How to Respond with Confidence - The Jefferson Fisher Podcast

Summary6 min read

Summary of "How to Respond with Confidence" Episode on The Jefferson Fisher Podcast

Podcast Information:

Title: The Jefferson Fisher Podcast
Host/Author: Civility Media
Episode: How to Respond with Confidence
Release Date: October 15, 2024
Description: Empowering listeners with actionable communication strategies to argue less and talk more confidently.

Introduction

In the premiere moments of the episode, Jefferson Fisher sets the stage by emphasizing the transformative power of effective communication. He introduces the topic, "How to Respond with Confidence," outlining the episode's focus on eliminating communication pitfalls that undermine self-assurance.

Jefferson Fisher [00:00]: "If you want to change your life for the better, well, this is one of the best ways to do it."

He also takes the opportunity to promote his upcoming book, The Next Conversation, encouraging listeners to pre-order and engage with his content across various platforms.

1. Eliminating Fluff

Jefferson begins by addressing the issue of "fluff" in communication—filler words and phrases that clutter speech and erode confidence.

Understanding Fluff

Jefferson Fisher [00:35]: "Fluff. Is that kind of. Well, I mean, you know, it's, it's just fluff, fluff."

Key Points:

Definition: Fluff comprises filler words like "you know," "I mean," "just," and similar phrases that serve no substantive purpose.
Impact: These fillers make responses sound uncertain and dilute the strength of the message, akin to "too much ice in your drink."

Strategies to Eliminate Fluff

Serve Words Straight: Deliver messages without unnecessary dilution to maintain clarity and confidence.
Embrace Silence:
- Technique: Replace filler words with intentional pauses.
- Implementation: Let your breath be the first "word" you say. For example, instead of starting with "Well, I mean," take a breath and confidently state your point.

Jefferson Fisher [05:20]: "Get comfortable with silence. Wherever that filler word would be, say nothing."

Example Transformation:
- Fluffy Response: "Well, I mean, it depends."
- Confident Response: "I haven't run across that before. It depends on a number of factors."

2. Avoiding Uptalk

Uptalk, or rising intonation at the end of statements, can make confident declarations sound like uncertain questions. Jefferson explores its nuances and offers solutions to mitigate its effects.

Understanding Uptalk

Jefferson Fisher [10:15]: "When you up talk, it sounds like you're asking a question."

Key Points:

Gender Dynamics: While often associated with women, uptalk can affect anyone regardless of gender.
Perception: Uptalk conveys uncertainty and a lack of authority, making statements seem like tentatives or requests for permission.

Strategies to Counter Uptalk

Lowering Tone at Sentence Ends:
- Technique: Adopt a downward intonation to assert finality and confidence.
- Example: Instead of saying, "Can we get it by Friday?" with rising intonation, say, "Can we get it by Friday." with a firm, downward tone.

Jefferson Fisher [12:45]: "In Texas, if I'm going to ask somebody to pass the salt, I'm going to say, 'Can you pass the salt.' as if I'm assuming, yes, everybody knows what it is."

Assume Certainty: Frame your statements as definitive rather than tentative, reinforcing your authority on the subject.

3. Improving Word Choice

Word choice plays a pivotal role in projecting confidence. Jefferson identifies specific words and phrases that weaken communication and suggests strong alternatives.

Common Problematic Words:

"Does that make sense?"
- Issue: Implies doubt about the clarity of your message and can come across as patronizing.

Jefferson Fisher [15:30]: "Does that make sense? Every time you ask that question, you're doing two things."

Strategies for Effective Word Choice

Replace Doubtful Phrases:
- Alternative: Use "What are your thoughts?" or "Do you have any questions?" to encourage dialogue without undermining your message.

Jefferson Fisher [16:50]: "Instead of 'Does that make sense?' you can replace that with 'What are your thoughts?' That's it."

Eliminate the Word "Just":
- Issue: Adds hesitation and minimizes the importance of your message.
- Example Transformation:
  - Hesitant: "I just wanted to check in."
  - Confident: "I wanted to check in."

Jefferson Fisher [18:20]: "Eliminate that word just because it makes you sound more hesitant in your communication."

Minimize Adverbs:
- Issue: Overuse of adverbs like "basically," "literally," and "essentially" weakens statements.
- Solution: Use strong, precise language to convey your message succinctly.

