Everyone suffers from nerves to some degree. Even really famous actors often admit to stage fright. Standing up in front of a class of new delegates to lead their manual handling training can be really nerve wracking. Here is a helpful mind exercise to build confidence. Its from Richard Walsh, one of Alistair Bromhead Ltds experienced trainers.
Start Confidence Building Early
If you can, start doing this at home well before the first day of your training event, and repeat it as often as possible. Youll need to free up about twenty minutes when you wont be disturbed. Its best to be seated before you begin.
Close your eyes and think back to another time when you were doing something you felt really confident about. Visualise it and hear yourself speaking, hear what else you heard at the time, see what you saw and feel what you felt. Relive the experience and then make it all larger than life and brighter in your mind. Really feel the confidence you felt at the time, and notice how you behaved when you felt that confident. As you feel this absolute confidence, make some unobtrusive movement such as squeezing together the thumb and middle finger of your right hand.
Repeat all this at least ten times, arriving at a moment of supreme confidence and squeezing finger and thumb together at the same time. Eventually, your mind will automatically link this squeezing activity with the feeling of confidence.
Finally visualise the coming training event while you keep squeezing your finger and thumb together to retain the confident feeling. Think of what you will be saying and doing and walk it through in your mind as if it were a perfect training session flowing smoothly from beginning to end.
Be Properly Prepared
Of course, you will make sure you are word perfect before the manual handling training day comes, and completely familiar with the course and the materials, which you will have organised for access when you need them. When its time to stand up in front of the class, take a deep breath, put a big smile on your face and squeeze your thumb and finger together.
Welcome to a competent and confident manual handling trainer, who will make sure that everyone attending enjoys a great learning experience.