An article with a confusing opening paragraph

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At The Ladders on December 2, 2020 there is an article by Sarah Dillon titled Harvard has the ultimate public speaking tip that you’ve never heard of. It opens with the following superfluous and confusing paragraph:

 

“Public speaking is statistically America’s number one phobia – second only to creepy bugs and frightening heights. I never imagined giving a presentation in front of your boss would be scarier than the potential of plummeting 10 stories to your death, but here we are.”

 

As shown above, it is hard to tell whether public speaking should be ranked first, second, or third.

 

Sarah’s article then discusses the article by Amit Goldberg and Erika Weisz at the Harvard Business Review on November 30, 2020 titled Don’t focus on the most expressive face in the audience. If you really want to understand that article, read their preprint rather than Sarah’s description of it.