The key to coming off as confident and authentic in public speaking is to put your purpose first and know that you have something of value to contribute to the audience. It is important to be yourself and present your best self, as this mantra can be empowering and encouraging. Embracing this approach can reinforce the points discussed and help individuals get through the challenge of public speaking.
“Stress is natural,” says Alia Crum, an assistant professor of psychology at Stanford. “Stress is inevitable when you’re living a life that’s connected with things you care about. And learning how to embrace it, learning how to work with it is really what helps us thrive and grow and perform at our highest level.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams talks with Crum about her work as the principal investigator at the Stanford Mind & Body Lab, where she is studying how people can benefit from stress. “There’s a whole side of stress that shows that it can have enhancing qualities on our cognitive functioning, our physical health, and on how we behave and interact with others,” she says.
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