Do you ever feel like you’re not a “real” consultant?

It’s called feeling like a fake* and that's far more common than you might think.

So, this week I wanted to share a coaching tool which can be useful if you feel unsure. It’s also useful for anyone who wants to improve their performance.

The tool is mental rehearsal. It involves imagining yourself performing well, which gives you confidence.

You can apply mental rehearsal to many aspects of your consulting work. This mini-mission applies it to preparing for a presentation.

Mini-mission

Here are the steps:

1. Get your presentation ready by practicing it a few times to ensure good timing and flow.
2. Print out your slides, including the first and last ones. Lay them out on the floor in order like stepping stones.
3. Stand on each slide in turn. Mentally rehearse how you’ll deliver that part of the presentation. Fully imagine what you’ll experience while speaking and moving. Use a word or phrase to summarise each slide and anchor the state you’re experiencing. Picture yourself being confident and your audience reacting well. Move to the next slide until you’ve rehearsed the entire presentation.
4. Finally build your confidence by immediately rehearsing the presentation again. Move from the first slide to the last. Then repeating the process again twice more, again using your anchor word or phrase on each slide.

Try this for yourself and notice how well it works for you. Let me know.

* Note that Imposter Syndrome may be more complex than this and require additional support, such as therapy.