WEBVTT - Stage a mental rehearsal

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to stage a mental rehearsal to boost

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<v Speaker 1>your confidence before any event you hope will go well.

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<v Speaker 1>I received this tip from Alison Shapira, who's a former

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<v Speaker 1>opera singer, so you know she shows something about real

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<v Speaker 1>rehearsals and performances. She since become the founder and CEO

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<v Speaker 1>of Global Public Speaking, a training firm that helps people

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<v Speaker 1>present with authenticity and confidence. She is also the author

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<v Speaker 1>of Speak with Impact, How to Command the Room and

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<v Speaker 1>Influence others. Allison wrote to me that I learned about

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<v Speaker 1>mental rehearsal years ago through Toastmasters and have found it

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<v Speaker 1>to be one of the most powerful practice tools I've

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<v Speaker 1>ever used. Injured athletes will use this tool to keep

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<v Speaker 1>training even when they can't get onto the field. If

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<v Speaker 1>you're nervous about public speaking because of a prior negative incident,

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<v Speaker 1>you can use mental rehearsal to rebuild your confidence. She explains.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's how to do it. Sit in a comfortable place

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<v Speaker 1>and close your eyes. Take a slow breath in through

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<v Speaker 1>your nose and out through your mouth. Continue breathing while

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<v Speaker 1>doing this exercise. Now imagine the room where you will

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<v Speaker 1>be given your speech or presentation. Imagine you feel excited

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<v Speaker 1>to speak. Imagine the warm applause as you walk up

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<v Speaker 1>onto the stage or to the front of the room.

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<v Speaker 1>Now give your speech or presentation word for word in

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<v Speaker 1>your mind. Imagine it going incredibly well. Imagine the warm

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<v Speaker 1>round of applause as you finish the speech, and the

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<v Speaker 1>mixture of relief and pride you feel walking back to

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<v Speaker 1>your seat. Now imagine someone telling you how impactful your

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<v Speaker 1>message was for them personally. Imagine how that makes you feel.

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<v Speaker 1>Allison also notes that you can use mental rehearsal to

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<v Speaker 1>prepare for difficult conversation or any challenging situation instead of

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<v Speaker 1>focusing on how bad things could be. It is a

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<v Speaker 1>powerful way to build your confidence and reframe nerves as excitement.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that doing a mental rehearsal is a great idea.

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<v Speaker 1>I think this is a wonderful idea from Allison. But

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<v Speaker 1>you don't have to limit the rehearsals to just mental ones.

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<v Speaker 1>I give speeches all the time, but I still practice.

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<v Speaker 1>Whenever I've gone more than a week since my last event,

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<v Speaker 1>I stand up in my office and I give my

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<v Speaker 1>whole speech, timing myself to make sure I'm fitting the

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<v Speaker 1>parameters that my hosts have set for me. If you

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<v Speaker 1>haven't done a whole lot of speaking in front of

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<v Speaker 1>other people, you can build that into your practice too.

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<v Speaker 1>Invite a few friends or colleagues to watch you. You

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<v Speaker 1>can use skype if they're located in other places. See

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<v Speaker 1>where they react well and where they look confused or board.

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<v Speaker 1>You'll be able to take anything problematic out before the

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<v Speaker 1>actual high stakes event, or sometimes you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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<v Speaker 1>I've kept a few laugh lines in my talks that

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<v Speaker 1>I didn't personally find all that funny, but the majority

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<v Speaker 1>of audiences seem to find hysterical. Speaking and presenting make

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of people nervous, but a lot of these

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<v Speaker 1>nerves stem from not knowing what's going to happen. The

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<v Speaker 1>more you rehearse physically and mentally, the more prepared you'll feel,

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<v Speaker 1>and that will allow you to perform with the presence

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<v Speaker 1>of an opera star, what high stakes situation will you

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<v Speaker 1>do a mental rehearsal for today? In the meantime, this

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<v Speaker 1>is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

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<v Speaker 1>most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to hear

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<v Speaker 1>from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

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<v Speaker 1>number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart

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<v Speaker 1>media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with

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<v Speaker 1>all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to

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<v Speaker 1>staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit

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