Years ago, an engineer stood up at an event I was speaking at and said, “When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to grow up because I thought confidence came with the territory.

I thought once I became an adult, I would feel less self-conscious and never worry about what to talk about. Boy, was I wrong! Where can I get a confidence pill?”

I told him, “The way to get confidence is to approach conversations from a caring and curious perspective. Think of yourself like a journalist. They aren’t scared to talk to anyone because they know how to sidestep chit-chat and get down to the real points that matter.”

He said, “Sounds great, but how can I do that?”

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