The right level of nerves are essential in helping you to deliver a business winning presentation with passion authenticity and conviction.

However on a scale of 1 -10 if your nerves are more than 7 it can work against you. Butterflies in your stomach are OK the secret is getting them to fly in formation.

Here is a method to help you do that….

Excerpt from The MOSCOW Method – CHAPTER 2

VISUALISATION

The techniques I use in my coaching have been developed by eminent doctors, psychologists and sports coaches, whose knowledge has been gained through scientific study, observation and experimentation

These are some practical examples of the success you can achieve by adopting these methodologies.

IMAGINE THAT

Have you ever fantasised that you’re a lean, mean fighting machine, with Churchillian speech-making talents, winning charisma, and superhuman willpower? If so, then you have already tapped into the tool that can help you get there in real life.

Mental imagery—the kind that involves imagining success—has long been employed by professional athletes to boost their strength, confidence and results. But the technique is good for more than just sports.

“Everyone can use imagery to prepare for all kinds of situations, including public presentations and difficult interactions,” says Daniel Kadish, Ph.D., an eminent psychologist in New York City who guides clients in mental imagery.

Although Daniel works mainly with athletes, his approach is valuable to show you how to manage emotions and negative self-talk. It is worth learning more from his articles and studies.

Research has shown that surgeons, musicians and business executives have used it to focus and to improve their performance. It could also help you run a 5K, ace a presentation, or even pass up the morning doughnut box.

HOW IT WORKS

Scientists believe that we may experience real-world and imaginary actions in similar ways.

Aymeric Guillot, Ph.D., a professor at the Centre of Research and Innovation in Sport at University Claude Bernard Lyon, in France, has written about the connection between mental and motor imagery. He has examined the relationships between mental imagery and perception, and between motor imagery and physical execution.

Whether we walk on a mountain trail or only picture it, we activate many of the same neural networks—paths of interconnected nerve cells that link what your body does to the brain impulses that control it.

You can use this to your advantage in different ways. For example, imagining yourself doing movements can help you get better at them: Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus practised each shot in his mind before taking it.

Mental workouts also stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, which governs our fight-or-flight response and causes increases in heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.

So simply envisioning a movement elicits nervous-system responses comparable to those recorded during physical execution of the same action, says Guillot.

Although it may sound like hocus-pocus, some research suggests that imagining could help you get results even when you don’t move a muscle.

In one notable study that appeared in the North American Journal of Psychology in 2007, athletes who mentally practised a hip-flexor exercise had strength gains. These gains were almost as significant as those in people who actually did the exercise (five times a week for 15 minutes) on a weight machine.

If your challenge is more mental than physical—for instance, handling a difficult conversation—imagery can keep you calm and focused.

“Mentally rehearsing maintaining a steady assertiveness while the other person is ignoring or distracting you can help you attain your goal,” says Kadish.

Envisioning this calmness may also decrease physical symptoms of stress, like an increase in heart rate or stress hormones. When you repeatedly imagine performing a task, you may also condition your neural pathways so that the action feels familiar when you go to perform it; it’s as if you’re carving a groove in your nervous system.

In short mind over matter. Effective imagery can even enhance recovery of stroke patients so how much can it do more for us able bodied.

Finally, on a purely psychological level, envisioning success can enhance motivation and confidence.

THE BASICS

Powerful though your mind may be, you can’t just think your way from running a nine-minute mile to a five-minute one.

“Imagery can’t make you perform beyond your capabilities, but it can help you reach your potential,” says Tom Seabourne, Ph.D., an athlete and imagery expert and the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Quick Total Body Workouts (Amazon).

So imagery can be a handy tool the next time you have set your sights on a goal. Here’s how to put it into effect.

Use all your senses. Mental imagery is often referred to as visualization, but it’s not limited to the visual.

“The most effective imagery involves all five senses,” says Michael Gervais, Ph.D., a performance psychologist in Los Angeles who has worked with numerous professional athletes and teams.

What are you smelling, hearing and feeling? “You should be so immersed in a mental image that it seems as if it is actually happening,” he says.

Be the star, not the audience. To engage in your practice fully, “imagine performing the activity from your own perspective,” says Seabourne. “Don’t watch yourself as if you’re viewing a movie.”

Practice. “Effective mental imagery is not wishful thinking, nor is it brief moments of ‘seeing’ success,” says Gervais. Just as you can’t become a better speaker simply by reading a book on the subject, “the only way we get better at mental imagery is by practising it,” says Tammy Miller, a speech coach in State College, Pennsylvania.

Write it down. If you really want to hone your efforts, put the story of how your feat will unfold in writing, says Kay Porter, Ph.D., a sports-psychology consultant and the author of The Mental Athlete (Amazon).

GET SPECIFIC

You can further enhance your practice if you employ strategies specific to your goal. Use these tips to meet challenges that are especially – well – challenging.

If you want to ace the speech…

Gervais recommends that you script your success. Break up the imagery into segments.

  • First imagine walking into the room. What is the lighting like? The temperature? What are you wearing?
  • Then take a deep breath before you begin.
  • Think of getting onstage with the sense of trusting yourself, says Porter.
  • Look into the audience and focus on one or two people who are interested in what you’re saying as you deliver the speech calmly and smoothly. But don’t picture everything going perfectly.
  • Also rehearse overcoming difficulty,” says Kadish. “You might envision someone yawning loudly, but experience yourself maintaining your focus and delivery.”
  • Be true to yourself. If you’re a soft-spoken type, don’t visualise yourself thundering and pounding your fists; it won’t feel real. Think of speaking clearly and confidently, as the very best version of you.