I will walk you through the process by applying it to an interview situation.

1) Define in detail how you want to perform in the interview.
Describe to yourself in words the way you want to be. How would you look and sound to a neutral observer? e.g. I see myself in an interview room sitting by a desk. I look relaxed, and I am smiling, alert and energetic. I am paying close attention to the other people in the room. My posture is upright and I am making conversation easily and effortlessly. I exude confidence.

2) Mentally rehearse the interview from the perspective of an observer.
In your imagination visualize yourself at the interview comfortable and at ease meeting people, feeling relaxed and confident. Pretend that you are observing yourself from the other side of the room. The trick here is to imagine events unfolding in vivid 3D with rich colors. For many people, making the image large and close also helps to make it feel more realistic. Have fun playing with the image until it seems as real as watching T.V. or a movie screen.

Take care also to introduce sounds - maybe the scratching of a pen on paper, the squeak of a moving chair or the sound of your own voice exuding authority and confidence. You can make sounds come to life by turning up the volume as you imagine that you are listening to full, resonant sounds in the room so that it is as if you are really there. Introduce feeling as well - sense the atmosphere in the room, the temperature and mood, and soak up the aura of success that you exude in the imagined picture.

Then introduce different scenarios for different types of people you may encounter. Imagine talking to someone who is putting you under pressure! See yourself politely dealing with everything thrown at you. What will you do if you are left sitting there facing a wall of silence? See yourself acting decisively and without fear to move onto the next opportunity to create rapport. Picture yourself at ease whoever you talk to, it is especially important to consider worst-case scenarios and to visualize yourself handling each challenge with unstoppable confidence.

3) Mentally rehearse the interview from your own perspective.
When you are pleased with the imagined performance you are producing, step inside the image of yourself and run through the scenarios again as if YOU are now doing it. See, feel and hear it as if it is really happening. This time, you are looking out into the world from your own eyes, so your arms are directly in front of you with people facing you, as you feel your clothes on your body. Allow it all to unfold in great detail - make it as real as possible by letting your imagination free to create a rich and colorful panoramic view of a successful day. Finally, pay special attention again to feelings, really spend time imagining yourself feeling exactly the way you want to feel, and then crank it up and double the intensity until it could not possibly get any better. Then, imagine it even better again!

4) Set up a peak performance signal.
Ask yourself - what signal will you use as a reminder to use your ability to perform in this way? I use the feeling of sitting on my own and getting tense as my mind goes blank. The signal can be something you see, feel or hear inside or outside yourself and it must happen at or close to the point of wanting to speak to someone. Other examples include seeing yourself surrounded by a group of strangers, hearing someone ask you your opinion, or the feeling that you want to be more outgoing even as you feel yourself getting more self-conscious right now - why not use self-consciousness to trigger better communication skills! Imagine the signal happening and visualize yourself performing at your best in the interview.

Some final points. Like anything in life it takes time to get really good at mental rehearsal. Using this visualization technique for twenty minutes a day will train your brain to perform new behaviors. The results will astound you.

Judge mental rehearsal by trying it out in the real world and decide for yourself how effective it can be. Use it to prepare for those crucial job interviews and enjoy the satisfaction that comes from knowing that you are performing at your very best.

Eventually you will be able to use this approach in day-to-day situations on the spur of the moment by focusing on using the power of your imagination.


Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular 5 Day Persuasion Mastery Ecourse. You can still enroll free if you send an e-mail to 5daypersuasion@sendfree.com
 

Copyright © 2002-2007 Peter Murphy. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by permission.
Revised: 07 February 2007