I was very much into being a jock in high school. However, my high school years were fortunately pretty free of teenage angst, and football did help by giving me more choices for college. Fortunately, attending a small liberal arts school like Lafayette [College] opened my mind to a broader, more interesting world, and I became all too happy to leave sports behind. Plus, I really wasn’t very good.
X: What’s one trick you use to mentally prepare yourself before speaking in front of people?
BW: As silly as it sounds, I used to pinch myself to give me a little jolt just before an important presentation or discussion. I’ve since learned that practice is the best way to be prepared.
Author: Jeff Bauter Engel
Jeff, a former Xconomy editor, joined Xconomy from The Milwaukee Business Journal, where he covered manufacturing and technology and wrote about companies including Johnson Controls, Harley-Davidson and MillerCoors. He previously worked as the business and healthcare reporter for the Marshfield News-Herald in central Wisconsin.
He graduated from Marquette University with a bachelor degree in journalism and Spanish. At Marquette he was an award-winning reporter and editor with The Marquette Tribune, the student newspaper. During college he also was a reporter intern for the Muskegon Chronicle and Grand Rapids Press in west Michigan.
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