by Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy / © 2016, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Job interview? Sales pitch? Big date? How you see the situation can affect how it goes.
Psychologists know that when you change how you perceive a challenging situation, how you present it to yourself, your performance can improve.
No need to feed yourself [a] pep talk or lie to yourself, says Jessyca Arthur-Cameselle, psychologist and consultant at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. That doesn’t work.
Instead, think rationally. Focus on facts. Remember past accomplishments: positive feedback after a work presentation [or] an athletic endeavor in which you achieved your goal. Dig deeper to create a complete mental picture of your best performances.
To help, keep a file of positive notes and thank-you letters you receive. When you doubt yourself, dip into your file. Athletes, musicians and actors can pull out videos of their best performances.
How can you remember past accomplishments if you’ve never given a speech before a huge audience or tackled some other challenge of new and larger scope? Reach into your memory for similar events. Maybe you practiced your presentation in front of your colleagues and got good feedback.
Preparing material is an obvious confidence-booster, but if you’re tense and edgy even after that, try:
*Imagery
Think about yourself performing well. Imagine it going the way you want. Linger in that mental picture. Studies show imagery stimulates neural pathways in the same way actually doing the task does.
*Examining your self-talk
What negative tapes play in your head: I’m old and outdated; I’m young and inexperienced; I’m scared I’ll mess up? Write them down. Flush them from the cover of subconscious into the light of day.
Look at them differently: I have years of valuable experience; I have youthful energy; I finally get the chance to show what I can do.
*Focusing on what you can control
You can’t make a client buy, but you can do terrific research and preparation.
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