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I Learned How to Make Ideas Stick and You Can Too
Once I stopped trying to impress and started to connect, everything changed.
A good concept sold itself, I used to believe. I would chuck in a nice quotation, bang data on the table, and wait for applause. Rather, I stared blankly, shrugged my shoulders, and heard the lovely sound of crickets. She bothered me. I delved in, tried different moves, and figured out how to cause them to tilt forward rather than nod off to sleep.
Though I am simply a typical junior in high school, the lesson applies whether you are presenting a million-dollar start-up or a club project. This is how it happened and how you could grab the playbook.
Why My Ideas Slipped Away: I signed up for the robotics team in my first year. I had an insane idea for an automatic gear shifter. I hurried through the first meeting specs like a malfunctioning printer:
“Five-step servo sequence.”
“75 newtons of torque difference.”
“PID loop for control of speed.”
One half of the room reached for munchies; the other half for their phones. Later, Coach said softly, “Kid, that wasn’t a pitch. That worked as a sleeping aid. Ouch. Still, he was spotless. Not to connect, I spoke to show off.
