How to stay calm under pressure
Activity 1 : Watch the TED Talk "How to stay calm under pressure" (4:28).
Activity 2: Complete the True or False below.
1. Choking under pressure only happens in sports.
2. Distraction theories suggest that people choke when they focus too much on irrelevant thoughts and doubts.
3. Explicit monitoring theories explain choking by saying that focusing too much on automatic movements can interfere with performance.
4. Working memory is not affected by pressure, and people can store large amounts of information during stressful situations.
5. Pressure and stress only affect students performing easy tasks, not difficult ones.
Activity 3: Match the following words to their definitions
1. Choking (adj)
2. Distraction theories (phr)
3. Explicit monitoring theories (phr)
4. Working memory (phr)
5. Overthinking (n)
6. External focus (phr)
7. Performance anxiety (phr)
a. The phenomenon where performance is impaired under pressure, often due to overanalyzing or distractions.
b. The cognitive process of mentally storing and manipulating small amounts of information, such as remembering a phone number.
c. A psychological state where a person becomes nervous or anxious in situations requiring skill, often leading to poor performance.
d. Focusing on internal elements of a task (e.g., body movements), which can interfere with automatic skills.
e. The theory that pressure affects performance by causing the mind to focus on irrelevant thoughts, leading to a decrease in efficiency.
f. A mental state where someone is focused on achieving the end result rather than the details of the task.
g. A process where individuals overanalyze their actions, which can lead to decreased performance in automatic tasks.
Activity 4: Fill the blanks with the vocabulary from Activity 3. One word is not needed.
1. _______ happens when someone fails to perform at their best under pressure, despite being skilled or prepared.
2. According to the ________ theory, performance is impaired when people consciously monitor their actions, disrupting automatic movements.
3. One of the main causes of choking under pressure is ________, where the mind is overwhelmed by worries and irrelevant thoughts.
4. ________ is the cognitive process of temporarily storing information, and it is especially vulnerable during stressful situations.
5. In many studies, researchers have found that ________ affects those who are more self-conscious and fear judgment.
6. Athletes often perform better when they maintain an ________ on the ultimate goal, such as the target or end result, rather than focusing on individual steps.
Activity 5: Choose one of the following prompts to reflect on the TED Talk.
After reflecting, either record a voice note summarising your thoughts or write a brief paragraph below.
- The video suggests practicing under stress to avoid choking. Do you think this is an effective solution, or could it backfire?
- In high-stakes situations, is it better to focus on the mechanics of the task or on the end goal? Debate the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches.
- How can performance anxiety affect people in different professions or areas of life? What strategies could be used to reduce this anxiety, both in and out of the workplace?
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