How To Stay Calm Under Pressure

A: Warm Up - Talk about the questions below.

1. In what situations do you feel under pressure?

2. How well do you cope in stressful situations?

3. Do you think that some people are affected by pressure

more than others?

4. What kind of things do you do to help yourself feel calm?

B: Vocabulary - Complete the sentences using the

phrases in the box.

important part less effective good quality

stress and pressure unpleasant memory

1. choking (v) - unable to perform to your known standard due to high levels of
stress and pressure
_________________

unpleasant memory
2. haunts (v) - an _________________ or thought from your past that continues to return to your
mind 

less effective, often related to confidence 

3. undermine (v) - to make something _________________
important
4. boils down to (phr. verb/ idiom) - to focus on a fundamental/ the most _________________ of
something

good quality
5. virtues (n) - a specific _________________ or habit

Think about the questions below:

1. What do you think a successful language learner boils down to? 


2. How would you react if someone in your workplace tried to undermine you? 


3. Is there anything from your childhood that still haunts you a little bit?

4. What virtues do you think are important in your life?

C: Understanding the main idea. Are the statements below TRUE or FALSE?
TRUE
1. Choking happens a lot in sports. _____

FALSE
2. Choking only occurs with sportspeople and athletes. _____


3. The majority of people say it happens because they are naturally nervous.TRUE
_____



D: Watch the rest of the video and complete the sentences below.
1. The speaker suggests that performance is harmed when the mind is preoccupied with:

A. worries, doubts or anxiety 


Boss 2
B. worries, doubts or nervousness 

C. worries, doubts or fears 



2. A 2004 maths study found students who were stressed performed:

A. worse on more difficult, memory-intensive tasks


B. worse on easy maths problems 
 Ganta
C. worse on both easy and difficult maths problems 



3. Tasks done ________ are most vulnerable to a certain type of choking:

A. subconsciously 

B. consciously 
 Fah
C. unconsciously 



4. Two things that can help us avoid choking at the most important times are to:

A. eliminate stress and high-pressure routines 


B. practise under stressful conditions and have a pre-performance routine 

C. have a healthy diet and a good sleeping routine 
 Gun

E: The adjectives below were used in the video. Match them with their correct meanings

1. preoccupied
 a. somebody or something that can be

damaged easily, both physically and
2. vulnerable
 emotionally

3. inevitable 
 b. thinking about one thing so much that you

can’t focus on anything else

4. susceptible

c. a thing that you cannot stop or prevent

d. be easily influenced or affected by

something

F: Answer the questions below (1 and 2 sentences). Explain and give reason.

1. Do you ever feel vulnerable when you travel?






2. Do you believe global extinction is inevitable?

3. When was the last time you were preoccupied at school?