I haven’t actually read the book ‘Choke’ by Sian Beilock but the coverage and summaries on the net are so comprehensive that I probably don’t really need to.
The subtitle is ‘the secret to performing under pressure’ or, more specifically (and wordily) ‘What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal about Success and Failure at Work and at Play’.
‘Choking’ is defined as performing below your actual ability and Beilock, a professor of psychology at Chicago University, claims it is more than simply a case of nerves getting the better of you.
The book cover is misleading in that it refers to ‘the secret’ in the singular as if there is one magic formula. Not surprisingly Beilock gives many ‘secrets’ depending on the situation. She does not talk only about work or school situations but also looks at the psychological stress faced by sports men and women.
Nowadays, the pressure to achieve and ‘perform’ begins at a younger and younger age. It may also depend on race and gender where a stereotyped negatively operates, women or blacks under performing because they are expected to.
I know that I ‘choked’ during written examinations at school and my 16 year-old daughter has the same problem . Recently, I was working with her at home on an English practice test where a CD rom allows you to set your own time limit. As soon as she saw the clock ticking she froze and said she couldn’t complete the task. I managed to get her to do it by ignoring countdown but it made me realise that even in this simple case we put an unnecessary stress on learners.
Why is it better to complete questions faster when accuracy is the main objective? Obviously, the idea was in some way to simulate a ‘real test’ scenario where an examination has to be done in a pre-set time but this is done at such an early stage of a learning process that it is bound to cause anxiety.
My daughter also freezes, or chokes, whenever called upon to give oral replies in class. In Italian such an oral test is called “interrogazione” and this always makes me think of the English ‘interrogation’ because that is actually how she experiences the Q & A sessions. All that’s missing is the bright light pointed in her face and a teacher saying “vee have vays of making you talk!”
Beilock says that in high pressure situations some distraction can help. For this reason, the desperate need to pee during an important meeting can be an advantage (presumably so long as the meeting isn’t too long!)
Another piece of practical advice is to spend 5-10 minutes writing down your fears before a big test, match or meeting.
Her arguments are based on extensive scientific research although mostly they strike me as being common sense.
Choke is marketed as a self-help book and it is really another form of brain training, with auto-suggestion, meditation and other relaxation techniques coming into play.
Of course, in an ideal world a book like Choke would not be necessary but the world being as it is, any extra advice on how to face the daily challenges is useful.
Related links:
Psychologist Shows Why We ‘Choke’ and How to Avoid It (Science Daily)
Sian Beilock’s Choke Blog (Psychology Today)
Write Away Exam Anxiety (Irish Healing)
Choke – book review (Independent.Co.Uk)
