Beat your fear of public speaking with these 7 science-backed strategies

(Paul Kane/Getty) Virgin Group founder Richard Branson says he hates public speaking — but he manages to do it anyway.
Some of the most successful people in the world have struggled to overcome their resistance to public speaking.

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson says he hates performing in front of a crowd; billionaire investor Warren Buffett admits he used to throw up beforehand.

Fortunately, Buffett and Branson have conquered their fears, and so can you. In fact, researchers have spent years developing different techniques for quelling the stress and anxiety often associated with public speaking.

Here, we've listed seven scientifically tested strategies that will help you become a calmer and more confident presenter.

1. Stop trying to relax.

Most people think that trying to calm down is the best way to cope with public-speaking anxiety.

Unfortunately, a Harvard professor recently released a study that found that technique doesn't really work. A better strategy is to reframe your jitters as excitement. Anxious study participants who announced that they felt excited were perceived as more persuasive and competent when they gave their speeches.

2. Talk to yourself.

You might feel weird telling yourself, "You can do it, Sara!" But one study found that people who addressed themselves using their names performed better in a public-speaking exercise than people who used the pronoun "I."

That's possibly because the first-name group felt like they were advising a friend, which is typically easier than trying to boost your own confidence.

3. Maintain a can-do attitude.

We know: It sounds obvious. But research has found that it works.

In one study, people with public speaking phobias saw their anxiety decrease significantly when researchers asked them to give several five-minute speeches over the course of a few months.

The catch? Those who had a negative attitude saw their phobias return a month after therapy ended, while those with a positive attitude maintained their lower levels of distress.

4. Exercise the morning of the presentation.

A growing body of research suggests that working out can help reduce anxiety by changing the neurological response to stress.

As Michael Hopkins, who was previously a graduate student at Dartmouth's Neurobiology of Learning and Memory Laboratory studying how exercise affects thinking and emotion, told Fast Company: "The positive stress of exercise prepares cells and structures and pathways within the brain so that they're more equipped to handle stress in other forms."

In other words, if an upcoming presentation is freaking you out, don't hole up in your room and dwell on it. Instead, go for a run or a hike to minimize the impact that stressful experience will have on you.

(flickr/poptech) Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy explains what a "power pose" looks like in her TED talk.

5. Strike a 'power pose.'

If you're afraid of public speaking, it's tempting to sit huddled in a corner in the hour leading up to your presentation. But by doing so, you could be undermining your own self-confidence.

In her now-famous TED talk, Harvard social psychologist Amy Cuddy explains how your body language can shape your emotions. For example, making yourself "big" by standing with your legs wide and your hands on your hips can reduce anxiety and help you feel more like a leader. On the other hand, sitting hunched over can make you feel less powerful.

Before you head to the stage or the conference room to give your presentation, take a few minutes to practice these power poses.

6. Rehearse the worst-case scenario.

Research suggests that "defensive pessimism" can help some people manage their anxiety and perform better. Essentially, the strategy involves thinking about what could go wrong and how you'd cope. 

So if you're afraid of stuttering or forgetting your lines, take some time to visualize exactly what you'd do in that situation. That way, in the unlikely event you actually do mess up during your presentation, you'll have a better chance of recovering because you'll have a backup plan.

7. Try cognitive-behavioral therapy.

If your fear of public speaking is so crippling that it's interfering with your ability to function at work or otherwise, you might want to seek professional help.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a type of mental health counseling that helps you become aware of negative thinking, so you can respond to challenging situations in a more effective way.

Cognitive-behavioral therapists have developed a range of tools to help patients deal with public speaking anxiety, including exposure therapy through virtual reality. Instead of practicing speaking in front of a live audience, patients deliver speeches to a computerized group of people. The therapist can even make the virtual group laugh and applaud throughout the presentation.

Research has found that patients who undergo this kind of therapy show less anxiety when they deliver speeches to a live audience.

20 Psychological Life Hacks That Will Get things done for you!

Who doesn’t love hacks? After all they make your life a tad bit easier. But when these hacks actually make you win at life, you’ve got to sit up and take notes. From the depths of this wonderful place called internet, we compile a list of 20 psychological life hacks that will give you a one up in any kind of social situation.

Yes, you’re welcome!

1) If you ask someone a question and they only partially answer, then just wait. If you stay silent and maintain eye contact, they will usually continue talking.

2) When a group of people laugh, people will instinctively look at the person they feel closest to in that group.

Good way to know who wants to sleep with you, right?

3) If you get yourself to be really happy and excited to see other people, they will react the same to you. It doesn't always happen the first time, but it will definitely happen next time.

