The 10-Second Reset Before the First Question

Right before an interview begins, many people do the one thing that makes everything harder: they rush.

They rush their breathing.
They rush their greeting.
They rush their first answer.

Once that frantic tone is set, it’s difficult to undo. The interview hasn’t even started, but the body is already in overdrive.

Instead of rushing, experienced spokespeople rely on a short reset they use every time—whether they’re in a studio, standing in a hallway scrum, or joining an interview over Zoom.

The reset happens after you’re mic’d up and positioned, but beforeyou answer the first question.

Here’s the structure I teach:

Take a long exhale to signal to your nervous system that you’re not in danger.
Plant your feet so your body feels supported and stable.
Say your key message pillars out loud, not just in your head.
Look at the interviewer as a professional partner, not an adversary.

This takes about ten seconds.

Those ten seconds don’t remove nerves—and they don’t need to. What they do is stop your body from sprinting ahead of your brain.

That’s when your voice steadies, your pacing improves, and your answers land with more clarity.

Used consistently, this small habit quietly changes how you show up—and how you sound—before every interview.