Stage fright: Don’t get over it; get used to it. | Anwesha Banerjee | TEDxDecatur

Scared to death of public speaking? Here’s some practical advice from Dr. Anwesha Banerjee, a neuroscientist and distinguished public speaker. Dr. Banerjee says that while it is hard to get completely over the fear of doing something, it is not hard to get used to the fear so that it becomes a part of life and you stop paying attention to it. Stage fright is no different. Bio: Dr. Anwesha Banerjee is a trained behavioral and molecular neuroscientist, currently working at Emory University, Atlanta. When asked why she chose to be a scientist, she says: “Probably my name, which in Sanskrit means ‘in search of knowledge’, decided my destiny many years ago. So, blame my parents.” With expertise in the field of neurological disorders including autism, fragile X syndrome and Myotonic Dystrophy, she is currently conducting pioneering research to understand the underlying mechanism of cognitive impairments in Myotonic Dystrophy that severely affect a patient’s quality of life. Anwesha was the recipient of a Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation research fellowship in 2017. She has authored multiple publications and presented at national and international conferences. Apart from science, she loves public speaking and has been an active member of Toastmasters International for over six years. What started as a side step for professional development has now become her passion. She is a Distinguished Toastmaster, which is the highest recognition given by Toastmasters International. An avid public speaker, she is well versed in facilitation, communication and leadership skills, winning various awards & commendations for her speeches and presentations. Anwesha Banerjee is a trained behavioral and molecular Neuroscientist, currently working at Emory University, Atlanta. When often asked, why she chose to be a scientist, she says “probably my name which in Sanskrit means, 'in search of knowledge' has decided my destiny many years ago. So, blame my parents”. With expertise in the field of neurological disorders including autism, fragile X syndrome and Myotonic Dystrophy, she is currently conducting pioneering research to understand the underlying mechanism of cognitive impairments in Myotonic Dystrophy that severely affects a patient’s quality of life. Anwesha has been a recipient of research fellowship by Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation in 2017. She has authored multiple publications and presented at national and international conferences. Apart from science, she loves public speaking and has been an active member of Toastmasters for over 6 years, attaining Distinguished Toastmaster status and occupying senior leadership roles. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx