Mastering Your Nerves: Confidence Coaching with Helen von Dadelszen

In our latest episode of "The Empowered Learners" podcast series, we had the pleasure of speaking with Helen von Dadelszen, a professional confidence coach based in Switzerland. Helen shares with us invaluable insights on managing stress and boosting confidence, particularly in high-pressure situations like exams or public speaking events.

Helen's Journey to Confidence Coaching

The journey to becoming a confidence coach is rooted in Helen's background in theater and public speaking. Growing up in a family of performers, she learned early on that nervousness is a normal reaction to new or scary situations. However, she also realized that not everyone pushes through these feelings.

After working with health professionals who struggled to present their groundbreaking research, Helen decided to dedicate herself to helping others manage their nerves and effectively communicate their messages.

Simple Yet Effective Confidence Boosters

Helen shared some easy-to-implement techniques for appearing and feeling more confident:

  1. Remember that people can't see your thoughts: Your internal struggles aren't visible to others.
  2. Smile: Even if you don't feel happy, smiling can trigger positive emotions.
  3. Breathe: Proper breathing techniques can calm your system and improve vocal production.

Concrete Tools for Managing Nerves

1. Box Breathing

This advanced breathing technique involves:

  • Breathing in for a count of 4
  • Holding for 4
  • Breathing out for 4
  • Holding for 4

This method helps lower your heart rate and settle your nervous system.

2. Power Pose

Adopting a "power pose" (like the Wonder Woman pose) for a few minutes can hack your brain into feeling more confident. Stand with your hands on your hips, chest open, chin slightly up, and look towards the horizon.

The Importance of Mindset

Helen emphasized the crucial role of our internal "soundtrack" - the repetitive thoughts we tell ourselves. She recommends:

  • Identifying negative thoughts
  • Stopping them
  • Replacing them with positive affirmations

A simple trick is to add "yet" to negative statements, opening up possibilities for growth.

Dealing with Unexpected Challenges

When faced with unfamiliar topics or words during an exam or networking event, Helen advises:

  1. Recognize that nervousness is normal and even a sign that something is important to you.
  2. Reframe nervousness as excitement.
  3. Use grounding techniques to calm your body and mind.
  4. Remember that it's okay to ask for clarification or repetition.

Key Takeaways

  1. Nervousness is normal and can be channeled into positive energy.
  2. Calm your system through breathing and grounding techniques.
  3. Change your internal soundtrack to positive affirmations.
  4. Use music to set a positive tone before important events.

Helen's approach reminds us that confidence is a skill that can be developed with practice and the right techniques. Whether you're preparing for a language exam, a job interview, or any challenging situation, these tools can help you present your best self.

To learn more about Helen's work or to book a session, visit her website at academy.presentpotential.ch or sign up for her newsletter for regular tips and insights.

Remember, as Helen says in her native New Zealand way: Haere rā (goodbye) to your nerves, and hello to your confident self!

Isabelle

As a native Québécoise, born to a Franco-Belgian family, now living in Nyon with her two children, Isabelle is no stranger to the expat reality! Trained as a professional opera singer, her passion for arts and languages led her to become an ambassador of the French language & francophone culture, i.e. a French Teacher!

She founded Prêt à Parler in January 2015. Since then she's been hard at work helping English-speaking learners from the international community of Suisse romande make French part of their everyday life! Prêt à Parler's mission is based on what Isabelle does best: helping busy professionals and parents improve their French language skills by providing a high quality, eco-friendly, fun, no-nonsense approach to learning French online!

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