Do you have Soldiers that freeze up or sweat bullets with even the slightest mention of an Army board? Or maybe you’re the one who gets Army board anxiety? Just know that you are not alone and nearly everyone is terrified by the unknown when it comes to preparing for an Army board! I’ve gathered the best advice from Army leadership throughout the component to help you prepare yourself and even your Soldiers to do well on an Army board.

 

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Conduct Army mock boards

 

One of the best ways to improve your public speaking skills is to practice, practice, practice. You can begin practicing with peers or direct supervisors just to get a feel of how a board is conducted and the types of questions the board members might ask. However, it’s strongly advised that you get practice with people you are unfamiliar with.

 

Although practicing a mock board with your peers can help you get comfortable and you’re less likely to flub any answers, military courtesies, etc.; the members of a promotion board are going to be senior leadership and your brain is more likely to go into freeze mode leading to forgetting answers, military courtesies, and countless other careless mistakes.

 

Fortunately, there are so many Soldiers that are always willing to help stand in for a mock board. Therefore, you shouldn’t feel embarrassed asking a Soldier from another section to help you prepare.

 

If you’re a junior Soldier, you should ask your direct supervisor to reach out to other leaders within your company (and even outside your unit just to ensure you get authentic “unfamiliar” peer feedback). It will not only help you prepare for the real Army board, but it will also show your leadership that you’re taking initiative to maintain a competitive edge within your Army career.

 

Add distractions while conducting Army mock boards

 

Adding distractions while conducting Army mock boards can help take the mock board process to another level. Our mental focus has the ability to be strong, but even just one distraction during a real Army board can throw off our entire flow. It’s similar to when you go to the range and you’re shooting well, but when you miss one target it starts to mess with your confidence and as a result you start missing more shots.

 

Some ways you can add distractions are:

• Have one of the mock board members start a sidebar conversation with someone else in the room. Even just a whisper can provide the perfect recipe for a distraction and it’s likely that something like this might actually happen during your board.

 

• Have one of the “board members” or the “recorder” kick their feet up or other physical movements not distinctive of military customs and courtesies during a board. Sometimes board members might do something to suggest that you are allowed to abandon your military customs and courtesies, but it could either be part of a test to see how you react or demonstration of their unprofessionalism. In either circumstance, this distraction provides the perfect practice in the event that it occurs during your board

 

• Have someone shuffle papers on the side or walk in the door to briefly interrupt the mock board at a random time when you least expect it. This distraction goes back to how you’re able to regain your mental focus or train of thought if you were in the middle of answering a question from one of the board members.

 

Join a Toast Master’s Group

 

Joining a Toast Master’s group is a great way to not only get practice with public speaking, but it will allow you to build a network of supportive mentorship, improve your own leadership skills through communication techniques, and give you the opportunity to receive constructive feedback in a nonjudgmental environment.

 

Club members meet weekly, but the program itself is self paced which means you can be as involved with that community as your schedule permits. You’ll essentially work on projects that will help improve your interview skills for an Army board. This skill will eventually translate into your ability to brief senior leadership, deliver instruction to a group of people, and mentor your own Soldiers.

 

Quizlet saves lives when studying for an Army board

 

Quizlet has a wealth of knowledge to help you prepare for any type of Army board. One time I was racking my brain preparing for a leadership board during Senior Leaders Course and I felt like my brain was melting reading the regulations that were provided.

 

Fortunately, I shared my concerns with my supervisor and he gave me his Quizlet login to practice potential board questions. I ended up winning the Distinguished Leadership Award because most of those same study questions were used during my board!

 

I’m not saying that Quizlet will provide all the answers to your Army board, but it will help you gain basic knowledge of what types of questions might be asked along with give you an outline of what each regulation entails.

 

I felt like nothing was sticking in my brain when I forced myself to reread the regulations for my board over and over again, but using Quizlet allowed me to contextualize what each of those regulations were saying. This context helped me articulate my own answers for other questions that were asked of me during my board.

 

 

Schedule a meeting with your BN CSM

 

Scheduling a short 30 minute meeting with your Battalion Command Sergeant Major where you exchange bios and have a chance to ask questions can improve your confidence in interacting with senior leadership–especially since higher ranking personnel will most likely comprise the board members of your Army board.

 

This can also give you an opportunity to probe your BN CSM with questions like the following:

 

• What does a successful board look like to you?

