I'm so nervous that I can't seem to stop talking.

11 minutes.

That’s how long one of my client’s answers was when she and I were practicing for an interview she had coming up.

In fact, it was a lot longer, as I only started timing it some way through her answer.

When people are nervous, I often see the real-time dissociation from their words, their face, and their ability to read the room.

This client is a smart operator and can tell me why a long, winding answer is a no-go. And yet…

So, what to do if you’re feeling a nervous word-party come on?

Here are my favorite ways to think about this:

• Remember what the question was.

If you’re in a job interview or a nerve-wracking situation, it can help to note down the question being answered.

It’s surprising how many of us forget what it was!

So if you find yourself wavering, you can come back to the through line:

“And THAT'S how I ended up living and working in the UK".

• Use one example, only.

A neatly-structured response usually only has room for one example - maybe two.

If you’re asked, “tell me about a time…”, the number there is implicit: they don’t want to hear every single time, just one can illustrate the whole.

• Consider the most succinct way to tell the story.

Concentration span is becoming increasingly short. Get in, lay out the example, get out!

• Don’t talk just to avoid silence.

Sometimes an interviewer is looking to see if you’re rattled. If you finish an answer and there’s some silence, just sit with it and wait for them to break it. It’s their podcast - you’re just the guest.