Performance Under Pressure - Effective Human Interactions: Stress Reducing Mechanisms

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The fourth guideline to help you deal with stressed colleagues is to avoid blocking automatic stress-reducing mechanisms. If you do this - say, you tell someone to calm down - you're more likely to prolong the stress reaction.
Built-In Mechanisms
Consider Steven. He's frustrated with a colleague's outburst and tells her to "pull herself together." Although it's tempting to try to intervene with someone's stress responses, such a reaction only adds to the person's stress.
Unfortunately, there's a strong tendency to urge people not to use their stress behavior. For example, Mike has an analytic style and he's stressed and has become withdrawn. If you want to know what's on his mind, you might be tempted to tell him to "just get it off his chest." However, this well-meant advice merely adds to his stress.
Of course, when someone uses such behavior over a long period of time, the situation must be dealt with. If this needs to be done, wait until the person is no longer stressed before addressing the issue. You can then help him or her develop tactics to prevent the buildup of too much stress.
Exercise - The Appropriate Response
You're training a new colleague, Lucy. Your organization has a mandatory test at the end of new hire training. Lucy is worried about the test, as she's having difficulty understanding some of the company's banking processes. Although she started the training bright and cheerful, she's become pale and tired looking by the end of the first week. She's been asking you a lot of questions, which you feel are obvious and repetitive.
What's an appropriate response to Lucy's behavior?
Options:
1 - Listen carefully to her questions and make sure she fully understands your answers. Also recognize that her tiredness is likely due to working hard for the test.
2 - Recognize that asking lots of questions is a process that Lucy uses to learn, and exercise more patience.
3 - Tell Lucy that she shouldn't bother you with the little things. She should be able to figure them out for herself.
4 - Reassure Lucy that the test isn't a big deal. Only you will see the results so she's getting worked up over nothing.
5 - Don't assume that your training skills are inadequate. Instead ask Lucy for feedback on how she feels she's progressing. (...)
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