• Overuse of ‘filler words’: However interesting you sound, using too many meaningless filler words (such as um, er, basically, like) will obscure your message like graffiti on a sign. This New York Times article gives some tips for eliminating overused filler words from your speech: www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/us/verbal-ticks-like-um.html

• The power of posture: Amy Cuddy’s research results on this topic are controversial, but the basic message is true: that how you use your body has a major effect on how you feel. Her short video (3 minutes) is a useful precis (where ‘classroom’ could replace ‘job interview’ as the potentially stressful situation): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7dWsJ-mEyI&ab_channel=QuickTalks

• Avoiding emotional overwhelm: While it’s necessary for our good mental health to be in touch with our emotions and not to ignore or try to bury them, we also need to avoid them overwhelming us. And teaching can be a profession where that can easily happen. This article, rather misleadingly titled How to be Emotionless, gives some helpful ideas on how to manage emotions: https://www.wikihow.com/Be-Emotionless

Q: Which of the resources did you find most useful, and why?