Don't be chicken about presenting your work!
The following is an excerpt from Design Is a Job:
It’s worth discussing why people get nervous when they present, if only to decouple it from the reasons people believe they get nervous when they present. Get in, we’re doing science.
The one and only reason people get nervous when they present work is because they are designed that way. Your amygdala, which is the part of your brain in charge of keeping you alive, senses a presentation as a threat. Quite simply, there are more eyeballs staring at you than you have staring back at them. This triggers a flight or flight response which releases 500 metric fucktons (actual science number) of adrenaline into your system so you can either run away from or fight these people off. Our historical ancestors found this very helpful, you—standing in front of a room of peers, and the leadership team, and that jerk Chet from Marketing?—not so much. But the real villain in our story is imposter syndrome, which will start whispering things in your ear like “you are nervous because your work is terrible” or “you are nervous because you are being judged” or “you are nervous because you’re about to waste everyone’s time.” And while some of those things may be true, the one and only true reason that you are nervous is because your body is now coursing with adrenaline. By design.
Imposter syndrome is a parasite living rent-free in your head. And you can get rid of it at a Presenting w/Confidence workshop. There are two coming up:
Two sessions. Three hours per session. Sign up. I’ll take good care of you.
STUPID FUN STUFF
If you enjoyed the excerpt above, you’ll enjoy the whole book. (Don’t click on the 🐀.)
If you enjoyed the photo of the chicken mask, boy oh boy do we have a site for you!
…it’s also available as a zine for you anti-establishment types.
Here’s a stupid shirt about design you can buy.
…and an enamel pin about executive segmentation you can also buy.
I also saw one of these tote bags at the SF No Kings protest, and I was very happy.
❤️ Be safe out there, please. We love you.