Getting nervous or anxious before an important meeting is natural and it’s good to scare yourself now and again. Life would be boring otherwise. But when you’re heading into an important meeting or interview the last thing you want is to get sweaty palms and start stumbling over your words. You know exactly what you want to say but sometimes the nerves just get the better of you.
To help you get exactly what you want from your next meeting, we’ve put together our top five tried and tested tips for keeping cool…
#1 Preparation, preparation, preparation.
To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail. Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation….and so on and so forth. You know this, but seriously the number one rule is to prepare properly and have questions ready for the end.
#2 Ask for a glass of water
You will more often than not be offered a drink when you sit, and sometimes you’ll bat away the offer without thinking about it. Well, next time say yes. A glass of water will not only whet your throat so you can speak clearly, it can also give you a precious few seconds to think when asked a tricky question. Take a sip, think, speak.
#3 Keep your hands on your lap, separately
Cupped hands = sweaty palms. Noticing your sweaty palms makes you think about how you’re going to dry them without the person opposite you noticing. And then all of a sudden you’ve been thinking about your hands instead of listening to the question. And oh no, now you need to speak but don’t know what was said! Keep your hands on your lap, separately.
#4 Smile
One of the many benefits of smiling is that it releases endorphins and serotonin, making you feel good even if you’re a little nervy. It’s also contagious so all being well, will be mirrored by your interviewer making them feel good too. Obviously only smile if it’s appropriate, don’t go in beaming if you’re interviewing for a mortuary…
#5 Have a conversation
You may have a lot of questions flying your way, try sending a few back. Being interested in the person you’re speaking to can only reflect well, this is your chance to get to know each other and see if whatever your interviewing for is going to work. I can’t imagine they want to be sat down for an hour or so having one word answers throw their way. People like to talk about themselves, so be inquisitive, make them feel at ease too.
Whether you’re interviewing for a new position or going into an important meeting with your current job, these tips will help you keep your cool and reach for your next career goal. Go get ’em girls.
Did these tips help you? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured Image: Movie – I Don’t Know How She Does It