How do you feel when you are about to speak up? Choose your response below, then press and hold “Hold to speak up".
THiNK · BRAVERY
The meeting is about to wrap. You’ve spotted a serious problem.
Nobody else has said a thing.
You’ve decided to speak up.
How do you feel?
Choose how you feel first
You felt fine. Speaking up didn’t frighten you.
That’s worth noticing.
Notice: your heart didn’t slow down before you spoke.
A thought to take with you
Would you have felt the same if you were the only person in the room who disagreed?
You were nervous. You spoke up anyway.
That’s one way bravery shows itself.
Notice: your heart didn’t slow down before you spoke.
A thought to take with you
Would you have found it easier if someone had spoken before you?
You were terrified. And you still spoke up.
That’s bravery in action.
Notice: your heart didn’t slow down before you spoke.
A thought to take with you
Would you have been as brave if you knew nobody would back you?
The myth
“Brave people aren’t afraid.”
THiNK Again
Bravery isn’t fearlessness.
Fear tells us how we feel. Bravery determines what we do next. (McMillan & Rachman, 1988)
What the research found
In a study of 31 skydivers, heart rates climbed from about 100 bpm at rest to around 150 in free fall. Even the more experienced group, with 1,785 jumps on average, hit 149. They jumped anyway. (Machado et al., 2022)
95 bpm
Resting
Hear an experienced skydiver’s heart
From take-off to touchdown
Average of 19 experienced skydivers. Timeline shortened.
| Stage | Heart rate (bpm) |
|---|---|
| Resting, 15 minutes before boarding | 95 |
| Take-off | 107 |
| Two minutes before the jump | 123 |
| Free fall | 149 |
| Under the canopy | 150 |
| Two minutes after landing | 137 |
References
Machado, T., Serrano, J., Pino-Ortega, J., Silveira, P., Antúnez, A., & Ibáñez, S. J. (2022). Analysis of the objective internal load in Portuguese skydivers in the first jump of the day. Sensors, 22(9), Article 3298. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22093298
McMillan, T. M., & Rachman, S. J. (1988). Fearlessness and courage in paratroopers undergoing training. Personality and Individual Differences, 9(2), 373–378. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(88)90100-6