Matt Abrahams

If you get shaky, besides deep breathing, big, broad movements, moving your body forward if you're physically in front of people standing, that allows that adrenaline, which is causing the shakiness, to dissipate. And if you're like me and you, turning red or feeling hot, that's the result of your heart beating faster, your body tensing up. It's like you're exercising.

If you get shaky, besides deep breathing, big, broad movements, moving your body forward if you're physically in front of people standing, that allows that adrenaline, which is causing the shakiness, to dissipate. And if you're like me and you, turning red or feeling hot, that's the result of your heart beating faster, your body tensing up. It's like you're exercising.

Your blood pressure is going up. And what we need to do is cool ourselves down. And a great way to do that is hold something cold in the palms of your hand. The palms of your hand are thermoregulators for your body. On a cold morning, I am certain you've held a warm cup of tea or coffee and felt it warm you up just by holding it.

Your blood pressure is going up. And what we need to do is cool ourselves down. And a great way to do that is hold something cold in the palms of your hand. The palms of your hand are thermoregulators for your body. On a cold morning, I am certain you've held a warm cup of tea or coffee and felt it warm you up just by holding it.

We can do the reverse by holding a cold bottle of water and it causes you to sweat less, blush less. So those are some things we can do for symptoms. Sources are the things that initiate or exacerbate our anxiety. We've talked about some of that reframing we can do in terms of connection over perfection, seeing it as an opportunity.

We can do the reverse by holding a cold bottle of water and it causes you to sweat less, blush less. So those are some things we can do for symptoms. Sources are the things that initiate or exacerbate our anxiety. We've talked about some of that reframing we can do in terms of connection over perfection, seeing it as an opportunity.

A good one also is many of us are made nervous by the goal that we are trying to achieve. When you're speaking, you have a goal. My students want to get a good grade. The entrepreneurs I coach want to get funding. You might have a great idea you want people to adopt. And we're nervous that we won't achieve it. So that means we're afraid or being made afraid of something that is in the future.

A good one also is many of us are made nervous by the goal that we are trying to achieve. When you're speaking, you have a goal. My students want to get a good grade. The entrepreneurs I coach want to get funding. You might have a great idea you want people to adopt. And we're nervous that we won't achieve it. So that means we're afraid or being made afraid of something that is in the future.

And the best way to short circuit that is to become in the present. So you can do something physical. You can listen to a song or a playlist like athletes do. You can start at 100 and count backwards by a challenging number like 17s. There's a lot you can do to bring yourself in the present moment.

And the best way to short circuit that is to become in the present. So you can do something physical. You can listen to a song or a playlist like athletes do. You can start at 100 and count backwards by a challenging number like 17s. There's a lot you can do to bring yourself in the present moment.

So by managing symptoms and sources, we can actually tame that anxiety beast and be more comfortable speaking planned or spontaneously.

So by managing symptoms and sources, we can actually tame that anxiety beast and be more comfortable speaking planned or spontaneously.

Yes. So this goes back to that notion that we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do our communication right. So I borrow an idea from the world of improvisation. When I did the research I did into speaking spontaneously, I looked across many fields, psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, and even improvisation. And it would probably have these wonderful sayings, dare to be dull.

Yes. So this goes back to that notion that we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do our communication right. So I borrow an idea from the world of improvisation. When I did the research I did into speaking spontaneously, I looked across many fields, psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, and even improvisation. And it would probably have these wonderful sayings, dare to be dull.

I've actually turbocharged that and encouraged people to maximize their mediocrity. By striving just to get it done rather than to do it perfectly, you actually free up more cognitive bandwidth to focus on what you're doing. Think of it this way. If I am constantly judging and evaluating everything I say, I have less bandwidth to focus on what I'm saying.

I've actually turbocharged that and encouraged people to maximize their mediocrity. By striving just to get it done rather than to do it perfectly, you actually free up more cognitive bandwidth to focus on what you're doing. Think of it this way. If I am constantly judging and evaluating everything I say, I have less bandwidth to focus on what I'm saying.

And this is why memorizing is so bad for us. When we memorize, we've created the right way to say it. And as I'm speaking, I'm constantly comparing back and forth. And that means I have less energy to focus directly on the communication that I'm trying to do.

And this is why memorizing is so bad for us. When we memorize, we've created the right way to say it. And as I'm speaking, I'm constantly comparing back and forth. And that means I have less energy to focus directly on the communication that I'm trying to do.

So daring to be dull, maximizing mediocrity is all about focusing on the audience we're speaking to, that connection, and letting go of that perfection. So we're dialing down the volume on how we're internally focused, and we're actually increasing the volume on how we're externally focused. Okay.

So daring to be dull, maximizing mediocrity is all about focusing on the audience we're speaking to, that connection, and letting go of that perfection. So we're dialing down the volume on how we're internally focused, and we're actually increasing the volume on how we're externally focused. Okay.