When You're Feeling the Heat

November 15, 2007

For weeks, you've been preparing for a presentation to senior management and things are NOT going well. Your staff has been unable to provide the information you need and time is running out. You are scheduled to deliver your presentation at precisely 8:00 AM, tomorrow.

You think about being in front of those people. All eyes will be on you. Judging you.

You can feel the tension mount. Your stomach tightens. Your mouth feels dry. "How did I get myself into this mess?" you wonder.

Then, just when you think the pressure can't get any worse, the boss stops by your office. "I'm really counting on you this time," she says.

Ugh! Sometimes, the work can really get to you.

We all face pressure situations at one time or another. It's no fun. You feel nervous and apprehensive. You feel unsure of yourself. Like having a bad toothache, you wish these feelings would just go away.

The worst part of these pressure situations is that they can really mess with your mind. You start thinking about all the things that could go wrong. "What if I say the wrong thing? What if they don't like my work (or presentation)?"

Instead of focusing on what you need to do to succeed, you worry about doing a poor job. "What will they think of me?" You begin to panic. Unable to concentrate, you make a few mental errors, which results in a loss of confidence. And then, that's when everything falls apart. Your performance goes way down. You end up creating the very outcome you most wanted to avoid.

In fact, the more importance you attach to a particular assignment or event it seems, the more likely your are to blow it. Why? Because you've built it up so big in your mind that all you can think about is fear of failure. It's like the athlete who "chokes" when the game is on the line. Has that ever happened to you?

Feeling pressure is natural. Everyone experiences it at one time or another. But, it's when your performance counts the most you want to shine - not fall flat on your face.

Oddly enough, some people are able to handle pressure just fine. They remain calm, poised, and confident even under intense pressure. They never seemed to get rattled. It's as if they have nerves of steel. How do they do it? What do these people do differently that enables them to stay so calm all the time?

Basically, people who are resistant to pressure think differently than everyone else. They are able to separate themselves from the situation. This gives them tremendous power - a kind of mental shield that prevents the pressure from getting through to them.

It's not that these individuals have more self-confidence than others. It's that they don't view the outcome of any situation as a reflection on themselves or on their abilities. So in a pressure situation, they are able to build on their confidence, instead of losing it.

Therein lies the secret to handling pressure situations. Change your thought process and your behavior will follow. Here are a few tips on how you can do that.

1. Calm yourself down.

Before you can gain control of the situation, you have to first get control of yourself. Stop for a moment and close your eyes. Take a deep breath and hold it in for a few seconds. Then, let it out slowly. Clench your fists and then slowly relax them. Let your arms hang limp at your sides. With your eyes still closed, tell yourself that it's going to be okay. Remember, things almost never turn out as badly as we fear.

2. Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts.

The next step is to push the negative thoughts out of your mind. You can do this by consciously telling yourself, "I can do this. I've been in difficult situations before and they turned out fine. There is a way to solve this problem or meet this challenge and I am about to find it. I am committed to seeing this through. I am not giving up!"

This technique is called positive self-talk. A related technique is to recall a time in the past when your performance was exceptionally good. Try to remember what it felt like, in every detail. Where were you at the time? What did you do or say in that instance that made the difference? Even if the current situation is different it helps build confidence in your ability to work your way through it.

3. Focus on the desired outcome.

People who perform well under pressure don't allow themselves to be frightened or intimidated by others. In fact, they don't give much consideration at all to what others might be thinking. Instead, they concern themselves only with those things they have control over. This enables them to focus all their attention on the task at-hand.

You can do the same thing by concentrating only on that which is under your control and ignoring all the things you can't control. Focus on what do you need to do in order to meet your objective in the situation.

4. Seek help.

Often, you can relieve pressure by sharing it with others. Give out assignments. If possible, ask your team members to provide you with creative ideas or help off-load some of the workload for you.

Try to find someone who has been through similar situations in the past. Their advice is probably most valuable, since they speak from experience. If that isn't possible, talk over the situation with someone you trust. At least they can provide emotional support.

5. Develop a Plan

Consider alternative solutions or approaches to the challenge you're facing. Visualize yourself being successful. Then think about how you can put yourself in that situation. Try to be as creative as you can. Decide upon a course of action and identify the next step. Having a plan helps you stay focused on what you need to do instead of worrying about what has happened or might happen.

How you handle yourself in those critical moments when the pressure is most intense can mean the difference between a successful outcome and failed outcome. Keep your composure and your performance will remain high. These tips will enable you take control of any situation and perform to the best of your abilities. And never feel the heat.

Best regards,

Stephen Foster, Ph.D., SPHR
Canopy Software, Inc.
1493 Market Street
Tallahassee, FL 32312
(850) 893-5699

E-mail me at: Steve.Foster@ExpertSupervisor.com.