Dealing with Pressure to Perform

I’m often called in as a coach when someone is doing a presentation and isn’t feeling confident, or has expanded or wants to expand into a new area and doesn’t know where to start.

 Almost always this person feels the pressure to perform.

Of Course!

Anytime we start something new or something that is out of our comfort zone, we can feel a little pressure (maybe a lot of pressure!), especially if someone else can be affected by our words and actions, which is, let’s face it, always!

Where does this pressure to perform come from?

Let’s see, Freud would say . . . Nah, let’s not go there.

Here’s what I’ve experienced: it comes from expectations. Expectations we hold for ourselves, and the expectations we believe the audience, or client, or boss, holds for us. Isn’t this true? If you’re like me, you might just notice a little fear of being judged thrown in, just for good measure.

In this video, I talk about three tools you can use to deal with this pressure to perform. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy!