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Table of Contents

1. Preface

2. Main Article

3. Stuff

Preface

The food situation 🍲.

Many readers have expressed concern about my current diet here in Boston 🍔.

For those who recently joined this newsletter - I'm struggling with finding healthy food options at work.

So, since it's causing so much worry among my readers 😟, I've decided to do the following:

1. I'll try to bring home food and find time to eat it 🥗 . This might only happen a couple of times a week, probably on days when I'm at the clinic 🥼 and not in the OR 😷.

2. If I don't bring food from home, I won't resort to junk food at work 🍗 . At first, I thought I might fast for 16 hours on those days instead of eating poorly, but looking at my schedule, it might be more like a 20-hour fast. I'm still thinking about this.

3. On days with long surgeries 🕰️ , I'll have to stick with the chicken tenders. I need to stay sharp during these 12-16 hour procedures, so not eating isn't an option. I'll try bringing food from home and keeping it in the OR fridge. We'll see how that works. 🤔

Today's newsletter is devoted to all of you who don't like to give public lectures because of stage fright 😰.

Number 54!

Let's go!

Main Article

Many people start to shake when thinking of public speaking 😱.

Believe it or not, some studies suggest it's the most common fear out there. Even more than the fear of death itself! ☠️

As Jerry Seinfeld once said, some would rather be the corpse in the coffin than the person giving the eulogy (the speech at the funeral). Wild, right?

Over the years, I've guided countless individuals in preparing their lectures. This includes presentations for massive audiences of 100's, job interviews, and even talks in front of colleagues and bosses.

The contents of our talks can fill an entire course of how to teach 👨‍🏫 , but it's way beyond the scope of today's newsletter.

If you're interested, in issue #40, I dive into the fundamentals of delivering a great public talk 🗣️, and in issue #51, I touch on the secrets of giving an online lecture (such as Zoom) 🎥 .

Instead, I want to focus on something different. I want to summarize what I learned from the people I helped overcome stage fright. 😨

A substantial part of our sessions goes into understanding why public talk is crucial for them 💪, and how it could be the game-changer in their career 🏋️‍♀️.

So today, I'd like to touch on the three advantages of overcoming stage fright and stepping onto that stage.

👩‍🏫 1. The Best Way to Learn Something Is by Teaching It

This is, hands down, my favorite part about teaching 🏆.

No matter the countless hours you spend studying 🧑‍💻 or the endless tests you've taken 🙇🏻‍♀️, the moment you prepare to teach the topic unveils how much you don't know.

And once you play the role of the teacher, you'll make mistakes. That's inevitable.

But these mistakes will deepen your understanding in ways studying never could.

It will turn you into an expert in rocket speed 🚀. And once you become an expert, your stage fright will disappear. I've witnessed it more times than I can remember.

🏡 Take home message:

Want to be a master in a subject? Teach it.

🤝 2. You Connect with Individuals Who Are Beyond Your Grasp

When you're just starting in a field, or even after you've got some years under your belt, there will always be those "big shots" you aspire to network with 🕺🏻.

Think about industry leaders, bosses, potential future colleagues, etc.

What do most people do?

They send emails 📧 or try to catch them at meetings 🏃‍♀️.

But the problem is that if you aim to connect with 15 such people, that's 15 separate meetings you must attend and at least 15 emails you must send. Sounds time-consuming, right?

And there's no guarantee you will hear back from them 🙉.

However, what if you could engage them all with just a single lecture?

Think about it. A well-delivered 10-20 minute presentation can lay the foundation for networking with all 15 simultaneously!

All you need to do later is “close the deal” by chatting with them during a coffee break after your talk ☕️.

Do this a few times, and voila, you've networked with everyone on your list—efficiently.

And if you're talk is good enough, some of them will approach you themselves!

🏡 Take home message:

Facing your fears and taking the stage can be your golden ticket to network with those otherwise out of reach.

🥇 3. Your Audience Respects You the Minute You Step Up on Stage

This respect is delicate, and you can lose it in seconds.

But think about the following scenario:

You meet someone influential, and naturally, you want them to like you and respect you. You know, the basic human desire to be liked by others.

But impressing someone during a brief interaction is no small feat. It usually starts with greetings, moves on to some small talk, and then you get to the point. Roughly 20-30 seconds to win them over.

Sounds awful, doesn't it? 🤦

That's where public speaking comes to save the day. 🦸‍♀️

The moment you step on that stage, you're already miles ahead of most in the room. You're vulnerable, risking yourself with mistakes and embarrassing moments, but you're doing it anyway. That will earn you respect ✊.

Now, as a side note, these minor slip-ups make you more genuine and relatable. This makes a lecture unique, and this is how I turn a person's stage fright into a strength with their audience.

So, as you walk onto the stage, feeling that familiar butterflies in your stomach, remember: respect is already in the bag. You won it.

And those butterflies? They typically disappear after 1.5-2.5 minutes. It's basic psycho-physiology.

🏡 Take home message:

Delivering a public talk will earn you respect a small-talk never will.

Stuff

💡Gear I use - Logitech Pebble Mouse. 🖱️

I've used the Logitech MX series mice for a long time, and hands down—they are simply the best. Currently, the MX Master 3S is the most updated version.

But when it's time to pack light, I switch to the Logitech Pebble. It's my top choice for keeping things simple and weight down.

It's not the fanciest mouse around: the shape isn't ergonomic, and it only has basic features.

However, it's light, small, and affordable (I got it for 16.5$), which makes it an excellent pick if you want to avoid a bulky mouse taking up space in your bag.

Epilogue

That's it for this issue.

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Have a great weekend!

Shay