4) Chew gum when you're approaching a situation that would make you nervous like public speaking or bungee jumping. If we are 'eating' something, our brain trips and it reasons 'I would not be eating if I were danger. So I'm not in danger'. 

5) Pay attention to people's feet. If you approach two people in the middle of a conversation, and they only turn their torsos and not their feet, they don't want you to join in the conversation.

Similarly if you are in a conversation with a coworker who you think is paying attention to you and their torso is turned towards you but their feet are facing in another direction, they want the conversation to end.

6) When people are angry at you, if you stay calm it'll get them even angrier, and be ashamed about it after.

7) False attribution of arousal. When you take somebody out on a first date, take them somewhere exciting that will get their heart beating. For instance—a roller coaster or horror film. This gets their adrenaline up. It makes them think they enjoy spending time with you rather than the activity.

8) People will remember not what you said but how you made them feel.

Also most people like talking about themselves so ask lots of questions about them.

9) Always be honest so when you have to lie, people will believe you.

10) If you make the biggest smile you can, you will automatically feel happier.

Just don’t do it while staring at somebody. Unless you want to come across as a creep. 

11) Refer to people you've just met by their name. People love being referred to by their name, and it will establish a sense of trust and friendship right away. Say your friend introduced you to John. After 5 minutes he decides to leave. Don't just say, "bye", but instead say "Bye John!"

12)   If you want to stare at someone unashamedly, look directly past them and wait for them to try and meet your eyes. When they fail to do that, they'll look around (usually nervously for a second) and won't look at you again for some time. This is your chance to straight up stare at this person for at least 45 seconds.

13) When you’re studying/learning something new, teach a friend how to do it. Let them ask questions. If you’re able to teach something well, you understand it better.

14) 99 per cent of guys that don't fight often will instinctively throw a right hook when provoked. 

15)   If you really want something from someone, frame it as an offer rather than a request. 

When Teddy Roosevelt was running for president, his campaign printed out 3 million leaflets with a picture of Teddy and a copy of a campaign speech. The campaign then realized that they didn't have the rights to the photo. Instead of explaining the situation to the photographer, which would have given him leverage to ask for a lot of money, the campaign made an offer that they would use the picture, giving the photographer lots of publicity if the studio paid them $250. The studio paid the money.

16)   People are extraordinarily aware of their sense of touch. If someone 'accidentally’ rests their knee on yours, they may not act like they realize it, but they definitely know that it's there.

17)   Ask your interviewer as many questions about what they do for work and really listen. They will walk away from the interview in a good mood because they got to talk about themselves and they will then think that the interview went well.

18)   You have a much higher chance of success in a relationship if your parents and your friends like your romantic partner.

19)   You know how a joke ceases to be funny when you have to repeat it? Well use that to your benefit; if that asshole in the group is making jokes at your expense, act like you can't hear him and ask him to repeat it like 3 times. By the time he says it a 3rd or 4th time, no one’s laughing. 

20) You can judge the character of a person by how they treat people who can do absolutely nothing for them.

The article has been inspired by this Reddit post. and source Men XP

Startup culture In B schools

Harvard business school teaches its students to CREATE JOBS rather than LOOK FOR JOBS which is normally the case in India.

When we pursue our engineering or any bachelor’s degree, there is a lot of free time. Some of us use that free time to research on the idea that can change the world (well at least it convinces them that their idea can change their world).

Then comes the idea of knowing how to do business, 90% people of that category start their preparation for MBA and end up in top B- schools in the country, in a country which rates B-schools based on the salary packages offered to the students, ROI!

Did you notice what just happened? Read that para again. Students from B-schools are offered wonderful salaries to run already running businesses and make money for the big companies which already have lots and lots of money and selling things which are already sold for like a thousand years, things that are already here.

So that idea which could potentially change the world or at least bring something innovative or new to this ageing world has just died inside the mind of that brilliant person who is now working hard in making better the existing already rich old ideas.

So this was boring and the most common problem in the country live in. All the new ideas are traded for better salaries.

OK, what now? I have written this article and you have read these words in numerous more articles available on the technology called the Internet while sipping your favorite coffee.

I tell you what, start that research on your idea all over again, and this time analyze that idea with the vast knowledge of businesses you have now and apply them on this child of yours, let your child groom, there is still time to tell your child that it can one day change the world, it’s time you trust your child again and invest time and money and for once, just try! Let’s see what happens.

The Volkswagen e-Golf Is About As Normal As Electric Cars Can Get

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People who prefer consistency over radical new ideas love the Volkswagen Golf, and the electric version certainly won’t disappoint them, because it’s a Golf. No less, no more. That turned out to be its greatest strength and its greatest weakness at the same time.

