The other day, someone I know stood before the judges, trying to be someone they weren’t. He dressed the part, tried to carry someone else’s voice, and it didn’t land. The proposal was good, but the delivery came off as overly dramatic. His words stumbled, because they weren’t his.

Yesterday was different. No borrowed style, no extra layers. Just himself – neat, relaxed, unforced. The pitch carried on its own, and this time, it landed.

The difference wasn’t technique. It was authenticity. Performance makes you tense; authenticity makes you present. One ties you in knots, the other carries further, because it’s lighter – you don’t have to hold up a mask while you speak.

Maybe that’s the only “technique” worth practicing: stop pretending, and show up as yourself.