Today’s the day. You’ve practiced your audition song over and over again to the point where even you’re tired of singing the same tune, along with its lyrics. Regardless of all this incessant training, the moment you lock eyes with the intimidating judges and sing your first lyric, your voice cracks like broken glass!

Auditions can be a daunting experience. Even if you’re not auditioning for something as specific as a musical, there will always be an occurrence where you will want to leave your mark; whether it’s an interview, a sport, or even introducing yourself to others can be viewed as “auditioning” for the invitation of having someone welcome you into their life. Resultantly, here are three steps to take in order to ace your next audition!

Step 1: Confidence is the key! If you are presenting yourself as one who is timid and does not believe in their own self, nobody will believe in you. Never show your fear.

In a study by Psychology Today, confident people, regardless of their gender, tended to be more accurate. Be sure of your ability, and be sure of yourself for the best results.

Step 2: Be prepared. There is nothing worse than not knowing what to expect at an audition. Always be knowledgeable of the certain criterias you will be judged upon! Take extra time before your audition to educate yourself and practice.

The spacing effect is the phenomenon whereby learning is greater when studying is spread out over time, as opposed to studying the same amount of content in a single session and cramming. That is, it is better to use spaced presentation rather than hours the night before.

Step 3: Never show the judges that you messed up! Mistakes happen to the best of us, despite our efforts we make to fight against them. If there comes a point where you make a slip up, such as forgetting the lyrics to your song, just run with it, and try to make up your own words to fill in the empty air! The judges won’t even recognize your mistake, unless you bluntly call yourself out!

Having nerves makes us human, so the next time your stomach feels as though there are butterflies flying in it before walking into that audition room, remember these three steps to stay calm cool, and collected!