English Podcast For Learning English | How To Stay Calm Under Pressure | English Leap Podcast — Transcript

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1. 0:00English leap podcast from speak English
2. 0:03with
3. 0:04class hello everyone and welcome back to
4. 0:07the English leap podcast I'm Daniel here
5. 0:09with Jennifer and we're thrilled to have
6. 0:11you with us today yes welcome everyone
7. 0:15so before we get into today's topic
8. 0:17let's ask you this have you ever found
9. 0:20yourself in a high pressure moment where
10. 0:22your mind just goes
11. 0:24blank maybe you've studied hard for an
12. 0:27exam but when the paper's in front of
13. 0:29you poof
14. 0:30it's like you've forgotten everything
15. 0:33mhm or maybe you're talking to someone
16. 0:35important trying to impress and all of a
17. 0:38sudden you can't remember a single
18. 0:40clever thing you've ever said in your
19. 0:42life uhhuh trust us we've all been there
20. 0:45and that's why we're so excited about
21. 0:47today's episode have you noticed we've
22. 0:50been talking a lot about listening as a
23. 0:52key to improving your English well today
24. 0:55we're putting that talk into
25. 0:57action absolutely
26. 1:00today we're introducing Lucy who'll be
27. 1:02sharing some great insights on staying
28. 1:04calm Under Pressure Lucy has this
29. 1:07amazing talent she can explain
30. 1:09psychological Concepts in such a fun and
31. 1:12easy to understand way it's like
32. 1:14chatting with a friend who just gets it
33. 1:16and let's face it pressure happens to
34. 1:18all of us right whether it's a job
35. 1:20interview an exam or even meeting
36. 1:22someone new Lucy's going to give us a
37. 1:25fresh way to look at those oh no moments
38. 1:28so we don't just freeze up
39. 1:30so get ready to pick up some new words
40. 1:33and phrases you'll want to keep these
41. 1:35handy for those nerve-wracking
42. 1:37situations and who knows after hearing
43. 1:40from Lucy you might find yourself a
44. 1:42little less likely to choke Under
45. 1:44Pressure yourself we're excited to jump
46. 1:46into it now let's bring Lucy on and hear
47. 1:49what she has to say about staying calm
48. 1:52confident and focused when it really
49. 1:54counts let's get into it
50. 1:57[Music]
51. 2:07once there was a young bird learning to
52. 2:09fly every day it practiced flapping its
53. 2:12wings jumping from Branch to
54. 2:15Branch one morning the bird felt ready
55. 2:18to take its first real
56. 2:19flight it climbed to a higher Branch
57. 2:22took a deep breath and leaped into the
58. 2:25air but suddenly fear gripped the bird
59. 2:29it forgot how to flap its wings and
60. 2:31began to
61. 2:32fall just before hitting the ground it
62. 2:35managed to remember and flew back up to
63. 2:38safety the bird wondered why did I
64. 2:41forget what I practiced so many
65. 2:44times the story of the young bird is
66. 2:46much like how we sometimes feel when we
67. 2:48Face important
68. 2:50moments we prepare and
69. 2:53practice but when the time comes we
70. 2:56might freeze or forget what to do this
71. 2:59feeling is is known as choking under
72. 3:02pressure have you ever heard the saying
73. 3:05pressure makes
74. 3:07diamonds it means that challenges can
75. 3:10bring out the best in
76. 3:11us but sometimes too much pressure can
77. 3:15make us stumble
78. 3:17instead why does this
79. 3:19happen many people think that if we
80. 3:21prepare well we'll always do our
81. 3:24best but choking under pressure shows
82. 3:27that this isn't always true even if we
83. 3:30practice a lot stress can affect us in
84. 3:32surprising
85. 3:34ways for example a student might study
86. 3:37hard for a test but forget answers
87. 3:39during the
88. 3:41exam an athlete might train every day
89. 3:43but miss a crucial shot in a
90. 3:46game one common misunderstanding is that
91. 3:49choking happens because we're not good
92. 3:52enough but that's not always the
93. 3:54case often it's because we care so much
94. 3:58about doing well that we overthink think
95. 4:01we focus too much on the outcome instead
96. 4:03of the
97. 4:04process this can make us nervous and
98. 4:06cause us to make
99. 4:08mistakes choking under pressure is when
100. 4:11our worries take
101. 4:12over instead of trusting ourselves we
102. 4:15start to doubt we might think what if I
103. 4:19fail or everyone is watching
104. 4:22me these thoughts can block our minds
105. 4:25making it hard to remember what we've
106. 4:28learned in different cultures and times
107. 4:31people have looked at pressure in
108. 4:33various
109. 4:34ways in some places pressure is seen as
110. 4:37a motivator pushing people to achieve
111. 4:40great things in others it's viewed as
112. 4:44something to be managed
113. 4:46carefully throughout history many have
114. 4:48struggled with performing Under Pressure
115. 4:50showing that it's a common Human
