Leadership Today - Practical Tips For Leaders
Business:Management
Summary
Interviewers place a strong emphasis on perceptions of nervousness. But there are practical steps we can take to appear less nervous in meetings and interviews.
Transcript
Hello and welcome to episode 219 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we share practical tips to improve your leadership. This week we work through ways to appear less nervous in meetings and interviews.
Research demonstrates that anxious candidates perform worse at job interviews, even when their skills and experience align well with the role. Interviewers place an oversized importance to the appearance of anxiety when making judgements. And this tendency can extend to other important meetings.
To avoid this, we might consider visible signs of nervousness such as shaky hands or nervous laughter. We might then focus on the use of our hands, slowing our speech or avoiding fidgeting. We can risk becoming overly sensitive to how our behaviours are coming across.
However, In the research, the only consistent behavioural indicator of nervousness that the interviewers focused on was long pauses before responding to questions. This was potentially seen as the candidate being less prepared and less assertive than if they answered questions directly. Negative perceptions of anxiety in meetings and interviews was less about nervous signs, and more to do with perceptions of assertiveness and warmth as traits. Those who were perceived as less warm and less assertive were also rated as more anxious. Those who came across as friendly and assertive were seen as less anxious. It appears the overall impression we leave is far more important than any nervous tics that we might show.
So what can we do to appear less nervous in meetings and interviews? To increase others’ perceptions of our warmth and assertiveness, you can try these techniques:
We often feel more nervous than we appear. Focus on the overall impression of warmth and assertiveness that you give to others. Apply these tips in your next meeting or interview.
Research
Feiler, A.R., Powell, D.M. Behavioral Expression of Job Interview Anxiety. J Bus Psychol 31, 155–171 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-015-9403-z
Leadership Today On-Demand Special Offer
We have a great deal for podcast listeners on our Leadership Today On-Demand subscription. Just go to www.leadershiptoday.com and checkout using the promo code PODCAST for 25% off an annual subscription.
Leadership Today On-Demand is a video subscription service that allows you to work on your leadership in your own time and at your own pace. It is available online and through our Apple iOS and Android apps for phones and tablets. Our mission is to help you to become an even better leader.
Your subscription brings together all of our video content in one place including:
- Five online courses with workbooks
- Five five day challenges with workbooks
- Nineteen recorded webinars
- A searchable library of 170+ "how to" quick videos on a range of leadership challenges
That's over $4,500 of content for less than the price of a single online course. And there are more videos added each week.
Get Connected
Find out ways to get connected here: https://leadership.today/connect
Midweek Motivate - Close Relationships Boost Self-Esteem, and Self-Esteem Boosts Relationships
Episode 57 - Nine Ways to Rid Yourself of Impostor Syndrome
Bonus Replay - Optimism and Resilience
Bonus Replay - Leadership First Impressions
Midweek Motivate - Making the First Day Great
Episode 56 - Entrance Interviews Beat Exit Interviews
Midweek Motivate - Doing Less With Less, But More of the Right Things
Episode 55 - Why Exit Interviews Often Stink and Seven Things To Do About It
Midweek Motivate - Insert A Gap
Episode 54 - Five Tips To Level Up Your Listening
Midweek Motivate - Looper
Episode 53 - The Ten Best Podcasts for Leaders in 2019
Midweek Motivate - Removing Frustrations
Episode 52 - Faking Extraversion Boosts Well-Being - What’s All That About?
Episode 51 - Confidence in Action
Episode 50 - Seven Reasons to Get Back to Nature
Episode 49 - Accurate Self-Assessment
Episode 48 - Four Ways to Explore Your Untapped Potential
Episode 47 - Five Ways Busy Leaders Prioritise Treating People Well
Episode 46 - Saying 'No' Without Being a Jerk
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
HCI Leadership Revolution
Human Capital Leadership
The Power of Music Thinking
BusinessWISE
Business Wars