was using a virtual backdrop! Nope, it was all real! Even the Old English Sheepdog slumbering in the background...

• The weird new toy I was telling you about a few weeks ago just released. Ta-da! If you like Sasquatch and Dogman, you'll love "Cryptid Case Files." You don't have to have a sense of humor to appreciate these odd little goofballs, but it helps!
• Surprisingly, I did lots of private one-on-one speaking consultations this week. I really thought they'd ease off (it usually does this time of year!) But no. Thanks to everyone who Zoomed in! #YouKnowWhoYouAre
• Izzy Gesell, CSP and I hosted a LinkedIn Live Event called Using Humor at Work. If you missed it, you can catch it on replay. Thanks to all who showed up!