Tool No 12: Priming
HOW? The most effective primers are power posing, long, slow exhalations and music. Use them to lower or raise your energy level, boost your confidence and help you take up more space. Just two minutes power posing in the bathroom before you speak will help you to fill your own space and make you feel more confident when you enter the room.
Athletes, musicians and others often have set rituals they run though in the minutes up to a competition or gig. Priming is a key part of their preparations, and it should be for you, too.
The first few minutes of a meeting are crucial, so don’t waste them warming up. Do it in advance and be ready to perform right from the start. If you fidget around for the last three minutes before you enter the room, you risk transferring that frenetic energy to your presentation. Conversely, if the last thing you do is power-pose in the bathroom – back straight, legs slightly bent, arms open – it will help you stay calm.
Taking up a huge of space in a tiny room before the presentation will make it feel more natural to fill an appropriate amount of space in the conference room.
