Job interview on the horizon? Important meeting? Want to boost your confidence?
Here's a summary of 6 Ted Talks to watch to get your head in the right place.
Daniel Levitin: How to stay calm when you know you'll be stressed
You need to stay calm in a situation to get the very most from it. The brain releases cortisol in any stressful situation as a natural reaction but this can cause cloudy thinking. You need to realise that you might be in stressful situations from time to time and this includes an interview for a job. You need to take steps to prepare for this. Think about the questions you want to ask and the answers you want to give before entering an interview. Write them down in advance so the stress of the situation does not get in the way of you giving the best performance and finding out the right information to make that interview a success.
Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are
Communication includes your body language but you don’t have to be a passenger to the body language you have displayed all your life. If you use positions of confidence then you can affect the levels of testosterone and cortisol in the brain to become more confident even if that is not the way you are feeling. It is known as “Power Posing” and can help you to become successful in an interview situation. Non-verbal language can have an effect on you and the way you feel as well as have an effect on those around you. Feeling confident is a powerful tool when performing in an interview.
Julian Treasure: How to speak so that people want to listen
Your voice needs to be heard in an interview situation. You can adapt the way you speak to get the other people in the room to want to listen. There are several parts of speech that you can eliminate from your speech that will help you to be heard. But as with anything there is a positive that overpowers the negative. If you speak with honesty, authenticity, integrity and love then you will be far more likely to succeed in an interview situation. This will increase the power of your speaking. You want to capture the audience (your interviewer) with the way you speak and this will immediately engage them with the content of what you have to say.
Celeste Headlee: 10 ways to have a better conversation
The small talk that surrounds a job interview situation is just as important as the big questions. With the advent of social media and the internet we don’t have these one to one conversations anywhere near as much anymore. The way that a conversation is structured and flows will have a massive impact on the chances you have of securing a job. The other candidates will all have similar experience and qualifications to you so the thing that will set you apart is whether the interviewer feels you will be a good fit for the organisation and the team. The way you navigate through a conversation will be a great indicator of this.
Dan Ariely: What makes us feel good about our work?
You need to think about what it is that drives you in your job. Having a meaning or purpose in what it is that you do is a motivating factor in work. Having the sense that the work you do has an end product gets you up in the morning, brings you to work with a smile on your face and gets you working at a high level. As an employer you need to think about the way that you motivate your team. People need to feel acknowledged and valued to deliver their best work. If you ignore the hard work that people put in then you are creating an environment where team members don’t put in their maximum effort.
Regina Hartley: Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume
Once people qualify for an interview via their qualifications and experience then the playing field levels out. You may have very different CV’s in front of you but the applicant that is successful may not necessarily be the one that has the best version. Some people may have a CV that is less than perfect but they may have been through battles and challenges that will be beneficial to your company. Not everything in the future of your business will be plain sailing so you will need people within your organisation that have experienced this and can step up to the challenge.
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