American Idol – Nervousness and Peak Performance

Posted on 18. Feb, 2008 by Per Bristow in American Idol, Performance, Singing

This last week was all about Hollywood week. The contestant were cut down to the final 24, and much of the behind the scenes reporting was in regards to how nervous everyone was. Naturally, it adds to the drama to bring everyone’s fears into our living rooms. And there sure was drama, from jubilation to devastation.  But did you notice something…

Did you notice how so many expressed in similar ways how "this was their big chance", "their one-time opportunity", "the biggest moment of their lives".  One person even expressed how he had nothing previously and this was his one chance to make something of himself.  One person talked about her lack of confidence and how she was so frightened, while she felt others didn’t seem as frightened.  Her perception of course made her feel even worse.

It’s amazing that when we are put in a situation that is new for us, wether it is in competition with others or just a situation wher we are challenegd, we make the assumption that "I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’m sure everyne else does".  We fail to realize that everyone else is just as nervous.  Her percetion that she was more nervouse than others made her more nervous.

Now,  I have in many places before written about the benefits of being nervous.  I also teach and write about the art of performing at your peak when it matters.  If turning an event into "this is my only shot – and if I don’t make it I will always be a loser" makes you perform at your peak, then by all means keep talking yourself into believing it. Most likely this attitude will not.

Have you ever heard a true peak performer talk like that?  Did you ever see Michael Jordan or any other master of peak performance bawl after a loss?  Did you ever hear him talk himself into a frenzy of fear before a game?

The key is to get to know yourself and learn how to prepare to perform at your peak. Do you need more pressure or less pressure? In a situation such as American Idol where the whole set up of the show is to create pressure, you probably need to reduce the internal pressure. If there is little pressure from the outside world, you may want to increase internal pressure.  Read my previous post about Manny Ramirez and how he handled pressure to win the World Series