Episode 053 -- Don't Change Your Caffeine and The Power of Rituals

 
2-Minute Tip: Don't Change Your Caffeine Consumption  
It can be tempting the morning of a big speech to load up on coffee and enjoy that miraculous substance. If that's part of your standard morning ritual, that's fine. Go for it. 
 
But don't suddenly double or triple your standard consumption. I get that you may feel tired or nervous, but excess coffee will not help. Instead, you will just ramp up the anxiety even further or cause other last minute biological challenges.
 
You are much better off getting a good night sleep the night before and giving your body what it has come to expect in the morning.
 
Post Tip Discussion: The Power of Rituals  
Rituals, like the crowning of a new king in the Black Panther movie are powerful things. Whether they are religious, civic, personal, cultural, or familial, the bond a community together. They become ingrained from an early age and follow us throughout our lives. disregarding a community's rituals is a great way to get banned from the community and marked as an outsider.
 
It's important for speakers to understand or at least respect the rituals of the communities they speak to. As I discussed in Episode 035, persuasion depends on engaging the audience with Pathos, Ethos, and Logos. Rituals play into the Pathos side of that triangle.
 
Ignoring, disregarding, or mocking a community's rituals makes it harder to persuade them, as you burn up Pathos and throw away good will. Do so at your own risk.
 
Call To Action:  
Think about the rituals in your life, your family, and your organization. How can you leverage them to build deeper bonds?
Consider what rituals you can introduce to your team meetings that will help center everyone and help them be more present.
Before your next big talk, maintain your standard caffeine consumption.
Don't get best...get better.