A guide to staying completely calm and confident in interviews and presentations (Part 5)

A guide to staying completely calm and confident in interviews and presentations
Part 5: Bringing it all together

Over the last four articles, I have attempted to explain what is happening when we feel nervous before interviews or presentations, and have introduced some simple and effective techniques which can help you to stay calm, confident and in control  when you most need to.

1)      Rehearsal

2)      Anchoring and

3)      7:11 breathing

This final article on the subject is really just to give some suggestions as to how you can even combine these techniques in a way that can be the most effective for you, in a single relaxation exercise.

·         Sit comfortably with feet flat on the floor and hands resting on your lap. Move your head around a bit and find the position where it is perfectly aligned above the body and your head feels like it as no weight.

·         Start to concentrate on your breathing, as you breathe from the diaphragm (i.e. your tummy moves in and out rather than your chest)

·         Each time you breathe out; expel all the air from your lungs ….

·         ....and then breathe in a completely new lung-full of air.

·         If it helps, use the 7:11 breathing technique three or four times to help you become really calm, very quickly.

·         Each time you breathe out; silently say the word “calm” to yourself.

·         Each time you breathe out; see the word “calm” as if it were written in front of you.

·         As you start to relax, spend a few minutes continuing to concentrate on your breathing and the word “calm”.

·         You could then apply your confidence anchor to really bring back the feeling of confidence.

·         And as you sit there relaxed, vividly re-experiencing that feeling of confidence, then rehearse the event you are concerned about, in your mind, as if you are the confident person you want to be, being really aware of how you would be standing or sitting as that confident person, how you would be speaking and interacting, as that confident person, stepping into that person so you can really take on all the attributes that mean you have all the confidence you need.

·         Rehearse the event in your mind, from its beginning, all the way through to its successful conclusion and out after it is finished, looking back and noticing just how well it went.

You will find that the more you practise these techniques, the easier it becomes to remain calm and become confident whenever you need to and before you know it, you might even find yourself looking forward to all the new opportunities that you find opening up ahead of you.

Cathy Simmons
Cognitive Hypnotherapist and NLP Master Practitioner

www.cathysimmons.co.uk

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