I recently went to Seattle to give a talk on persuasive speaking skills at Microsoft. The night before the event, I practiced my presentation in the actual room where I would be speaking. This kind of practice, under a bit of stress, is known as ‘good stress’ or ‘eustress’. It can help improve your performance by reducing anxiety and boosting confidence.
Research shows that practicing under a small amount of stress can help you feel more comfortable when facing challenging situations. It’s like learning to swim in the ocean before actually diving in. When I rehearsed at Microsoft, I discovered some important details about the setup that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. This allowed me to adjust and feel more confident on the day of the presentation.
If you have an important presentation coming up, make sure to schedule practice sessions with some added stress. This will help you get used to unexpected challenges and feel more at ease when the time comes. Remember, the more you practice under pressure, the easier it will be to handle nerves and focus on delivering a great performance.
By adding a little stress to your practice routine, you can reduce anxiety and increase your confidence. And who knows, you might even start looking forward to your presentations! When you’re having fun, your audience will enjoy it too.
Vocabulary List:
- Persuasive /pərˈsweɪ.sɪv/ (adjective): Able to convince someone to do or believe something.
- Performance /pərˈfɔːr.məns/ (noun): The act of presenting a play concert or other form of entertainment.
- Confidence /ˈkɒn.fɪ.dəns/ (noun): The feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something.
- Anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.ə.ti/ (noun): A feeling of worry nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
- Challenges /ˈtʃæl.ɪn.dʒɪz/ (noun): Difficult tasks or situations that require a solution or effort.
- Eustress /juːˈstrɛs/ (noun): A positive form of stress that can help improve performance.
How much do you know?
What is the term used to describe the kind of practice under a bit of stress, as mentioned in the text?
Why is practicing under a small amount of stress beneficial according to research?
What analogy is made in the text to describe practicing under stress?
Practicing under pressure can help in handling nerves and focusing on delivering a great performance. True or False?
What does the text suggest to do if you have an important presentation coming up?
According to the text, what can reducing anxiety and increasing confidence lead to during presentations?
Practicing under stress can reduce anxiety and increase confidence.
Practicing under a small amount of stress can make you feel less comfortable in challenging situations.
The text suggests that practicing under pressure can make it harder to focus during presentations.
Adding stress to your practice routine has no effect on anxiety levels.
Practicing under pressure can help in boosting confidence.
The text implies that practicing under stress can help in adjustments and increased confidence.
After practicing under stress, you can feel more at ease when facing challenges.
The more you practice under pressure, the it will be to handle nerves.
By adding stress to your practice routine, you can reduce and increase confidence.
When you're having fun during presentations, your audience is likely to it too.
Practicing under stress can lead to adjustments and increased .
If you have an important presentation, make sure to schedule practice sessions with some added .