I have driven all sorts of Golfs in the last two years including the 1.2 base model with a five-speed, the GTI with a six-speed and the GTD with the DSG automatic. There’s nothing wrong with any of them. They are all Golfs after all, which means they are utterly boring— I mean, were designed to be the perfect tools for taking you and your family from Point A to Point B and any other Points you might want to check out.

The e-Golf will only take you and your family to Points that are no further than about 90 real world miles. Other than that, it works just like any other Golf, which is almost magical.

We’re talking about a 3,391 pound hatchback here with just 115 horsepower on tap, but the peak torque of 199 lb-ft (not 200!) and clever packaging help move the car so swiftly you’ll think the extra 688 pounds from the battery pack aren’t even there.

I’m a huge fan of zero emission sprints in city traffic, and while the e-Golf is nowhere near as quick and torquey as the rear-wheel drive BMW i3, it’s still a very efficient stop and go fighter.

No heads will explode from electrifying excitement after jumping inside the cabin, but at least the needle can move into the negatives when you’re regenerating. It’s pretty much the only funky thing you can play with on the move. That, and maybe body heat management, because once you switch on the air conditioning, your range will drop a slightly terrifying 20 miles or so, instantly.

As you all know, electric cars are green but electricity itself is blue, so Volkswagen used blue stitching and trim both inside and out to make the e-Golf distinguishable from the rest of the Golfs out there. Modestly.

Of course the eagle-eyed car enthusiast will see that the car lacks an exhaust pipe and has a different bumper as well, but since the e-Golf runs on regular fuel-saver Continentals instead of anything crazy like the VW XL1’s 115/80 R15 skinny tires, the rest of the public will never know how active you’re at saving the planet.

They won’t hear it, either.

The other day, I almost stepped in front of a Tesla Model S85D because it was rolling so silently, and the e-Golf is the same story. While the i3 produces some sort of Jetsons noise to make sure you know the future has just passed you, the e-Golf is the quietest car around with an engine revving to 12,000rpm.

On the move, you have three driving moves to choose from. Eco+ limits your top speed and turns the car into a block of lead. You don’t want that. Eco is better, but unless you’re really low on juice, just keep it in Normal and play around with the gearbox instead.

There are three levels of regenerative braking to choose from, and they can be activated by moving the shifter sideways. The weakest setting is pretty much pointless, the middle one works on the road while in heavy traffic, feel free to unleash the most hardcore electric braking you got. It will return a few extra miles if you’re good at this game.

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The only thing I don’t understand is why the generator won’t stop the car completely. Even turned to level three, the regeneration stops at around 3 mph, which means that unlike the i3, the e-Golf can not be driven by just one pedal. You need to use the regular brakes all the time. That’s weird.

Why do I compare poor Golf continuously to BMW’s bamboo-hugging carbon fiber city car? Mostly because on this side of the planet, it costs the same money. Seriously. Since it’s impossible to get your money back in fuel savings over a regular TDI Golf, I doubt there are many buyers.

Than again, the i3’s design is straight out bonkers compared to this blue monument of automotive conservatism, and since the Tesla Model S sits at a very different price range, there must be those who are looking for an electric car with a static personality. One that seems to be everyone’s cup of tea. A Golf.

I guess beggars can’t be choosers. Don’t worry, the next round should be better.

source: jalopnik

What is Luck?? The concept of GOD

Today I was just sitting and watching a TT match, which my friends were playing in the college campus or rather a building if you would call it that. Anyway, we will debate sometime later on my campus/building. Right now i wanna discuss with you a very wonderful thing i observed in that match.

There is thing called a lucky shot, where the ball just touches the edge and slides away downward where the other player can't do anything(99.9 % times). My friend pulled the shot and yes obviously we called the guy lucky.

I was having a very close look at that shot, its like things slowed down for a second or two and I was just watching and thinking why it happened? Now listen to me carefully because whatever i am gonna say might not make sense to you, because it is not even making to me right now.

I think that shot was not LUCK! 

It was a combination of numerous amount of factors some of which might not even be known to human kind, the psychological reasons, physiological reasons, neurological reasons, physical limitations of human body w.r.t the human brain, the subconscious calculations, probability concepts, including both puller of the shot and the facer of the shot. 

It was the complex calculation of mind body coordination in order to keep the muscles stretched at the right position at the right time & that the brain's ability to adapt to the situation he might have achieved over the years of practicing the game kicking in. Also the motivational factor keeping the brain active to achieve those calculation in the particular interval of time might also be the factor associated with the shot.

Well, the good part is we are still understanding the various other factors involved in this particular event in detail. But I suggest, God had absolutely nothing to do with that.

Actually, God is an interesting concept, whatever we don’t understand yet we put it under this concept called GOD. And what we don’t understand, we are scared of it. And then we try to worship it and ask for help and expect in some mysterious ways he is going to take care of the above mentioned factors and do his calculations and make things happen.

