Do you want to present yourself and your topic to your team as charismatically as a professional trainer, coach or speaker? The mental shortcut “Moment of Excellence” will help you to do this and will immediately put you in top form. This will help you start strong and maintain your presence and charisma all the time.
In the fall of 2010, my emergency cell phone rang once again. This happens from time to time when a client or participant in one of my training events is stuck. This time it was a trainer, let’s call him Bert for once, because I can’t give his real name for discretion reasons. Bert was in the process of training as a coach with me. He trained a group of salespeople to perform better in sales. The problem was that these employees presented themselves as completely emotionless sales machines, to whom Bert found no access. He simply could not motivate or inspire them, and was now concerned that none of the employees would meet year-end targets. I worked with Bert with the “Moment of Excellence”, making sure he got himself into that top state before every workout. With this measure alone, Bert suddenly gave himself such a positive aura that the sales staff were completely infected by it and suddenly became much more open. Bert then worked with the sales people with this shortcut as well and lo and behold, they were all operating at a completely different level. During sales calls, they were able to immediately put themselves in a peak state with this technique, and as a result, sales results then skyrocketed.
What is the “Moment of Excellence”?
The “Moment of Excellence” can be used to create a top state in every conceivable situation. Many athletes use this technique, and NLP-trained leaders also use it in their teams. The “Moment of Excellence” comes from NLP and is the original shortcut par excellence. It describes the top state in which many resources are available. Resources include, for example, joy, enthusiasm, energy, courage, self-confidence and moments of success.
Based on the assumption that there is a “moment of excellence” for every action, this technique is trained to be able to call on precisely these resources in everyday life. The anchor plays a supporting role here. An anchor represents a stimulus to which a person responds in a specific way. Natural anchors include colors that trigger a certain mood, music that activates or soothes, or a smell that reminds you of a certain event. The anchor acts as a trigger and you can set it yourself. In the following exercise, I will offer you three anchors: a kinesthetic anchor, an auditory anchor, and a visual anchor. I recommend that you use all three and combine them. They thus strengthen the intensity.
I have been working with the technique for over ten years and have continued to refine it during that time. I have designed the following guide for trainers, consultants and coaches to better present themselves.
Mental check
Think about the situation in which you particularly need the “Moment of Excellence”. For example, at the beginning of a presentation or in case of negative reactions from your audience? In certain moments when you can’t establish enough presence? When would it be great to use it?
Practice Guide
Step 1: Recall a “Moment of Excellence” and experience it with all your senses.
Think of a successful presentation or speech when you were fully present and wowed your audience. Experience the moment once again with all your senses. What images can you see? Do you remember the voices from back then? How did you feel? What did you feel? Do you remember your body language and adopt the posture of that time? Let the moment come alive in your memory.
Step 2: Embody and anchor
If you are not standing just yet, stand up straight now. Adopt an energetic posture and try to embody the condition of that time as much as possible. Breathe the way you breathed at that time. Hold your shoulders, back and head as at this moment. Feel the energy. Bring all the energy in your body, mind and heart into the here and now. Think intensely about the sense of accomplishment and reinforce that state. When you perceive the state quite intensely, call up the following three anchors and merge into that moment.
The motion anchor (kinesthetic)
Set the motion anchor by, for example, clenching a fist, snapping your fingers, or rubbing your hands together. Perform this movement several times during this exercise. This movement is your magical movement to consciously bring yourself to your personal “Moment of Excellence” in the future.
A keyword (auditory)
Recall a word or phrase that is closely associated with the training success you had at the time. Use this as a key word or phrase.
Success image (visual)
Do you remember a picture, photo or graphic that depicts your moment of success? Imagine this image intensely.
Merge these three anchors together
See the image in your mind’s eye as you say the keyword out loud and perform your magic move. Repeat the three together until they blend together. Enjoy this state, which you can create yourself again and again. As often as you want.
Step 3: Strong for the future
With the focused energy and the three anchors, you will travel to a future situation where you will give a presentation, lecture or speech. See yourself in a situation that you are facing in the next few days. Recall your “Moment of Excellence” with the three anchors. See yourself very clearly in the moment. Feel how all your power that is in you now is also fully present in you then. See a clear picture in color in your mind’s eye. Listen to the sounds and voices of other people. Carry certainty and energy. See yourself acting strongly. They achieve the desired success. Enjoy this moment in your body, in your mind and in your heart. Take a little break and let the thought go. Repeat step three two more times. Intensify the “Moment of Excellence” with each repetition.
Transfer to professional life: Before you apply the “Moment of Excellence” in practice for the first time, play it through several times. Test real-world use with a small challenge first and then increase the difficulty of the situation. Enjoy all your resources flowing through your body, mind and heart. You can use the “Moment of Excellence” as often as you like.
Thomas Schlechter is the leading expert for pinpoint best form, top motivation, mental power and inner strength. The qualified sports teacher has been coaching celebrities, entrepreneurs, executives, top athletes and all those who are looking for new inspiration and want to improve their personal performance at work or in everyday life for around 20 years. His current book is called “Spot on in top form – getting better faster with mental shortcuts”.
