Know yourself and know your opponent

Fear sits in the blank spots. Name your own strengths, the places you slip, and what you actually want from this contest. Then do the same for the other side: what they need, what they protect, and what they cannot afford to lose.

Once both pictures are specific, the next step gets smaller. You stop guessing, and you stop treating the other person as a fog.

Use it. Write two short lists before you walk in. Yours, and theirs. If a line is a guess, mark it as a guess.