Transforming an interview with a pre-game ritual
Transforming an interview with a pre-game ritual
It’s a question I get often.
Before 2021, I had no idea what to do when it came to preparing for a live TV interview and I had to learn the hard way in the middle of the #lockdowns in Melbourne in 2021.
So I developed a pre-game ritual to set myself up for the chance to ace the interview (although a little different to the pre-game ritual Rafael Nadal has before he goes on 🎾 court ).
So whether you are going on live TV for an interview, going for a job interview or preparing to play a tennis match, these are three of the things I do to prepare which you might find useful when you have something important to prepare for.
1. Speak to yourself in 3rd person
To help with confidence, you should speak to yourself in the 3rd person, instead of the 1st person as a way to counter your usually negative inner monologue.
The official term for speaking to yourself in the 3rd person is illeism. University of Michigan psychologist Ethan Kross conducted research into the value of first-name self-talk as a way to reduce stress before a challenging event like public speaking.
For example, it could be, “Tim, you’ve done the preparation for this.”
Or it could be, “Tim, you can do this!”
2. Breathing
A physiological sigh can help ease the anxiety and nerves according to neuroscientist Dr Andrew Huberman. It works like this:
Two short inhales through the nose
One long exhale through the mouth
Repeat one to three times
You will find these will calm you down to enable you to focus better, especially before an important event.
3. What is your Why?
Instead of focusing attention on yourself, I focus on WHY I am doing this and WHO this is for. For me, if I am doing an interview on television, I focus on my purpose of doing the interview and who I am trying to help out and focus on the best way to convey the message in a way that resonates with the audience I am speaking to.
Thought Provoking Quotes on this week’s topic
Oprah Winfrey
Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.
Benjamin Franklin
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Further resources
Benefits of 3rd person self-talk
https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7a3mm/why-you-should-talk-to-yourself-in-the-third-person-inner-monologue
Reduce Anxiety and Stress with the Physiological Sigh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBdhqBGqiMc