Yesterday, I facilitated a session with talented leaders from across Asia on responding to challenging questions from clients or internal stakeholders 'on the spot'.
It doesn’t matter how senior or seasoned you are, nerves can still strike when the stakes are high, and damage your levels confidence and effectiveness.
We explored how to acknowledge and manage the physiological response to nerves or stress, such as racing heart, sweaty palms, tight tummy or chest.
When you’re in this state, it can manifest as a freeze response, causing you to go blank, stay silent or stammer or stumble over your words. Alternatively, it can cause you to ramble unclearly, blabber, or overpromise.
Either way, it prevents you from being your best and frankly it feels pretty awful!
Here are some the techniques we discussed:
➡ If you can notice these physiological responses, you gain the ability to actively calm your system and regain control over your responses.
➡ Instead of panicking when you sense these symptoms arising, recognise them as helpful 'tells', prompting you to take a breath and reframe the situation.
➡ Taking a moment to pause and take a deep breath allows you to settle the physiological response, gather your thoughts, and respond intentionally. It may seem deceptively simple, but numerous studies support the profound impact of breath in lowering heart rate and stress response. (And no-one will notice!)
➡ This pause also provides an opportunity to reframe the situation – from fear or stress to learning and opportunity.
From ‘I can’t’ to ‘I’ll give it a go’
❔What’s your ‘tell’ when the nerves hit? (Mine’s a thumping heart!)
Comments