# Own It! Secrets to Speaking Under Pressure ![rw-book-cover](https://readwise-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/images/article2.74d541386bbf.png) URL:: https://readwise.io/reader/document_raw_content/1043941 Author:: readwise.io ## Highlights > 1. Why thinking is the enemy of speaking > 2. How to use your brain’s autocomplete feature to answer > difficult questions > 3. Why “owning it” is the only mindset that ensures success > 4. What bowling can teach you about engaging an audience > 5. How to prepare for the unexpected > 6. How to use the “peak-end rule” to make a strong lasting > impression ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyyb7r1ac3d86jp5dtn07d4k)) > Your brain works in the same way. If you feed it enough words, it > can’t help but fill in the blank. This is especially true under pressure. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyyb8sjy2661jpfh79fqskba)) > A famous improv coach once said: “The improviser focuses on > making the idea into a good one, rather than searching for a good idea.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyyb94g38pvff7hh0bhmexh4)) > In bowling, everything depends on the momentum you give to > the ball. In speaking, everything depends on the momentum you give > to yourself. Having studied an immense number of on-the-spot pitch- > es, presentations, and speeches, we’ve come to observe an interesting > pattern: The energy you start with is the energy you continue with. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyyba1gkabt6hpnhsycnrmme)) > You have full control over your starting energy. Choose passion > over apathy. Choose certainty over hesitation. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyybajae1pf9zt1ede42adnx)) > Recovery is the skill that changes everything. It is the backbone > of confidence and the centerpiece of speaking under pressure. It > is the greatest investment you can make when you practice, and > there’s only one rule to it: never break character. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyybb2jsvw36k2hwb8a55482)) > The peak-end rule states that people don’t evaluate an experi- > ence in its entirety but, rather, by two key metrics: the peak and the > end. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyybcpx0qngmn7mkagdqrjwa)) > The peak-end rule is essentially a cognitive bias that impacts > how people remember and recall events. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyybd0x7q898p69eb3w4jyz8)) > Ending strong is a game changer. We see it all the time in > gymnastics, when competitors plant their feet, stretch out their > arms, and smile at the judges. We call this “holding the pose.” Even > when gymnasts mess up or stumble upon landing, you’ll still see > them compose themselves, stretch out their arms, smile, and hold > the pose. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyybdac8f83wtyv74an1fx6g)) --- Title: Own It! Secrets to Speaking Under Pressure Author: readwise.io Tags: readwise, articles date: 2024-01-30 --- # Own It! Secrets to Speaking Under Pressure ![rw-book-cover](https://readwise-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/static/images/article2.74d541386bbf.png) URL:: https://readwise.io/reader/document_raw_content/1043941 Author:: readwise.io ## AI-Generated Summary None ## Highlights > 1. Why thinking is the enemy of speaking > 2. How to use your brain’s autocomplete feature to answer > difficult questions > 3. Why “owning it” is the only mindset that ensures success > 4. What bowling can teach you about engaging an audience > 5. How to prepare for the unexpected > 6. How to use the “peak-end rule” to make a strong lasting > impression ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyyb7r1ac3d86jp5dtn07d4k)) > Your brain works in the same way. If you feed it enough words, it > can’t help but fill in the blank. This is especially true under pressure. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyyb8sjy2661jpfh79fqskba)) > A famous improv coach once said: “The improviser focuses on > making the idea into a good one, rather than searching for a good idea.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyyb94g38pvff7hh0bhmexh4)) > In bowling, everything depends on the momentum you give to > the ball. In speaking, everything depends on the momentum you give > to yourself. Having studied an immense number of on-the-spot pitch- > es, presentations, and speeches, we’ve come to observe an interesting > pattern: The energy you start with is the energy you continue with. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyyba1gkabt6hpnhsycnrmme)) > You have full control over your starting energy. Choose passion > over apathy. Choose certainty over hesitation. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyybajae1pf9zt1ede42adnx)) > Recovery is the skill that changes everything. It is the backbone > of confidence and the centerpiece of speaking under pressure. It > is the greatest investment you can make when you practice, and > there’s only one rule to it: never break character. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyybb2jsvw36k2hwb8a55482)) > The peak-end rule states that people don’t evaluate an experi- > ence in its entirety but, rather, by two key metrics: the peak and the > end. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyybcpx0qngmn7mkagdqrjwa)) > The peak-end rule is essentially a cognitive bias that impacts > how people remember and recall events. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyybd0x7q898p69eb3w4jyz8)) > Ending strong is a game changer. We see it all the time in > gymnastics, when competitors plant their feet, stretch out their > arms, and smile at the judges. We call this “holding the pose.” Even > when gymnasts mess up or stumble upon landing, you’ll still see > them compose themselves, stretch out their arms, smile, and hold > the pose. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fyybdac8f83wtyv74an1fx6g))