I recently found something  really helpful when preparing for a big day. I’ve tried it before job interviews, big presentations and even before a big fencing competition and its worked really well. As far as I can tell, the long term benefits of this is debatable but it seems to work great for me as a short term support technique before the big event. The technique might be a bit weird at first but hang with it and it will definetly pay dividends.

I usually do this the night before and then again a few hours before the event. The theory behind this is called ‘NLP Logical Levels’  which I won’t go into here but if your curious about the theory just search it on Google and there are plenty of resources.

In this example we will assume you are preparing for a presentation.

Before you get started

Grab 6 sheets of paper and a pen/permanent marker.

Find a quiet room where you will not be distrurbed

Now Lets get Started

On the 1st sheet of paper write ’1. Environment’

On the 2nd sheet of paper write ’2. Behaviour’

On the 3rd sheet of paper write ’3. Capabilities’

On the 4th sheet of paper write ’4. Beliefs & Values’

On the 5th sheet of paper write ’5. Identity /Role’

On the 6th sheet of paper write ’6. Purpose’

Laying out the sheets of paper

Place the sheets of paper on the floor as you see fit.  I seem to lay them out like a skyscraper but that is just my preference.

Doing the Walk

Now its time to walk through the model . (Order is very important)

1st go and stand on the Environment sheet and describe /imagine the environment where you will be giving the presentation. Imagine every detail, what the room look like, is it bright or dark, what type of tables are there etc.

2nd go and stand on the Behavior sheet. Now that you’ve established the environment,  describe/imagine what Behaviors are required from you to have a sucessfull presentation. For example, maybe you need to be very relaxed or very active. Feel these behaviors as you stand on the 2nd sheet. Be as detailed as possible

3rd go to the sheet called Capabilities. As you are standing on this sheet ask yourself the question “what capabilities do I need to give a great presentation”

4th go to the sheet labeled Beliefs & Values. As you are standing on this sheet ask yourself the question “What beliefs do I need”. For example, maybe you need to believe that you are a great presenter, or that you believe you have the answer to all the questions.

5th Move on to the sheet labeled Identity/Role and ask yourself what your role at this presentation(maybe you are the lead presenter or you are speaking about a particular part of a project, etc)

6th Go to the Purpose sheet and ask yourself, what is My purpose for doing this? It might be because you want senior management to see how hard your team has been working, maybe its to get that promotion to secure a better future for your family etc.

Now that your at the Purpose sheet walk your self in reverse order starting at Purpose and finishing at enviornment either repeating or adjusting your answers as necessary. You might find it usefull to do this a few times to really reinforce your answers.

Give it a go and I would love to hear how it works. Good luck on your big day.

Isaac

1. Having a growth Mindset – It supposedly helps if you believe that your intelligence can grow just like another aspect.
2. A good night sleep
3. Not beating your self up over procrastinating
   
4. Test your self – Rather than rereading the same information over again,  studies have shown that testing your self is a better use of this time.
5. Pace yourself -  yeah yeah know this one . Studying information in periodic intervals gives you the opportunity to retain more than doing a cram session.
6. Real life examples may not work – This was a new one to me . I’ve always tried to think of examples to help me remember stuff but supposedly, it doesn’t work. Go figure.
7. Take Naps – Short naps, even as short as 10 mins helps reduce fatigue.
8. Get handout – Get the information before hand. Asking for the presentation or lecture notes before the day helps you focus on the speaker rather than busily taking notes.
9. Self Belief – Those who held the self belief that the were good problem solvers on average did better.

I know some of this information is obvious but i still thought some of this stuff was really interesting.  The people at BCP do some really good work so if you want the full article check it out using this link below:

BPS Research Digest: 9 evidence-based study tips.

Here are some interview questions worth preparing for and i’ll try and keep them updated.

1. Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.

2. Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.

3. Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.

4.  Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.

5.  Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone’s opinion.

6. Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.

7. Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.

8. Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.

9.Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.

10. Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.

11. What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.

12. Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).

13.  Tell me about a difficult decision you’ve made in the last year.

14.  Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.

15.  Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.

16. Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.

17. Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.

18. Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.

19. Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.

20. Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.

21. Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.

22) Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.

22) Please tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.

23)Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).

Additional resources:

An Audio Excerp from the book

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUAGigRgILg&feature=related

If you want to buy the book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Habits-Highly-Effective-People/dp/0684858398/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282660746&sr=1-1

The most common response is to get your CV updated and start the job hunt. If money pressures are a big issue in your life, this may be the best thing but if you have some time before the money worries kick in starting a new job may not be the best thing for your. I would agrue that the best thing to do would be to use this time to evaluate the things that are important to you in a career.

If you are like most “people”, you choose to study a subject that sounded right or your friends did, started a career path and before you know it you’ve lost 10 years of your life and don’t really understand how to got to this point.

I know losing a job is not the best situation but what it does give you is the time to reassess the thing that are important to you in your career and life.

Before I left my previous employer, I had a chance to use an online tool created by a company called Career Innovations that helped assess your goals and capabilities. I found the process of  defining what was important to me very liberating and gave me a sense of direction. I have found a version of this at the Unilever website and would recommend that people have a go. Just to be clear, I am not attached in anyway to Unilever of Career innovation in any way.

Link to Personel Evaluation Toolkit

This is my first blog for the site and would greatly appreciate your comments and thoughts.