Have you ever had those thoughts about a meeting or an event that you just know is going to go wrong? The easiest way to feel bad about something before it happens is to run a mental rehearsal of the situation going badly.
When you imagine things going less than well – guess what? That’s likely to happen – no surprise there right? So how about preparing yourself and rehearsing for success.
Take a look at this simple technique that can change those worries and help deliver more positive outcomes with just a simple exercise.
Let’s take a daunting meeting as an example, you know you have a meeting coming up and you can feel the angst already.
What if you were to take a metal rehearsal enabling you to be able to handle a potentially difficult meeting much more effectively without the angst, worries or icky feelings – but how?
Give this quick exercise a go and change your mind to a more positive state.
Mental Rehearsal Exercise
Step I
Identify the upcoming meeting or scenario that is causing you the worry.
Step 2
Take a moment to Imagine how the meeting may go – notice the where and when things may go wrong, envision what you might see, hear from others. Consider the types of conversation or behaviour, where people sit, how the environment looks, even how it smells….really capture that picture in your mind….stop thinking and take a sip of water.
Step 3
Now recall a previous meeting where things went really well, remember what you saw and heard in that meeting, where the meeting was held, how you felt, how you sat, your posture, your breathing …close your eyes and really feel those feelings and sounds, even smells really enjoy that experience again, think about the conversations was there laughter? The people, the energy in the room, the colours, the positive meeting outcomes. Just capture that picture in your mind….
Step 4
Whilst you are enjoying the vision of the positive meeting, switch your mind to the up and coming meeting and imagine the same response happening. Put your body in the same position, notice your breathing… Imagine receiving a positive response. Hear the conversations in a positive tone, capture all the important elements in the room, remembering to breathe and really taking on all the elements important to you. Seal that picture into your mind.
Step 5
Finally, take a moment and begin thinking about this meeting ahead of you, how do you feel now? If you are now feeling more positive or optimistic about the meeting you are now well paced to make it go well. Notice how more positive you feel and optimistic for the future meetings ahead.
You can use this exercise for many scenarios….future pacing a successful outcome rather than an unsuccessful outcome
Want to learn more of Laura’s NLP exercises – visit our Youtube Channel where you will find hundreds of videos jam packed with NLP techniques, tips and exercises you can learn right away!
To learn more about Laura’s NLP training courses please take a look at her NLP Practitioner Training Course or get in touch using the contact us form above for more information.
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