Voice: Conversation one
Alan: How did your interview go?
Pam: I don’t think I did very well at all.
Alan: Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Everybody feels that after an interview. When will you know the results?
Pam: Ummm … end of next week.
Alan: That’s pretty soon. Will there be another round of interview?
Pam: I don’t think so. They’ll probably choose the two successful applicants next week. There were eight of us at the interview, but I got the jitters and messed up.
Alan: What happened?
Pam: I don’t know either. Suddenly my mouth went very dry and I felt cold and started to shiver. I was so nervous that I stammered throughout the interview.
Alan: But that’s unlike you. You’re one of the most confident people I know.Were you feeling unwell that day?
Pam: No. I just suddenly had a panic attack while waiting for my turn. I did feel a bit better when I got into the interview room, but my hands were shaking so badly that I’m sure the interview noticed it. She was really kind though, and kept reassuring me. Well … I’ve done my best and we’ll see how it goes.
Voice: Conversation two
Ginny: No way! What happened? You’re the best swimmer in the team. You should have been first in the breast-stroke race!
Liam: I don’t know! We were doing our warm-ups when I suddenly got the jitters and felt very anxious. My confidence just went down the drain, and my legs went limp.
Ginny: Did you feel sick?
Liam: No, nothing like that. I just got the jitters. I’ve felt like that once when I had to give a speech in front of the whole class at school, but never at a swimming competition. This is horrible.
Ginny: Don’t be so hard on yourself. It happens to everyone. We all get the jitters sometimes. I am sure this was just a one-off thing. If you get the jitters again, just relax, close your eyes and take a deep breath, and you’ll be all right.
END