How to Perform Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When It Matters Most

by Hendrie Weisinger, J.P. Pawliw-Fry

The New York Times bestseller that draws on research from over 12,000 individuals to explain what makes people 'choke' under pressure and show you how to develop nerves of steel

'An unusually sharp account of work and performing under pressure' Financial Times

Nobody performs better under pressure. The reality is that pressure only makes you do worse. But there are things you can do to diminish its effects on your performance. In How to Perform Under Pressure, Hendrie Weisinger and J. P. Pawliw-Fry explore the science and psychology behind pressure and give empirically tested short-term and long-term solutions to help you overcome its debilitating effects.
The book draws on research from more than 12,000 people and features the latest studies from neuroscience and from the frontline experiences of Fortune 500 employees and managers. It explains what makes people 'choke' under pressure and includes 22 strategies you can use to excel in whatever you do.

Whether you have an important presentation to make or an Olympic record to beat, How to Perform Under Pressure will help you to do your best when it matters most.

'A wonderful mix of empirical studies and first hand accounts that show how pressure impacts our personal and professional lives' Forbes

'All too often, we choke or crumble under pressure. This book reveals how we can develop nerves of steel' Adam Grant, professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Business, Leadership

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2015

About the author

Hendrie Weisinger, received his Ph.D. from The University of Kansas and is a psychologist trained in clinical, counseling, and organizational psychology. He also is School psychologist. He is a leading authority on the application of emotional intelligence and anger management and the originator of the highly regarded techniques of criticism training and a pioneer in the emerging field of "pressure management." He consults and has conducted numerous workshops to Fortune 500 Companies, government agencies, mental health and educational systems and speaks to dozens of professional organizations such as YPO. Weisinger has taught in numerous executive education programs at UCLA, Wharton, NYU, Cornell, Univeristy of Washington, Penn State, to name just a few.

Weisinger's work has been featured multiple times in The Sunday Business Section Of The New York Times. His article for The Wall Street Journal, "So You're Afraid To Criticize Your Boss," was selected as one of the Journal's 60 best management articles and is reprinted in Dow Jones on Managment. His article for TV Guide, Tutored by Televison, illustrates to parents how to use TV to develop their child's emotional intelligence.

He is the author of The New York Times Bestseller Nobody's Perfect, The Power of Positive Criticism, Dr. Weisinger's Anger Workout Book, Emotional Intelligence at Work. He's appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Oprah, and written for newspapers and magazines such as The Wall Street Journal and TV Guide. His latest book is the New York Times Best Seller, Performing under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When It Matters Most, published by Random House/Crown Business, 2015. He is currently working on his next book, "Helping Your Kids Handle Pressure: Giving Your Sons & Daughters Life's Ultimate Edge. Weisiner's Performing Under Pressure E Course will soon be avialable.

Reviews

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who presents or performs in public should read this book. It is a scholarly yet very accessible book divided into three sections: part 1 helps you to successfully cope with pressure once you understand how pressure affects how you think, how you choke up, how you apply pressure to others and yourself and when things are stress rather than pressure; part 2 teaches you pressure solutions; part 3 teaches you long-term strategies to manage pressure with confidence. There is an excellent bibliography and index. I received a copy through Goodreads First Reads program in return for a review. If only I had this to read decades ago at the beginning of my career!

[Juan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muito bom, mas as comparações com as reações que os supostos "homens primitivos" faziam quando se sentiam sob pressão são muito cansativas e especulativas ao extremo.

[Jonathan Hockey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a look at some chapters. A few interesting thoughts, but also a lot of generic non-committal stuff in it disguised as scientific insights.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a guide to handling situations when you are under pressure.

I found this book quite inspiring in places but it was too long winded‎ (some of the anecdotes seemed irrelevant) and some of the advice / sections were a bit incoherent, if it had been a hundred pages shorter it could have been better.

[Anonymous reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, very interesting.
But could of been shorter

[Adrian Curtin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically find that my work involves repetitive periods of stress, some of which is environmental and some of which is self-imposed. My curiosity was peaked by this book in part because I wanted different perspectives on how to better handle my own stresses. The book certainly targets people who are involved in public performance (PR, public speaking, sales), in which pressure can be epitomized by having a discrete moment of performance. But that being said, the point of the book is how to generate long term behavioral strategies to reduce pressure which is what most people can benefit from.
With a decent set of studies to back up the general ideas, the book presents its work in a sort of scientific manner, along with a few "story" examples to encapsulate the ideas presented within. In this way it is similar to other topical approaches to publishing popular neuroscience and psychology. While many people may benefit by reading this, the people who will find the most use for it would be those who find that they generally suffer from immediate anxiety during performance. But for those unwilling to read through the gist is that the idea of a "pinch hitter" who performs better under stress is a myth, and that an effective combination of Confidence, Optimism, Tenacity, and Enthusiasm (The "COTE of armor" as defined in the book) provide the best insulation against stressors.

[Raphael Justin A. Jambalos · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is insightful overall, but a lot of the tips in the book seem generic.

The book is organized into 3 parts:
- Difference of stress and pressure: In our vernacular, we often treat stress and pressure as alternate words for each other. Knowing the difference and what you are feeling is a good first step in knowing how to respond to it.
- Pressure Traps: things we think help people in pressure but actually don't. What he says here is actually very insightful.
- Tips to handle pressure: While I appreciate how the author diligently finds scientific backing for each tip, a lot of his tips seem cliche.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this - maybe that's confirmation bias because I absolutely agreed with all of it but it definitely put into words (backed by research) a lot of what I've learnt through experience. Excellent and readable.

[Meni (Menirary) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helping… someways

[Ioana Mucenic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super useful, learnt the difference between stress and pressure. Great tools to help perform better and minimize pressure. Lives up to the promise from the title. Well documented and well written.