Fight or Flight

I have just had one of 'those' experiences - and I didn't enjoy it.

The flight-or-fight response, also called the "acute stress response", was first described by Walter Cannon in the 1920s as a theory that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system.

Well Mr Cannon - let me tell you something for free - there is nothing 'sympathetic' about my nervous system. And rather than being a pathetic nervous system, I am sat here lamenting the fact that mine is quite the opposite - the bastard thing works perfectly.

I have just presented a new escalation procedure to a group of 15 consultants, simple material, slumberous audience (and that's before I started), a one hour presentation. The plan was roll up - rock through it - should be fine. Nup.

I came as close to freezing as you can come without bombing completely. Just as I was been introduced, my stomach sank, deep. I have had this before - but this was as bad as ever. My usual response is to jump onto the whiteboard, quite literally to get the feet and body moving, then get the first 2 sentences out of the way – and I'm usually fine from there.

Not today - the shakes had kicked in and I could barely write. Then I remembered a conversation I had back home with a cousin of mine - the subject - fight or flight. Bingo.

So immediately I picked out the most painful user in the room and asked them for an issue that I could use as an example. As soon as she started talking I started getting wound up, she is a horrid drama queen / prima donna consultant. "This doesn't work", "no one understands my business", "IT don't get it" - the usual stuff. The rest of the room might as well have left - it was me and her - locked in.

I started to fly, the voice became measured and solid and I dissected every point she made one by one, working my presentation around it. That lasted about ten minutes and the rest of the presentation was fine. And that is what is so frustrating! I knew my material, could take any question, so why did I panic at the beginning?

I don't know. But I think I understand my (un)sympathetic nervous system a little better now - I hope like hell it helps next time!