Smile-through Auditions and Interviews

The psychology of succeeding at auditions and interviews -- or making nervousness work for you

Most of us know that Cavemen were our remote ancestors but if we go a little further back than that, we will realize why nervousness and what it does to our body was so necessary for the survival of man. Whenever a prowling predator approached, these ancestors of ours needed a mechanism, which would enable them automatically for much greater physical activity within seconds so that they could fight or run away. When we perceive danger, whether physical or social, that mechanism still gets into action. It is controlled by the sympathetic branch of the autonomous (meaning self regulating) nervous system.

One of the functions of the sympathetic nervous system is to control the release of the hormone adrenalin, which in turn raises the level of tension in the muscles of the body so that we are prepared for “a fight or flight”. It also makes the heart pump faster and more deeply. This produces the uncomfortable sensation of our heart hammering away in our chest. Apart from these physical effects, adrenalin also stimulates our feelings of fear, anger and exhilaration.

Fear and anger are of course classic stress inducers and stress is something every one of us has to deal with from time to time. Can we make fear or nervousness and what it triggers in us, work for us in competitive situations such as auditions and interviews? Of course we can. Your dry mouth asks for water so drink deeply and your deeply pounding heart forces extra oxygenated blood to literally oil your brain, for it is aqua pura i.e. water that lubricates our brain, bones and tendons. Plus, unless the nervousness gets out of control, it makes us more aware and focused on that which is causing the nervousness – very helpful in concentrated preparations for the audition or interview in question.

This is what Picabo Street, an Olympic skiing champion has to say. "Fear is a lot like pain - it's your guide to pinpointing what's bothering you. After I blew out my knee in a crash while training for a competition, jumps scared me, so I had to learn to replace my fear with a strategy. The best way I've found is to rehearse the situation in your head and mentally walk your way up to the point where you feel the fear most intensely. Next, shift to something very calming (for me, it's a beach at sunset) and as you do a mental run-through, breathe out, physically relaxing your body. Then imagine yourself going through the motions flawlessly while your body and mind are relaxed. In essence, you're conditioning your mind to replace fear with success."
Since stress, “the mechanism” we were discussing, as we learnt prepares us for greater physical activity, physical exercise should help us to de-stress. Physical exercise not only does that it also releases endorphins in our brain. These hormones, the endorphins are associated with happiness and exhilaration. So if you exercise before you walk into the auditions orinterview, your smile as you greet your interviewers will truly come from within and light up your face.
Besides, large doses of stress over long periods of time could lead to stomach upsets, then ulcers among other distressing things, so we obviously need to control stress, hence the need for exercise and other methods that help. Deep relaxation refers to a distinct physiological state that is the exact opposite of the way your body reacts under stress or during a panic attack. This state was originally described by Herbert Benson in 1975 as the relaxation response.
One way of triggering this response is through abdominal breathing. For this inhale slowly and deeply through your nose into the "bottom" of your lungs — in other words, send the air as low down as you can. Your chest should move only slightly while your abdomen expands. (In abdominal breathing, the diaphragm — the muscle that separates the lung cavity from the abdominal cavity — moves downward. In so doing it causes the muscles surrounding the abdominal cavity to push outward.)
When you've taken in a full breath, pause for a moment and then exhale slowly through your nose or mouth. Be sure to exhale fully. As you exhale, allow your whole body to just let go (you might visualize your arms and legs going loose and limp like a rag doll). Ten slow, full abdominal breaths (Try to keep your breathing smooth and regular, without gulping in a big breath or letting your breath out all at once) should help you de-stress considerably. So try doing this before you walk into an audition or interview. It will definitely help you look and feel confident and calm when you walk in.
Don’t take my word for what I have been saying; listen to what Valerie Adami has to say. She is the director of programming at Weist-Barron School of Television Acting in New York. "If you have a lot of nervous energy you need to get rid of, do a quick burst of aerobic activity, like jumping jacks. Then get focused. Find a quiet spot to be alone and take a few breaths before you walk into the room. Then take another slow, relaxing breath once you've entered and taken your place in front of everyone. You won't lose their attention - when you're standing right in front of them, that's impossible. Then smile. People buy things from and listen to people who smile at them."

If even after all this others walk through and you don’t, the interviewers may remember you for your beautiful calm smile and may call you if and when they have something more in keeping with your talents. Sometimes interviewers do make personal remarks, which may or may not be relevant to the presentation. Well, there is always another day, so try to work on the criticism as positively as you can. Sometimes what may be considered negative at one point of time may be what will put you above the rest if you have the personality to succeed. Ingrid Bergman, a very famous movie star of yester years, was criticized for her less than perfect eyebrows when she first auditioned for Hollywood movies. However, she grew to be a legend because she believed in herself.

So here’s to your success!

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