I tricked myself into doing it. And then I tricked the examiner into passing me (potentially).
Concretely:
Big yourself up. Stretch, literally. Taking up space makes you feel powerful. Tell yourself you can do it. I know how that sounds. It works anyway.
There's a reason boxers do it. If in doubt, Eye of the Tiger will do. Or you can borrow mine if you want: Serial Thrilla by The Prodigy.
I generally don't smile. But it did help. Annoyingly.
Mine was about a buddleia being in the way of the number plate I had to read. Maybe he was a gardener too. Who knows. It doesn't need to be a good joke. It just needs to exist.
Just for the next ten minutes.
I rubbed the kerb three times during my test. Could he have failed me? Absolutely. But he didn't, presumably because I'd managed to convince him I was a competent driver, even if I wasn't necessarily demonstrating it at that particular moment. (Or maybe he just wanted to make sure he'd never have to see me again. Either way, end goal achieved.) 🚗 ✅
The same approach works in tech all the time. Going to a meetup when you don't know anyone. Turning up to an interview. Commenting on someone's post when you're worried about sounding silly. Starting a conversation at a conference when you'd rather be looking at your phone or going home to your cat and a good book (my default state tbh). 🐱
The confidence doesn't have to be real. It just has to be convincing enough to get you through the door.
Once you're through the door, the rest tends to follow. 🚪