Jefferson Fisher [19:45]: "If you ever see an email that says 'essentially' or 'basically,' understand, you can just eliminate them and they're going to be a whole lot better."

4. Practical Application: Listener Q&A

One of Jefferson's favorite segments involves answering listener questions. In this episode, Emily from South Carolina seeks advice on handling unexpected questions during sales presentations without appearing uncertain.

Emily's Question:

Emily [21:00]: "I'm part of a large sales team and I have to go around the country giving presentations. That's really cool, but I have an issue or a problem with answering questions that I don't know. I often have this deer in the headlights look. How can I avoid that? Any advice helps?"

Jefferson's Response:

Take a Beat Before Responding:
- Advice: Resist the urge to provide an immediate answer. Instead, take a moment to breathe and collect your thoughts.
- Benefits: Demonstrates composure and thoughtfulness.

Jefferson Fisher [21:45]: "Take a second. There's a tendency to feel you need to have a very rapid-fire answer, but that's not really true."

Draw from Past Experience:
- Advice: Leverage your existing knowledge and experiences to formulate a response, even if the specific question is new.
- Example Response: "I haven't run across that before in my experience, but what I can do is X, Y, and Z."

Jefferson Fisher [22:30]: "Go off your past experience. I haven't run across that before, but in my experience, that hasn't been an issue."

Use the Word "Confident":
- Advice: Incorporate the word "confident" into your responses to reinforce self-assurance.
- Example Transformation:
  - Hesitant: "I think we can handle that."
  - Confident: "I'm confident we can handle that."

Jefferson Fisher [24:10]: "Use the word confident in your responses. It just makes you sound confident because they hear it out of your mouth."

Overall Strategy for Emily:

Pause Before Answering
Leverage Past Experiences
Incorporate Affirmative Language ("Confident")

This approach not only helps Emily present herself as knowledgeable and composed but also reassures her audience of her capability to handle unforeseen questions effectively.

Conclusion

Jefferson Fisher concludes the episode by reiterating the importance of confident communication and inviting listeners to engage further through following the podcast, leaving reviews, and interacting on social media platforms. He emphasizes that mastering these communication techniques can significantly enhance personal and professional interactions.

Jefferson Fisher [25:50]: "If you want to have strong sentences, you need to just serve your words straight every time."

Listeners are encouraged to implement the discussed strategies to transform their conversational skills, making each interaction impactful and confidence-driven.

Notable Quotes:

On Eliminating Fluff:

Jefferson Fisher [05:20]: "Get comfortable with silence. Wherever that filler word would be, say nothing."
On Avoiding Uptalk:

Jefferson Fisher [12:45]: "I'm going to say, 'Can you pass the salt.' as if I'm assuming, yes, everybody knows what it is."
On Word Choice:

Jefferson Fisher [16:50]: "Instead of 'Does that make sense?' you can replace that with 'What are your thoughts?' That's it."
On Listener Q&A:

Jefferson Fisher [22:30]: "I haven't run across that before in my experience, but what I can do is X, Y, and Z."

Key Takeaways:

Eliminate Filler Words: Remove unnecessary fillers to present clear and confident messages.
Avoid Uptalk: Use downward intonation to assert statements firmly.
Refine Word Choice: Choose words and phrases that project confidence and invite constructive dialogue.
Practical Application: Implement strategies such as pausing before responding, leveraging past experience, and using affirmative language to handle unexpected questions effectively.