 

• Do you have any advice for preparing for a [insert type of Army board]?

 

• What are some common mistakes you see Soldiers make during [insert type of Army board]?

 

These may appear as common sense questions, but it will allow you to receive a session of mentorship from a senior leader instead of being another face in the formation.

 

Recite the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer in front of the platoon

 

Any opportunity you get to practice the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer in front of a crowd will provide invaluable practice. If your platoon is aware that you’re trying to prepare for an upcoming board, they’ll most likely be extremely supportive.

 

Although this can be an anxiety inducing exercise, it is perfect to get practice in those emotionally startling circumstances because if you can say the creed when you’re nervous in front of your platoon, then you’ll at least have that confidence booster going into your Army board.

 

You can recite the creed before PT begins, after PT, first formation, final formation, and anything else in between.

 

It can be just as effective to stop a random Soldier and ask if they have time for you to recite the creed. Chances are they’ll be happy to listen and might even give you some good constructive feedback.

 

A tip that works for learning the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer is to listen to it on repeat during your commute to and from work.

 

Ask your Soldiers questions. ALL. THE. TIME.

 

Another way to help prepare Soldiers for an Army board is to frequently ask them regulation specific questions. This will at least give them the opportunity to research answers on their own so that they can build that knowledge base themselves. I’ve been asked questions that I don’t know the answer which will result in me doing research for that question.

 

Oftentimes, I’ll end up discovering other things while I’m finding the answer to my original question. It really is a great learning opportunity. You can even improve your Soldiers’ response time by asking them questions randomly throughout the day.

 

If you’re preparing for an Army board, then I’d advise you to reach out to your supervisor to gain support from your unit to see if they’d be willing to give you on-the-spot questions–most likely they will be more than happy to support you in your preparation.

 

Guided Imagery

 

Utilizing guided imagery to prepare for an Army board can help you visualize the order of operations that occur during a board. For example, closing your eyes and narrating to yourself (or someone else) the first three knocks on the door to reporting to the president of the board and so on and so forth.

 

Saying these steps aloud to another person can help you identify anything you may be missing or a custom and courtesy you forgot to engage in.

 

Another helpful aspect of guided imagery is to develop a mantra. Repeating this mantra before your board begins can help take your mind and body back to that calm feeling you had when practicing guided imagery.

 

Use counseling sessions to identify topics for study

 

Counseling sessions offer the perfect opportunity to discuss your career goals, receive constructive feedback from your supervisor, and identify topics for study for any anticipated Army boards. Work with your supervisor to create a plan of action that’ll achieve success instead of a general overview.

 

If you don’t get down to the nitty gritty details like time management and accountability then your plan won’t product the results you hope for. Some things you might consider when constructing your study plan are:

 

• What kind of learner are you? If you learn better with auditory media, then it doesn’t make sense for you to force yourself to reread the same lines of a regulation that doesn’t seem to be sticking.

 

• Will your supervisor provide time during the work day to study together or will you need to plan for study time strictly on your own time?

 

• Where will you study? If there are many distractions at your residence (e.g. children, family members, etc.) then you might have to plan to study at the library, a quiet coffee shop, or somewhere else.

 

• What will you study and are there any free study guides available? You’re not the first person to go through an Army board and chances are that other Soldiers before you have built study guides to help steward the profession–take advantage of this and ask around if you can borrow someone else’s study guide!

 

• How will your supervisor support your efforts in doing well for this Army board? Will they help you study? Will they help you employ any of the methods listed in this article? Having supportive leadership is integral to being successful in the military.

 

Also take this opportunity to ask questions about the topics that you’re currently studying. It helps to actually understand the subjects instead of committing everything to memory; that way, at least you can describe the topic if you can’t remember the exact term on the spot during the board.

 

R2 one-on-one coaching

 

If you’re still nervous by nature (and that’s okay!) after employing any of these methods of preparation, then it might be worth checking in with your Military Resiliency Trainer (MRT) to see if they can provide some one-on-one coaching.

 

They can help teach you mind games and diaphragmatic breathing so you can use it before and during the board to help calm your nerves.

 

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I’m sure Soldiers have lots of other tips and tricks for doing well on their Army board, but these were the most recommended by our Army Mama community. The key is practice over perfection, because nobody’s Army board ever goes perfectly–but you can still find ways to stand out and shine regardless!