Advice on public speaking & performance.

What can help build confidence against being scared or jumpy in public?

Tommy recommends starting martial arts, not for ego or fighting ability, but to build inner confidence that you could handle yourself if something happened.

How do you get free or discounted things confidently without seeming rude?

Ask leading questions like 'are you going to throw this out?' which puts the other person in a position to offer it to you, rather than directly demanding something for free.

How should a manager balance trusting employees' process versus measuring their output?

Godin suggests that once the hard creative/architectural decisions are made and the spec for quality is defined, leaders should trust skilled people to develop their own process to meet that spec rather than micromanaging via constant monitoring (e.g., stopwatches, endless Zoom check-ins), citing how Japanese carmakers improved quality by pushing decisions down to frontline workers.

How can I build self-confidence?

Believe in yourself first — if you don't believe you're good enough, no one else will either, such as in a job interview. If you don't feel confident yet, fake it until you make it; acting confident when you walk into a room makes people go along with it.

How can a performer stay calm playing to a huge crowd?

Mentally reframe the audience as one single entity (Pete Murray says he imagines it as 'one big fat person') rather than thinking of thousands of individuals, which helps reduce intimidation and lets you relax and joke around on stage.

How do you make confident decisions when you're uncertain?

Ask yourself what's the worst that could happen, then go with your gut rather than sitting on a decision for weeks; if it turns out wrong you can own and correct it, but prolonged indecision helps no one.

Should you heavily prepare before a big live interview or MC gig?

Minimal preparation and going off the cuff can produce a more natural, authentic result than over-scripting, even though it carries higher risk of awkward moments.

How should you mentally prepare for a big, nerve-wracking event like hosting episode 500?

Don't overthink it and don't underthink it — have no strategy as the strategy, and just have fun with it rather than treating it like a performance.

How should you prepare for and structure a TED talk?

Aim for a talk that can be summarised in one sentence, treat every line as if it must stand alone and be tweetable, and consider reverse-engineering a script by riffing on your idea, transcribing it, then refining. Memorise by putting key talking points somewhere you'll see them repeatedly, like a waterproofed sleeve in the shower.

How do you MC or emcee an event well?

Do a full script and read it a couple of times but don't read from it live—just know it's there. Read the room and match your tone to the audience, remember the MC's role is to guide the event rather than be the star, and always keep your own questions ready because there's usually silence when you throw to the audience.

How should you respond when a kid (or yourself) falls or gets hurt trying something new?

Tommy and Josh describe their approach with Bodhi — rather than dwelling on 'oh no, are you okay?', they say 'dust it off' and encourage getting back up immediately.

How can someone build confidence in work or public speaking situations?

Identify situations where you already feel confident (e.g., at home, in control of information) and try to recreate those conditions at work; embrace a 'shitty first draft,' expect nerves even from experienced speakers, and don't let past negative feedback define your narrative indefinitely.

How do you stay productive and confident as a creative performer?

Treat creative work like 'opening the shop' every day regardless of whether inspiration shows up — consistently doing the work (writing, creating) is what builds energy and confidence over time, not waiting for good days.

How do I get over my fear of public speaking?

The only way to get good at public speaking is to actually do public speaking — you can't get good at what you don't do, and no one has ever died from it.

How do you build confidence for high-pressure public situations like panels?

Get comfortable admitting what you don't know rather than panicking or bluffing; know your strengths and weaknesses clearly, and respond to unfamiliar topics with confidence by simply saying you don't have expertise there rather than trying to fake knowledge.

What's the best way to prepare for public speaking?

Avoid over-rehearsing; know your material and themes well but don't practice a fixed script, because practiced delivery makes you hyper-aware when live reality deviates from the plan, whereas staying unpracticed keeps you present.

How do you build confidence to put yourself out there (events, cold emails, etc.)?

Treat confidence like a muscle that improves with repeated practice; send high volumes of emails or have many conversations, since most won't respond but a portion will, similar to 'reject therapy.'

How can I build more confidence?

Confidence tends to compound with repeated action and success—doing more of something (like emceeing bigger events or making more videos) builds confidence over time, even though it can dip temporarily after setbacks.