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I dropped out of my PhD because I could not stand the pressure of having to do talks regularly. Even though I was pretty decent at it (I was told my delivery was fine and clarity was superb), and sometimes felt good ("powerful" for lack of a better word) while on stage, I would worry for months before every presentation, then basically get physically sick for weeks before, and take some weeks more to recover. Then on…
I dropped out of my PhD because I could not stand the pressure of having to do talks regularly. Even though I was pretty decent at it (I was told my delivery was fine and clarity was superb), and sometimes felt good ("powerful" for lack of a better word) while on stage, I would worry for months before every presentation, then basically get physically sick for weeks before, and take some weeks more to recover. Then on…
A point in life comes where you have spend enough time being a generalist, trying to brush up on your weaknesses. Time to enjoy and sharpen your strong points. The only negative here are your feelings towards yourself. Why not embrace yourself as you are, and role with it. If anything, your life will be more enjoyable and who knows you may once realize you worried for nothing when you drop the worrying about the worrying.
Easier said than done of course ;)
"Sarah Bernhardt, one of the most famous French actresses in the late XIXth Century, used to suffer from stage fright. Once, a young actress told her she didn’t experience it. Bernhardt answered: “don’t worry, it will come with talent”.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
One can quibble about the word choice, but the simple truth is that human interactions very frequently involve some sort of conscious/unconscious manipulation. So one is better off to interact with people who are decent at that activity and seeking to build us. Had my boss just yesterday close the office door and gently chide me about interrupting other people on the call. Best rebuke I've had in years.
I fondly remember the CMO taking me aside after I gave a presentation at a Company town hall (startup, ~300 people) and gently telling me I just made myself and the Marketing department look incompetent. I’m not completely bought into the whole radical candor thing but this was a great example of it working.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is a 'plastic' personality dimension?
The parent commentor is not using any domain-specific jargon. They just mean the normal meaning of the abstract adjective "plastic": capable of being permanently deformed/bent/altered in a way that does not then return to baseline (contrast elastic ). Conceptually derived from "plastic deformation" in physics: when you bend something enough that it doesn't bend back any more. Usages of this sense of "plastic" appear…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I fondly remember the CMO taking me aside after I gave a presentation at a Company town hall (startup, ~300 people) and gently telling me I just made myself and the Marketing department look incompetent. I’m not completely bought into the whole radical candor thing but this was a great example of it working.
Was there and advice or direction associated with this talk?
Good on him for coming out and saying it straight. So many people go through such discomfort and are constantly pressured by their environment to put up with it. You're not encouraged to say no. It is seen as unnatural. It is career limiting. I do believe the tech industry puts an unhealthy obsession on public speaking, to the extent that you aren't considered fit for leadership if you can't give public talks.
I dropped out of my PhD because I could not stand the pressure of having to do talks regularly. Even though I was pretty decent at it (I was told my delivery was fine and clarity was superb), and sometimes felt good ("powerful" for lack of a better word) while on stage, I would worry for months before every presentation, then basically get physically sick for weeks before, and take some weeks more to recover. Then on…
Extraversion is a relatively plastic personality dimension