Talking with Strangers - The Hidden Key to Tech Careers
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Social anxiety is not a biological, genetic attribute. It is a set of limiting beliefs, lack of skills, and a lack of practice. It's like being afraid of the ocean because you can't swim. I struggled with social anxiety for decades, but today I talk with strangers every day and enjoy public speaking.
When my tech career started, I was a shy introvert who avoided talking with people outside my small circle. I thought being a good coder was all I really needed. Then two events catalyzed a change in my life and career.
Because of those events, I created an incremental system to reverse my social anxiety, enjoy presenting, and ultimately enjoy public speaking. And then I taught 100+ people how to replicate my results. And a few months ago I published a book on the first part of the process. In this talk, I'll share the mental models, system framework, and the two-minute "recipe" that got me started.