Why not try this perspective on for size:
When you go into an interview,
whether it’s for a new role or new business,
and especially if it’s in a language that isn’t your own,
your brain has a tendency to serve you a platter of anxious and/or ridiculous thoughts.
One of the main two being: “you need to SELL yourself!” and/or
“They’ll only BUY if you’re perfect!”.
And that type of salesy energy immediately presses the “off” switch on your confidence.
Because who wants to sell themselves? We’re not for sale.
And it can create images of the interviewer, looking down, scratching their chin, hesitating over whether to buy.
So how about you ctrl-alt-delete that?
And imagine that you are simply going shopping.
You’re looking for a special new outfit for your wardrobe (of business or roles).
You see a suit you like in the window of a boutique,
and you decide to go in to take a closer look.
You have a conversation with the shop owner to get some more details about the suit.
You’re not looking for validation.
Because you already know yourself and what suits you.
But you want to be sure the suit is good quality and the right fit.
So you have a chat about what your style is and how you like to dress.
And you understand more about the shop and how it works.
There’s no pressure. No feeling of inadequacy.
You are both simply focused on the same objective: finding a good match.
To achieve satisfaction. On both sides.
In this scenario, it’s a win-win for you and your brain because:
1/ You are on same level as the shop owner.
So there is less impulse to please and impress. You can be yourself.
2/ You’re in a perspective of SERVICE energy, not SELLING energy.
Your focus is away from you and on the importance of the “suit” you are both discussing.
Because who wants a job or a collaboration that isn’t a good match?
It’s the equivalent of forcing yourself to wear a suit that is too tight (or too large) for you.
Whereas, you want to have room to breathe, to feel like it was made for you.
AND the shop wants that too. It wants you to be proud to wear its suit.
All the above is simply a conversation to do that.
Whether it’s in your own language or a foreign one.
Designing your communicational mindset is just as important as the strategies you use when communicating.
Want some help with that?