The concept of God was initially used by the geniuses of the history to keep peace in the world, to have something people have a fear of. Also to give hope, that someone is there to save them and he is more powerful that any human, that someone is supporting us no matter what we do, that feeling of safety is provided by the term GOD.

Yes, obviously you can’t explain everything to everyone, so you say something lame to the people making them understand the key thing, rather than the whole concept of how it works. It will take another million years to explain in detail to everyone on this sphere as to how this space works. But since we don’t have that time, GOD will save us till then.

Coming to the lucky part, the concept of luck has been given to the things we can’t explain. But I say, you absolutely can make your luck, you can train your body to take that lucky shot, if you practice enough there may come a day when somebody’s lucky shot is a normal shot for ya, you see the relative comparison here?

The world is a maze, where everything is happening at the same time, and things happen due to the different combination of things, it’s all probability. It’s like looking at a chess game vs GOD, you are looking at the game with your perspective and he is looking at it with his own perspective, he is combining the forces of Queen, soldier, camel, elephant etc. (pardon me! I dunno the professional names of the things that are up there on the board but I think you got the point) and bringing a combination that kills your king, the best part is you are also putting together a team to do the same to him, so he has to cross your team also and somewhere in between is Checkmate!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

BUSINESS IS BUSY NESS...BASICALLY

I don't know what I am gonna type here but still lets see what I can. 

Today, I left my hostel room at 8 am in the morning and guess what i just entered my room at 11.30 pm in the evening(if you can still call it that).

If i am to tell you the schedule, you might be bored as it was a boring schedule of a boring guy like me attending boring classes throughout the day and attending boring guest lectures by boring people and attending boring meetings consisting of boring people just like me.

So you see its all boring in here.

The point here is, this is my first blog and you are still reading this like I am some great writer or something, I am not Chetan Bhagat who will write anything and you will read it because its funny(well kinda).

Well, I think there are times when you should have these busy days full of busy people in busy times all around you just because its better than just sitting around waiting for someone to look at you and tell you that you are noticed and by that time you become too slow that while you are figuring out your reply, that person is also gone to do his busy work he was busy with.

Too much of business (busy - ness) is also not good as you might lose the part where you actually live your life and enjoy what you have achieved till now rather worrying about the future (which anyway you do every time).

Why the idea of part time MBA is bad?

I ll tell you something but you might not believe me just yet. MBA is totally different from what you think.
Now why would you believe me on that?
Well there is a saying, "until you don't open the door, you don't actually know what's really inside the room, until then u just can peek from the windows which give you partial views of everything you see."
FRANKLY..there isn't a saying like that....I just made something up!

So here am I, opened this door, standing inside. I thought it might be something usual.
Something I know already, something I can relate to very easily.
Something which would be a left hand job.

But here I am, getting hold of the totally new perception of life in an MBA school.. or fashionably called B-school.
The first thing you are told here is that the world is much more smarter than you, and all that you know is part of what has been told to you which is absolutely bullshit or lame.

And then you are taught the better part, the actual thing, things that make the world go round.

Ok that was the boring academic part....

Moving on, I tell you, the kind of people you meet in this part of the education scenario is just brilliant. They all have worked hard in their lives. They all are positive about their future.

They all are happy with whatever they have done, and are real winners.

Exceptions are always there though, in this case me.

I think i am the most dumb guy in this campus of mine(NMIMS hyd).( I shouldn't have said that!)
Everyday you meet new people, and you discover the things you should have done while u were busy watching TV series in a grad school somewhere in this supernation.

In graduation colleges, you are a stud if you are in a society or something, etc.
Here things are like, it is compulsory for you to be a part of a club or society.
DAMN!

There are people, who started their business at a time i didn't even know the word business.

Trust me, if you go for an executive MBA, you won't meet these kind of people, the kinda environment you are in for 2 years among these winners and thinkers, that's amazing.

Ok...
Now i am going to tell you something which you promise me you won't tell anyone..
PLEASE..
Ok..here I go....
I came 3 days late, being casual about it, i entered the class. By that evening, almost 1000000 people asked me why did i come late? that too from my own batch. Like i have done something of a crime or something...

it was later that i discovered that bacchaa its not you mechanical engineering where in you go to a 1hr long class..45 mins late. This shit is real..you gotta be on time..

the above part I learned when I reached 10mins late in a guest lecture after which I was called in front of the class and told not come late in a manner that I remember it till now, very effectively.

Well.. that's all for now.. i ll keep you updated.. sacchi!


DISCLAIMER:This article was written as a task given by a beautiful girl...so..i have completed the task.. now i want your number!