Performing under pressure
Pressure narrows attention and floods working memory with worry. Preparation that simulates pressure, plus simple routines, protects performance when it counts.
Key ideas
- Practise under conditions that feel like the real event.
- Pre-planned responses reduce decisions in the moment.
- Reframing nerves as readiness helps performance.
Step by step
- 1
Rehearse with a timer, an audience or a recording.
- 2
Prepare your first thirty seconds word for word.
- 3
Use a short reset: one slow breath and your first line.
- 4
Tell yourself 'I am ready' rather than 'calm down'.
Example
A candidate practises interview answers with a friend acting cold and impatient. In the real interview the panel feels easy by comparison.
Your drill
Run one practice session today under realistic pressure, timed and recorded, and note where your performance dropped.
Common mistakes
- Only practising in relaxed conditions.
- Trying to suppress nerves instead of channelling them.
Check yourself
Why prepare the first thirty seconds word for word?
Show the answer
Starting is when pressure peaks; a fixed opening removes decisions and builds momentum.
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