Stage a mental rehearsal

Prepare wisely for any high-stakes event

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to stage a mental rehearsal to boost
your confidence before any event you hope will go well.
I received this tip from Alison Shapira, who's a former

(00:24):
opera singer, so you know she shows something about real
rehearsals and performances. She since become the founder and CEO
of Global Public Speaking, a training firm that helps people
present with authenticity and confidence. She is also the author
of Speak with Impact, How to Command the Room and
Influence others. Allison wrote to me that I learned about

(00:45):
mental rehearsal years ago through Toastmasters and have found it
to be one of the most powerful practice tools I've
ever used. Injured athletes will use this tool to keep
training even when they can't get onto the field. If
you're nervous about public speaking because of a prior negative incident,
you can use mental rehearsal to rebuild your confidence. She explains.

(01:07):
Here's how to do it. Sit in a comfortable place
and close your eyes. Take a slow breath in through
your nose and out through your mouth. Continue breathing while
doing this exercise. Now imagine the room where you will
be given your speech or presentation. Imagine you feel excited

(01:28):
to speak. Imagine the warm applause as you walk up
onto the stage or to the front of the room.
Now give your speech or presentation word for word in
your mind. Imagine it going incredibly well. Imagine the warm
round of applause as you finish the speech, and the
mixture of relief and pride you feel walking back to

(01:51):
your seat. Now imagine someone telling you how impactful your
message was for them personally. Imagine how that makes you feel.
Allison also notes that you can use mental rehearsal to
prepare for difficult conversation or any challenging situation instead of
focusing on how bad things could be. It is a
powerful way to build your confidence and reframe nerves as excitement.

(02:15):
I think that doing a mental rehearsal is a great idea.
I think this is a wonderful idea from Allison. But
you don't have to limit the rehearsals to just mental ones.
I give speeches all the time, but I still practice.
Whenever I've gone more than a week since my last event,
I stand up in my office and I give my
whole speech, timing myself to make sure I'm fitting the
parameters that my hosts have set for me. If you

(02:37):
haven't done a whole lot of speaking in front of
other people, you can build that into your practice too.
Invite a few friends or colleagues to watch you. You
can use skype if they're located in other places. See
where they react well and where they look confused or board.
You'll be able to take anything problematic out before the
actual high stakes event, or sometimes you'll be pleasantly surprised.

(03:00):
I've kept a few laugh lines in my talks that
I didn't personally find all that funny, but the majority
of audiences seem to find hysterical. Speaking and presenting make
a lot of people nervous, but a lot of these
nerves stem from not knowing what's going to happen. The
more you rehearse physically and mentally, the more prepared you'll feel,
and that will allow you to perform with the presence

(03:23):
of an opera star, what high stakes situation will you
do a mental rehearsal for today? In the meantime, this
is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to hear
from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

(03:46):
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the
number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also
shoot me an email Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart
media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with
all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to

(04:08):
staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I
heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit
the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows.