Your brain and your mind are not the same thing. They work in concert a lot (sometimes in ways we love, sometimes in ways we don’t). But sometimes they oppose each other.
Every human brain has an amygdala, whose job is to keep you following patterns that it knows will keep you safe. When you break a pattern, your amygdala tells your body to give you a shot of cortisol. You feel stressed and uncomfortable and can unconsciously abandon new behaviors, even if those new behaviors are your goal!
Your amygdala can sabotage your success in any Q&A – from a media interview to an earnings call to a podcast, because it knows how you should answer questions! It knows you get a smile from the teacher if you quickly deliver a smart, complete answer to the question you are asked.
But you are NOT an obedient third grader anymore. You are a company spokesperson with a specific message to deliver. It isn’t easy to retrain your amygdala, but you must do it. How?
First, develop awareness. Observe what’s going on in your body when you try a new technique for answering questions. “Wow, I can feel my heart racing. I’d better take a few breaths to ground myself.” When you know what the amygdala is up to you’ve won half the battle. And you can say what you need to say without melting down inside.
The good news is that once you’ve answered enough media, podcaster, or panel moderator questions, your amygdala will recognize your new Q&A pattern and stop the distracting cortisol barrage. Won’t that feel great?
Take the risk out of being in the spotlight! I can prepare you, your teams and your leaders to tell your company’s story with confidence, shape the industry and maybe even change the world.
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