INPUT ARTICLE: Article: It may be difficult due to anxiety you are feeling about speaking to the public, but if you feel on edge others will sense that and feel it too. There are not many people out there that enjoy public speaking, so take comfort in the fact that everyone in the audience understands it is an anxiety inducing situation. Address your stress and fear and its ability to hinder you in presenting yourself as a strong and confident person. If you need help relaxing, try some breathing or relaxation exercises.  Sit or stand somewhere with few distractions. Breath in through your nose for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of seven, and slowly release the breath out through your mouth for a count of eight.  Count your breaths as you exhale. Breathe slowly and count up to five breaths. Repeat a few times, while trying to draw your breath from the bottom of your lungs instead of your shoulders.  Change the shy or anxious thoughts and actively shift your focus onto others and off of yourself. Instead of thinking, “I am so nervous. How can I be less anxious?” try and think “How can I make everyone else more comfortable?” Strangely enough, pretending you are not shy is effective. You may end up convincing everyone else and maybe yourself, too! Many introverted individuals use this technique in order to be able to adapt to stressful work situations. Some ways you can accomplish this include:  If you work with or know someone with a charismatic friendly personality that you admire, pretend you are them. Take what you know about their attitude and style and act the part. Working next to others with outgoing personalities can be contagious just like smiling. Use this to your advantage. Walk into a room and say “Hi” to everyone with a lot of energy and smiling. They will get the impression that you are outgoing, friendly, and approachable. The more you act like an outgoing person, the easier it will be to become on in these work situations. You may be shy, introverted, or you may have anxiety about social situations or speaking to the public that are making it difficult for you to work. Identify if you have any particular fears about working with the public or public speaking. For example, maybe you are afraid you will make a mistake in an important presentation or conference. Know that you will make mistakes, because everyone does. Those mistakes, however, are all teachable moments and ways you can improve your work. Remember that it is often not mistakes that define us, but rather how we respond to them. Working or speaking with a larger group of individuals has the tendency to make the work more complicated and can increase your stress. You may have anxiety over public speaking or with just speaking in any public situation. A way to cope with this is to adjust the size of the group you are speaking with; reducing it down to a smaller group or just addressing an individual.  Break the larger group into a smaller, more manageable group. Separating into smaller groups allows you to focus more on fewer individuals and makes conversations easier. Address one person in the group. If a client or a member of the public asks you a question, focus your attention on them and no one else in the group. This will show that person you are putting extra attention into their question, as well as help you focus and reduce your anxiety. The tone of your voice and the way that you speak conveys a great deal to the individuals listening. One study determined that men with a lower tone to their voice were considered more dominant, and women who alternated the pitch of their voice were perceived to be more trustworthy. Additionally, if you speak clearly and calmly, studies show that you will be taken more seriously. Practice speaking at home or record yourself to see how you sound and adjust your speech accordingly. Very often, in interacting with the public, it helps to have a "script" that helps guide what your responses should be with people. It can help a lot to have a plan how to act, what to say, and so on.   This is very helpful in jobs like customer service--the customer typically wants friendly, prompt help, and usually it is the same thing over and over. You may even get training on how exactly to do this at your workplace. Usually people want to talk about themselves more than really about you. An introvert is often really good at listening, so that can be an asset when working with the public. It helps if you are shy, too, because it is not about you, it is about the other person. The problem many people face with social interactions in the workplace (or interactions with the public) is a lack of confidence. Remind yourself you were hired for this job for a reason, because you are good at it. Be yourself and bring your unique perspective and ideas to projects you are working on or individuals you are working with. Additionally, allowing your personality to come out a little in presentations or at conferences makes it more interesting and engaging for the audience. It will also help you connect with your audience. Perhaps they will see something they can identify with in what you say. If you are speaking publicly, chances are you are already an expert on the topic. Still, it may help your feelings of shyness or anxiety to make sure you are well prepared for your presentation. Make sure to research your topic, prepare your notes or your presentation and rehearse what you are going to say. It is also helpful to give your presentation in front of family and friends first. The more confident you feel, the more confidence you will show to others.

SUMMARY: Practice relaxation exercises to help you be calm and at ease. Pretend you are extroverted. Identify your fears. Work with smaller groups or individuals. Be aware of or change how you speak. Have a script for what you are doing. Be yourself. Prepare thoroughly for your tasks, events, or presentations.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Place the spoon, knife, cheese mold, cheesecloth, colander, mesh grate, and cheese mats into the large stockpot, cover everything with water and bring it to a boil. Let everything boil for 10 minutes, and then carefully drain the water and set the items on a clean countertop.  Although blue cheese is moldy by nature, you want to make sure to not introduce any other kinds of harmful bacteria to the mixture. This process cleans the stockpot for you, so you don’t have to do anything additional to it. Don’t use an old sponge to clean the items, as it could transfer bacteria in spite of the soap. Use a new sponge or clean washcloth to wipe down the baking tray and the 5 gallon (19 liter) plastic bucket. You could mix in 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of bleach to wash these items if you want to. Any working surface that you think you might use during the cheese-making process will need to be wiped down. Use warm water and dish soap, and then dry off the surfaces with a clean towel. Wear gloves if you have sensitive skin—just make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before you begin the cooking process.

SUMMARY: Boil all the smaller items inside the stockpot for 10 minutes. Clean the baking tray and large plastic bucket with soapy water. Wipe down the countertops and stovetop with water and soap.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart in front of the tee. Grip the club just above its head. Hold the club out in front of you in the starting position. Your grip doesn’t need to be perfect. As you swing the club, listen for the sound the club makes as you move it through the air. You should hear a whooshing sound. If you don’t hear a whooshing sound, then you are not swinging the club fast enough. See if the loudest part of the whooshing sound is happening before you hit the ball or as you hit the ball. Ideally, you should hear the loudest part of the sound at the bottom of the swing, where your club makes contact with the ball. If you hear the loudest part of the sound before you hit the ball, then that means you are throwing away your speed too early. Keeping swinging until you hear the loudest part of the sound at the bottom of the swing. If you keep hearing the loudest part of the sound before you hit the ball, then your wrists may not be bent properly. Make sure your wrists are bent properly to get the maximum leverage and speed.

SUMMARY:
Hold a club upside down. Swing the club back and forth as if you are hitting the ball. Locate the loudest part of the whooshing sound. Practice swinging your club until the timing is right.