116. 4:53Experience so how can we handle choking
117. 4:56under
118. 4:57pressure one important step step is to
119. 5:00accept that it's okay to feel nervous
120. 5:03being kind to ourselves can help reduce
121. 5:05anxiety remember nobody is perfect and
122. 5:09everyone makes
123. 5:10mistakes Society often tells us that we
124. 5:13must always be the best this can create
125. 5:16extra stress but it's important to focus
126. 5:19on our own Journey not what others
127. 5:21expect from us by setting personal goals
128. 5:25and valuing our efforts we can find
129. 5:27satisfaction in the process
130. 5:30consider the story of Dan O'Brien a
131. 5:32famous American
132. 5:34athlete Dan was a talented diathlete
133. 5:37competing in 10 different track and
134. 5:39field
135. 5:40events in the early 1990s he was
136. 5:43expected to win a gold medal at the
137. 5:46Olympics but during the 1992 US Olympic
138. 5:49trials he faced a big
139. 5:52challenge he needed to clear a certain
140. 5:55height in the pole
141. 5:56vault he had done it many times before
142. 5:59so it seemed
143. 6:00simple but that day he failed on his
144. 6:03first
145. 6:05try then he failed
146. 6:07again the pressure built
147. 6:10up on his final attempt he couldn't
148. 6:13clear the height Dan didn't make the
149. 6:16Olympic team that year Dan later said I
150. 6:20was thinking too much about everything
151. 6:23instead of just doing what I knew how to
152. 6:25do I got stuck in my
153. 6:27head his experience show shows that even
154. 6:30the best athletes can choke Under
155. 6:32Pressure but Dan didn't give up he
156. 6:36learned from his experience and worked
157. 6:38on managing his
158. 6:39stress in
159. 6:411996 he returned to the Olympics stayed
160. 6:45calm and won the gold medal in the
161. 6:48decathlon choking under pressure can
162. 6:51happen in many
163. 6:52ways it might be forgetting lines during
164. 6:55a speech missing a note in a musical
165. 6:58performance or freezing in a job
166. 7:01interview but it's important to know
167. 7:03that there's no single way it happens
168. 7:05and there's no single way to fix
169. 7:07it let's revisit the phrase pressure
170. 7:10makes diamonds while challenges can help
171. 7:13us grow too much pressure can overwhelm
172. 7:17us it's okay to feel pressure but we
173. 7:20need to find ways to cope with it think
174. 7:23about your own
175. 7:24experiences have you ever felt so
176. 7:26nervous that you couldn't perform as you
177. 7:28wanted
178. 7:30it's helpful to share these feelings
179. 7:31with
180. 7:32others talking to friends or family can
181. 7:36make us feel less
182. 7:38alone to find our way through pressure
183. 7:41sometimes we need to change how we Face
184. 7:43these challenging
185. 7:45moments imagine a painter who not only
186. 7:48works alone in a studio but also Paints
187. 7:51in a busy park at first the crowds might
188. 7:54make the painter
189. 7:56nervous but over time the presence of
190. 7:59others becomes part of the
191. 8:01experience by practicing in different
192. 8:04settings the painter becomes comfortable
193. 8:06creating art no matter who's
194. 8:09watching in the same way when we put
195. 8:12ourselves in situations that are a bit
196. 8:14stressful during practice the real event
197. 8:17doesn't feel so
198. 8:19overwhelming it's also helpful to pay
199. 8:21attention to what we're doing right now
200. 8:24instead of worrying about what might
201. 8:25happen
202. 8:26next when we focus on each small step
203. 8:29our minds stay grounded think of a tight
204. 8:32rope Walker who concentrates on each
205. 8:35movement one foot after the other by
206. 8:38staying present they keep their
207. 8:41balance we can do the same by immersing
208. 8:43ourselves in the moment letting go of
209. 8:46fears about the
210. 8:47future sometimes the voice inside our
211. 8:50head can be our biggest critic it might
212. 8:53say things like what if I fail or I'm
213. 8:58not good enough
214. 9:00but we have the power to change that
215. 9:02voice into one that supports us we can
216. 9:05gently tell
217. 9:07ourselves I've prepared for this or I
218. 9:11can handle this
219. 9:12challenge by encouraging ourselves with
220. 9:15kind words we build confidence and
221. 9:18reduce
222. 9:19anxiety when we feel tension Rising
223. 9:22taking a few deep breaths can make a big
224. 9:25difference slowly inhaling and exhaling
225. 9:28helps to calm our bodies it's like a
226. 9:31wave washing over us carrying away
227. 9:35stress deep breathing gives us a moment
228. 9:38to pause and reset allowing Clarity to
229. 9:42return another helpful technique is to
230. 9:44imagine ourselves
231. 9:46succeeding athletes often use this
232. 9:49method a runner might picture crossing
233. 9:52the Finish Line strong and
234. 9:54fast a musician might visualize playing
235. 9:57each note perfectly
