TM4T Stress Armoury 29 - Managing performance stress

You would have thought that – having chosen a career which involves standing up in front of people (albeit quite small people) and talking – teachers would be pretty well immune to performance stress. Not so. If the circumstances are right (or rather, wrong) then performance stress can affect any of us. An observation by a nice man from OFSTED, a short presentation as part of a job interview, an assembly speech on the stage in the school hall. Logically, these should be as easy as 11D Lesson 2 Tuesday, but sometimes logic doesn't apply. Sometimes, the yips apply, like an expert golfer missing a six inch putt.

We all know the feeling of slight sickness in the stomach before an important presentation or performance; the sweaty palms, the pounding heart and sense of agitation that we feel as the event grows closer. Most of us have also experienced how much worse this feeling can become when things go wrong in the run up to the event.

Making a performance plan

A performance plan is a pre-prepared tool that helps you to deal with problems or distractions that occur, and helps you to carry out the performance itself in a positive and focused frame of mind.

Step 1: Make a list of the steps that you need to do from getting prepared for a performance through to its conclusion. Include all of the following:

Step 2: Mentally, work through each of these steps. Think about anything that could reasonably go wrong at each step with your equipment, preparations and arrangements. Write these down. Think about any distractions or negative thoughts that could undermine your confidence or stop you from having a positive, focused frame of mind before and during your performance. Work through all of the things that could go wrong and look at the statistical likelihood of the thing happening. Many of the things you have listed may be extremely unlikely. If you consider it preposterously unlikely, cross it off your list and ignore it.

Look at each of the remaining contingencies. These will fall into three categories:

1. Things you can eliminate by good preparation, including making back-up plans and getting alternative or spare equipment.

2. Things you can manage by avoiding unnecessary risk.

3. Things you can manage with a pre-prepared response or with a chosen stress management technique.

For example, if you are depending on a projector for a presentation, you can borrow a small portable project as a backup, check that replacement projector bulbs are available, or print off paper copies of your presentation in case all else fails. You can choose your departure time to allow for reasonable, or serious travel delays, depending on likelihood. You can also think through alternatives if your travel is disrupted, carrying phone numbers of local taxi companies. If you are likel to grown tense if make to wait before your event, carry an MP3 player with soothing music.

Research all of the information you might need to take appropriate action quickly, and make sure that you have all the appropriate resources available.

Also prepare and rehearse the positive thinking you will use to counter panic and negative thoughts both before the event and during it.

Now make a list of what you have to do in order to prepare fully for your presentation. Make sure your plan is in a form that is easy to read. Tick off your preparations as you complete them (order projector bulbs, get taxi numbers etc). Keep your plan with you as you prepare for, and deliver, your performance.