Performing Well Under Pressure

I guess I perform well enough. Depends how much pressure is being put on you and how well you adjust to it.

One thing to never do is put pressure on yourself while others are putting pressure on you. Kind of destroys the whole performance. The most notable example is almost indirect, but imagine presenting something to someone.

Let’s start small. Imagine it’s your college class, with 12 other students and the professor. The pressure by the professor are their guidelines to your presentation and the expectation that you will do well. The pressure from your classmates is the 24 eyeballs staring at you as you try to make words come out of your mouth.

My method? Have fun with it and take the worry out of your head. Your only worry is the practice you put in before it. When you are prepared, then the presentation is easy. No need to worry about it. What I had done was run through the facts in my head a few days ahead of time, then the day of the presentation, not even worry about it. I come into the presentation, joke around with a few classmates to soften the mood and just roll with it. It worked wonders for me in college and I kind of wish I had done that in high school as well. Would’ve made things less panicky.

Of course, if you’re getting hammered with pressure from all sides, then I can’t help you. Might as well just sit in a corner and take it all in. You lose. Sorry.