236. 10:00by seeing ourselves achieve our goals in
237. 10:02our minds we prepare ourselves to make
238. 10:05it happen in
239. 10:06reality this positive imagery can boost
240. 10:09our belief in
241. 10:11ourselves remember everyone experiences
242. 10:14pressure even famous people like Dan
243. 10:17O'Brien have faced
244. 10:18challenges what matters is how we
245. 10:21respond to
246. 10:23it as we understand more about choking
247. 10:25under pressure we realize that it's a
248. 10:28normal part of of Life by accepting it
249. 10:31and finding ways to cope we can reduce
250. 10:34its
251. 10:35impact in closing think about the young
252. 10:38bird learning to fly it faced fear but
253. 10:42kept
254. 10:43trying eventually it's soared through
255. 10:46the sky like the bird we can overcome
256. 10:49our fears and find our wings so next
257. 10:53time you feel the pressure building take
258. 10:55a deep breath be kind to yourself know
259. 10:59that it's okay to feel
260. 11:01nervous with patience and practice you
261. 11:04can rise above the
262. 11:08[Music]
263. 11:09pressure important vocabulary and
264. 11:13phrases flapping its wings meaning
265. 11:17moving Wings up and down often a bird's
266. 11:20movement to fly example the bird kept
267. 11:23flapping its wings until it was strong
268. 11:25enough to fly take a deep breath meaning
269. 11:29breathing in deeply to calm oneself or
270. 11:31prepare for something example before her
271. 11:35speech she took a deep breath to calm
272. 11:36her
273. 11:37nerves gripped by fear meaning feeling
274. 11:42sudden intense fear that is hard to
275. 11:44shake example when he saw the large dog
276. 11:47he was gripped by fear choking under
277. 11:51pressure meaning failing to perform well
278. 11:54because of intense stress or pressure
279. 11:57example even the best player can choke
280. 11:59under pressure in big games pressure
281. 12:02makes diamonds meaning difficult
282. 12:05situations can bring out the best in US
283. 12:08example she believed that pressure makes
284. 12:11diamonds and used it to stay positive
285. 12:14stumble meaning to make a mistake or
286. 12:17lose confidence especially Under
287. 12:19Pressure example he studied hard but he
288. 12:22stumbled during the final
289. 12:24exam doubt meaning to feel uncertain or
290. 12:29question oneself example she doubted
291. 12:32herself before the presentation
292. 12:34wondering if she was ready getting stuck
293. 12:37in one's head meaning overthinking which
294. 12:40leads to poor performance or inaction
295. 12:43example he kept getting stuck in his
296. 12:45head thinking of what could go wrong
297. 12:49freeze meaning to stop or be unable to
298. 12:52act due to fear or pressure example she
299. 12:55froze when the teacher called on her to
300. 12:58answer nervous meaning feeling anxious
301. 13:01or uneasy example he felt nervous before
302. 13:05his first job
303. 13:06interview staying grounded meaning
304. 13:10staying calm and focused not letting
305. 13:12worries take over example by focusing on
306. 13:15his breathing he stayed grounded during
307. 13:17the
308. 13:17meeting tension Rising meaning feeling
309. 13:21the stress or anxiety increasing example
310. 13:25she felt the tension Rising as the
311. 13:27deadline approached
312. 13:29taking a few deep breaths meaning a
313. 13:33technique to calm oneself by breathing
314. 13:35deeply example when he got angry he took
315. 13:38a few deep breaths to
316. 13:40relax visualize success meaning mentally
317. 13:44picturing oneself achieving a goal to
318. 13:46build confidence example she visualized
319. 13:50success Before the Race imagining
320. 13:52herself winning overcome meaning to
321. 13:57successfully deal with a problem or fear
322. 14:00example with support he overcame his
323. 14:03fear of public
324. 14:05speaking well that wraps up today's
325. 14:07episode we hope you enjoyed learning how
326. 14:09to stay calm under pressure and picked
327. 14:12up some useful vocabulary and phrases
328. 14:14from today's lesson thanks for listening
329. 14:16to the English leap podcast if you
330. 14:18enjoyed today's episode don't forget to
331. 14:21subscribe and check out the episode PDF
332. 14:23with all the tips it's a great way to
333. 14:25keep everything handy as you practice
334. 14:28mhm and keep listening the more you
335. 14:30practice the better you'll get we're
336. 14:33here every week to help you take your
337. 14:34English skills to the next level uh-huh
338. 14:37see you in the next episode everyone
339. 14:39until then keep calm stay grounded and
340. 14:42keep leaping toward your English goals
341. 14:45bye for now and happy
342. 14:49learning your progress doesn't end here
343. 14:52to continue advancing your English
344. 14:54skills click on the next video or
345. 14:56explore the additional videos we've
346. 14:57thoughtfully selected for you you