By integrating these strategies, listeners can enhance their communication skills, leading to more assertive and impactful conversations both personally and professionally.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
If you want to change your life for the better, well, this is one of the best ways to do it. On today's episode, we're talking how to respond with confidence. Welcome to the Jefferson Fisher Podcast, where I'm on a mission to make your next conversation the one that changes everything. If you enjoy learning tools to improve your communication, I'm going to ask you to please follow this podcast. And if you would leave a review, I'm going to let you know that my book, the Next Conversation, is officially out on pre order. It is a book that's going to teach you how, how to say things with control, to say with confidence, and to say it to connect. And as always, if you have any topic suggestions for this podcast, you can just throw them in the comments. If you want to sound more confident, do this. Number one, eliminate the fluff. Eliminate the fluff. You know what I'm talking about? Fluff. Is that kind of. Well, I mean, you know, it's, it's just this. It's just this. I mean, you know, it's, it's fluff, fluff. That absolutely kills the confidence in your responses. Number two, we're going to work on up talk. That is where you begin to increase in the tone of your voice, almost like you're asking a question. Instead of saying something like this, it sounds kind of like this. At the end of your sentences, they up talk. And that's not good because it makes it sound like everything you're saying is a question, like you're uncertain about it. And number three, going to work on word choice. That means we're going to eliminate ending your sentences with you know what I mean? We're going to eliminate using the word just all the time. And we're going to minimize your reliance on adverbs. Those are words that end in ly literally. Now, I want to be clear. There is a difference between talking to friends and talking in a professional setting, period. When you're talking to people that are close to you, who, who cares about fluff words? If you are fumbling over your words and you're saying, and you know, and I mean, well, maybe you know, anytime you're saying that to a friend, no problem. It's casual, it's comfortable, it's part of the conversation. But if you're talking in a professional setting, maybe at work, maybe in front of an important group, do you hear, I just said it in an important group, then it's not that. Not great for you because it makes it sound as if you are uncertain, like you're hesitant, like you're not sure what you're wanting to say. But in regular conversation, it's. It's part of the game now. About fluff. Fluff comes in all shapes and sizes, and I want you to think about it as if it is static. It's a filler. They call them filler words. I like to say fluff. They also are ways of thinking about it, of too much ice in your drink, because they dilute your message. If you want to sound confident, you got to serve your words straight. So when you begin a sentence in front of a group, they ask you a question, and it's. You're on the spot to respond, and the first thing out of your mouth is. That's very common. They ask you a question, and the first thing you want to say is, well, automatically that confidence and how you sound just tanks because you're not communicating. You're just wanting to make sound out. That's really what it is. We feel comfortable when we have this constant sound wave. Whenever there's the constant. Just noise, whether it's actual words being articulated or not, we just like hearing that. That sound. So that's why it comes out that way. If somebody asks me a question and I go, you know, well, I mean, it. It depends. You know, you see how vague that is, versus you ask me a question. And the first thing that I say is, I haven't run across that before. I think it depends on a number of factors. And I begin to speak very different. Same goal. I'm telling them I've never run across that before. Very different sound. So you want to find ways to eliminate that fluff. And how you do it is very simple. It's very simple. Okay, enough. It's so simple. You're gonna be like, jefferson, I. I knew this, but are you doing it? The question here is, do you know how to eliminate that fluff? And you do it by saying nothing. Wherever the fluff would be. Just get used to silence. It's that easy. Get comfortable with silence. That's it. You just get comfortable with silence. So wherever that filler word would be, say nothing. The way I teach. And I know I've said this on my podcast before, let your breath be the first word that you say. So when somebody asks you a question that you don't know, the worst thing you can do is go and look up as if you're searching for the words. Instead, take a breath, let that silence be there. And then you get to respond. You don't have to have just Noise. For the sake of noise, give it a pause and fill that space with absolute nothing. Allow your breath to catch the attention for them to hang on to your next words, for you to say, I haven't run across that before, but what I am confident about is we can look at X, Y, and Z. That's how you handle fluff. Now, uptalk is a little bit different, and I find that it is very dependent on gender. Most of the time where men don't really have this issue, but women, women do. It's a. It's an up talk just because of the way you can tweak the end and sound of your voice. But it certainly happens to the guys, too. I don't want to say it's just a female thing or a male thing at all. It's not. But it sounds like this when you have that people who are in the office and they're talking to you and they go, yeah, I think I