Master the art of public speaking.

“When I got up to speak for my first round ... I froze. My mind went totally blank. I couldn’t even remember the first word of my speech. And the more I spoke, the worse it got. I started stumbling over my words. I felt that red-hot flush of humiliation. By the end of the speech (which felt like the longest 15 minutes of my life) I was holding back tears. I was convinced I had let myself down completely. I felt like a total impostor. What business did I have being at worlds? There was a two-day gap before my next round, so I locked myself in a room and repeated the speech over and over again. The first few runs were horrible. Every time I spoke, I could envision myself in that room again where I couldn't finish my sentences. And I'd feel just as anxious as I had previously. But something magical started to happen around the fifth / sixth time I repeated the speech. I began to feel what actors call a “through-line,” an inner sense of the arc of the story. Up until now, I had never felt this before. I wasn’t just memorizing; I was embodying the speech. Slowly but surely, I started to feel the words I was saying. Two days later, I stepped onto the stage to deliver the speech again. And this time, it was totally different. You know when you give a presentation, and you just feel powerful? You can feel all the words you're saying. You're not focused on whether you're making eye contact, or whether you have the right hand gestures -- but you're just in the flow. That's what it felt like. I felt invincible. Every word felt right.”

“Last week, I spoke at my first in-person conference since March 2020! It was great to get back on stage again and speak in front of a live audience. I also really enjoyed experiencing in-person interactions again and having the shared connection of being in one room together. [...] After doing so many presentations on Zoom over the past year, as a speaker, I was reminded about how there are technical differences to consider when presenting in person. For example, I was using a new slide deck, and I didn’t review it in terms of sharing it at an in-person gathering vs on Zoom. My fonts ended up being a little too small and the contrasting colors were challenging in the live room (with bright lights). I remembered that I needed to think differently about organizing and presenting material on the screen at in-person events. Overall, my biggest takeaway from the event is that Zoom ultimately can’t replace the value of in-person connection. Every new relationship starts with small talk and that’s easier to happen in a physical room together. (On Zoom, you can’t have a private one-on-one conversation with 30 people watching and listening.)”