Techniques

Technique 1 - Your circle of excellence

Step 1 You need to be standing up for this technique. Imagine a large circle on the floor in front of you, big enough to stand inside. Make it a nice colour and texture so it looks appealing and makes you feel that you really want to be standing inside it.

Step 2 Now think about a time in the past when you felt really good about something, when things were going particularly well for you or when you felt especially competent or confident.

Step 3 Bring that occasion to life – imagine it vividly, feel the good feelings you experienced at the time, see what you were seeing then, hear what you were hearing then, add in any smells or tastes if there were any.

Step 4 Keeping in that positive state, step into the circle in front of you. Now intensify your positive memory and feelings, making them even more powerful.

Step 5 Step backwards out of the circle, into the here and now. Look around, count how many green objects you can see.

Step 6 Now think again about a time in the past (it can be the same example as Step 2, or a different one) when you felt really good about something, when things were going particularly well for you or when you felt especially competent or confident.

Step 7 Bring that occasion to life – imagine it vividly, feel the good feelings you experienced at the time, see what you were seeing then, hear what you were hearing then, add in any smells or tastes if there were any.

Step 8 Keeping in that positive state, step again into the circle in front of you. Now intensify your positive memory and feelings, making them even more powerful.

Step 9 Step backwards out of the circle, into the here and now. Look down at your clothes and count how many black items of clothing you are wearing.

Step 10 Think of a future situation where you would really like to be feeling positive.

Step 11 Now with the future situation in mind, step into the circle. Imagine that you are in the future situation and experience it with the feelings that you have in the circle. Enjoy the feelings you have.

Step 12 Step out of the circle and check that you are satisfied with the way it went. If you’re not, go back in and do it until you are.

Step 13 Step backwards out of the circle, into here and now. Look around, count how many different sounds you can hear.

Step 14 Now imagine yourself picking up your circle of excellence and shrink it so that it is small enough to carry with you. Know that you can take it out and use it any time.

Technique 2 - The self image booster

Step 2 Now imagine another you standing in front of you – the best, most powerful and most competent you that you can imagine: your ideal self.

Step 3 Look closely at this ideal self, admire the way you look, the way you are behaving, your confident posture, the sound of your voice. Picture this ideal you moving towards what you want, and overcoming problems.

Step 4 Now step into and merge with this ideal you. Look out through the eyes of the ideal you, listen through the ears of your ideal you, experience how good it feels to live this way.

Step 5 Finish the exercise by daydreaming for a few minutes about going through your life as your ideal you.

Technique 3 - The confidence trigger

Step 2 Remember a time when you felt very confident. Go back to that time and imagine the situation vividly. Experience the good feelings you felt at the time, see what you were seeing then, hear what you were hearing then, add in any smells or tastes if there were any.

Step 3 Make the scene more vivid: brighter colours, clearer sounds, more intense feelings.

Step 4 Now, as you are enjoying these feelings, squeeze your thumb and middle finger together (either hand).

Step 5 Repeat steps 2-4 a few times with different positive memories.

Step 6 Now, whilst holding your thumb and middle finger together, imagine an interview or assessment situation where you want to feel more confident. Imagine yourself performing really well, displaying your talents and abilities to full effect. See the scene, hear the sounds, enjoy the feeling of confidence.

If you practise this technique regularly, you will be able to get yourself into a confident state when you are facing a challenging situation by simply squeezing your thumb and finger together.

Technique 4 - Bad memory shrinker

Step 1 In a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, take a few minutes to breathe deeply and relax. Slowly focus on different parts of your body, letting each part relax. Work your way from the small muscles in your face to the muscles in your toes. Take a colour mental snapshot of yourself in the situation – but from the outside so that you can see yourself in the picture.

Step 2 Bring to mind a memory of a difficult interview or assessment process that knocked your confidence.

Step 3 Now, as you look at the photograph, drain the colour out of it, until it looks like an old black and white picture.

Step 4 Move the picture away from you until it is a tenth of its original size.

Step 5 Now make it even smaller, so it is a tiny dot.

Step 6 Notice how you feel about the situation.

Technique 5 - Fear eraser

Step 1 When you are feeling nervous about an interview or assessment process, identify the mental picture that is making you feel nervous. It is likely that you are imagining things going badly, perhaps because you have had a bad experience in the past when attending an interview or assessment.

Step 2 Now, in a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, take a few minutes to breathe deeply and relax. Slowly focus on different parts of your body, letting each part relax. Work your way from the small muscles in your face to the muscles in your toes.

Step 3 Imagine yourself sitting in the projection room of a cinema. If you look down into the cinema you can see yourself watching a film. Up on the screen there is a colour film of your mental picture - you in the assessment situation with things going badly.

Step 4 Now, run the film backwards, very fast, in black and white. You can see the images flicking backwards very quickly, you can hear the jumbled sounds, all the way back to the beginning of the film.

Step 5 Run the film backwards again, very fast, in black and white. This time there is cartoon joke music playing. Again, you can see the images flicking backwards very quickly, you can hear the jumbled sounds, all the way back to the beginning of the film.

Step 6 Repeat step 5 three more times.