can do that. I mean, yeah, we can probably get it to you by Friday. Like, as if you're hanging on to it, as if they're asking for permission in some way. When you say that and you sound like that, it cuts down on your confidence because it sounds like you're not sure. It sounds like you're unclear and you're asking for permission in some way. Think of it this way. This is how I want you to say your words. Ask as if you're asking someone to pass the salt. All right here over in America, in Texas, if I'm going to ask somebody to pass the salt, I'm going to say, hey, so and so, can you pass the salt period? You see how my volume, excuse me, my tone there at the end went down. Can you pass a salt? So when you end on a lower note, it sounds more serious. You see that? And instead of saying it sounds more serious, it sounds more serious. When you up talk, it sounds like you're asking a question. When you go down, it sounds like you're making a firm statement. So I wouldn't say, hey, can you pass the salt? As if I don't know what salt is or you don't know what salt is. Instead, I say, can you pass the salt? As if I'm assuming, yes, everybody knows what it is. I'm going to keep that cadence flat. And if I can drop the tone just a little bit at the bottom to make it sound a lot more firm and a lot more confident. All right, this one is. This one's going to step on some toes a little bit this is word choice. Word choice. What are the words that you're saying to sound confident at any given time? One of the biggest culprits in my view is ending your sentence with something that doesn't feel firm. Does that make sense? There it is right there. This element of does that make sense? Every time you ask that question, you're doing something that is double sided. Let me explain. If I'm going to tell you something and I make a statement, I say, does that make sense? I'm doing two things. The reason I'm saying that, reason you may be saying that is because it's this internal fear or insecurity of maybe the words that I'm saying aren't actually making sense to someone. They're not clear. I'm not communicating well on the other side. I'm assuming that what I am saying may or may not be making sense to them. So the other person, it could also be offensive in some way to them. Especially if you make it after a statement that is very common, like the sky's blue today, does that make sense? The other person's like, oh, yeah, of course, of course it makes sense. Yeah, yeah, it makes sense. You just, it was a plain sentence. There's nothing complicated about that. So in some ways you may be insulting their intelligence by saying, does that make sense? You, you pour. Pitiful, mind you. Do I need to go a little bit slower for you? So I'm not saying it's all the time, but it definitely runs that risk. I've certainly had it where somebody asks, does that make sense? After a statement where I only say, yes, yes, that, that makes sense. How, how else could I have taken that sentence? But I know where it's coming from. Is this insecurity feeling of, am I saying it right? Am I doing okay? It's best that you eliminate that. All right. Instead of saying, does that make sense? You can replace that with what are your thoughts? That's it. What are your thoughts? Do you have any questions? Do you have any feedback? My favorite is what are your thoughts? Instead of does that make sense? I'm saying, what are your thoughts? I'm inviting communication. I'm inviting. Continuing the conversation. Instead of, do we need to stop and set a new paragraph for you to feel comfortable with this? I'm inviting them, what are your thoughts? What do you think? That's it. They might say, I'm good, I don't have any thoughts. That sounds great, awesome. But at least I'm not assuming that they didn't understand what I Said, if I said, does that make sense? So I would get rid of that. Just replace it with what are your thoughts? Another way to tweak some of your communication to sound more confident is eliminate the word just. I love the word just. In my regular day conversation, it's very common. But if I'm going to communicate in front of a group, try to eliminate it. Or if you're going to email somebody, try to eliminate it. Hear the difference. If I text you or email or I say to you, hey, I just wanted to check in. I just want to touch base. That sounds almost hesitant, doesn't it? Hey, just want to check in. That sounds almost hesitant vs Hey, I wanted to check in on you. I wanted to touch base. That sounds like I'm leaning into it. I'm not shying away. I'm stepping into it. I wanted to do this versus hey, I just wanted to. As if I'm just a little bit. Don't. I'm not trying to get in your space. Very different. Eliminate that word just because it makes you sound more hesitant in your communication and that's not the way you want to sound. Another is the way you use adverbs. I'm going to step on a little bit of toes here with. With this. And that is often when you overuse adverbs, it makes it more fluffy that. Where you're really not saying anything. We all have these little ticks that we like to say. Maybe we got them from family, maybe we got them from friends, or where you're. Wherever you're working. But they cut down on the confidence and assertiveness of your sentences. So here's some words like that, essentially, big culprit, literally, those two alone. Basically, anything that ends with ly. Here is a very common response. When somebody is responding to something or answering a question that you're asking, they're going to say, so essentially, I mean, what we have is that means nothing. That means nothing. It's just. It's just fluff. Those are comfort words. Those are security blankets that you'd like to have, it's going to be best if you eliminate those. There's