Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambiti… - Adam Grant

When our audiences are skeptical, the more we try to dominate them, the more they resist.

The greatest communicators of all time,” says communication expert Nancy Duarte — who has spent her career studying the shape of superb presentations — start by establishing “what is: here’s the status quo.” Then, they “compare that to what could be,” making “that gap as big as possible.

We become blinded by arrogance when we’re utterly convinced of our strengths and our strategies. We get paralyzed by doubt when we lack conviction in both. We can be consumed by an inferiority complex when we know the right method but feel uncertain about our ability to execute it. What we want to attain is confident humility: having faith in our capability while appreciating that we may not have the right solution or even be addressing the right problem. That gives us enough doubt to reexamine our old knowledge and enough confidence to pursue new insights.