not some kind of cure. You just need to find ways to get rid of them. If you ever see an email that says essentially or basically or literally or any other type of words, understand, you can just eliminate them and they're going to be a whole lot better. Remember, if you want to have strong sentences, you need to just serve your words straight every time. Okay. We're one of my favorite parts of the podcast. And that is where I get to answer a question from a follower every week. One time a week, I send a communication tip right to your inbox. And those that are part of the newsletter, I'll put a link down here in the, in the show notes. You're able to email me back and ask questions and I'm able to connect with you and try to help any way I can. And it's a whole lot of fun. And I get a. It's. It's really meaningful to me. So I like it a whole lot. I pulled one. This one is from Emily in South Carolina. Emily says, hey, Jefferson, I love your stuff. Thank you, Emily. I have a question. I'm part of a large sales team and I have to go around the country giving presentations. That's really cool, but I have an issue or a problem with answering questions that I don't know. I often have this deer in the headlights look. How can I avoid that? Any advice helps? Awesome, Emily. I totally got you. You're not the only one. Anybody that's in sales, and there are a lot of people out there, we all get. They all get this. They all can emphasize, empathize with this. And anybody who's not from the United States or you're not familiar with this thing, when she means deer in the headlights. Look, if you've ever seen an animal, a deer in the headlights of a car, they just freeze. That's what happens. They freeze. Their eyes kind of go wide and they don't move. It's that feeling where you just kind of feel paralyzed by somebody's question. Here's what I'm going to recommend that you do. Emily, you ready? Number one, anytime you get a question that you don't know, I want you to take a beat. Take a second. There is the tendency to, if somebody asks you a question, you have to have a very rapid fire answer. Like it's this notion somehow that if they ask a question, you have to have this rapid answer right away. They ask a question, you go, I mean, that's not really true. And I really think that. Give it a break. Give it a break. You don't have to have this immediate ASAP answer. Instead, like we talked about, let your breath be the first word. Give it a second. Listen to their question. Take a breath as if you were really chewing on it and acknowledging it and wanting to think about what they just asked. And then begin with your response. All right, number two, go to your past experience. You have experience, Emily. I know that you do. I don't know how much, but everybody's got some kind of experience. Instead of saying, I don't know or I'm not sure, one little tweak to that is go off of your past experience. Meaning instead of saying, I don't know, which, by the way, there's nothing wrong with saying, you can say, I haven't run across that before. Easy as that. In my experience, that hasn't been an issue, period. Go on your past experience. You all. Everybody has some kind of experience that they can draw from. I haven't run across that before in my experience. Blah, blah, blah. In my time here, we don't see that as being an issue. You draw from your own past experience because it makes it look like instead of this isolated incident of going, no, I don't. Sorry, I'm somebody who doesn't know the answer, you're going, no, I have years of experience here and that hasn't been an issue. And you can follow it up with, let's say it's. They ask a question and you go, I haven't run across that before, but what I can do is X, Y and Z. But I'll make sure and double check that with our IT team, you pivot to make sure that you're kind of taken care of. If this is a question that you truly don't know and you haven't run across before, instead of just saying, I don't know and leaving it at that, you can do two. It's like a combo package. I haven't run across that before. In my experience, that hasn't been an issue. But what I can do is follow up with our IT team and make sure we get that. That concern taken care of for you. Right. Just kind of do that little pivot. And now it feels like a little package with a bow on it. That sounds really good. Another thing, number three, Emily, is use the word confident. Use the word confident in your responses. It just makes you sound confident because they hear it out of your mouth. So if you're going to respond to it, for example, instead of this, I don't know, blanket response and say, I haven't run across that before. Well, what I'm confident we can do is X, Y and Z. Just use the word confident. If you plug that into your sentence, you know what they're going to think? Oh, this person's very confident just because they heard you say it. So find ways to do that. So we're going to talk about giving a beat to what you just said, not having that immediate response. We're going to draw from your past experience, Emily, and make you sound just as you are, seasoned and experienced salesman, salesperson. And then also we're going to make sure that you insert, where you can, the word confident, which is going to boost that feeling for them and for you. You got this? All right. Thank you for listening to the Jefferson Fisher Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, I'm going to encourage you to follow this podcast. And if you would leave a review or a star or anything, it really makes a difference. As I mentioned, my book is on pre order. It's called the Next Conversation. You can find it wherever you like to order books. I'll make sure and include links. And as always, you can try that and follow me.