197. Prep or Perish: Mastering In-the-Moment Communication (1 of 3)

Summary

Episode Summary: Think Fast Talk Smart – Episode 197: "Prep or Perish: Mastering In-the-Moment Communication"

In Episode 197 of Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques, host Matt Abrahams delves into the art of spontaneous speaking. Titled "Prep or Perish: Mastering In-the-Moment Communication," this first installment of a three-part miniseries explores how preparation and mindset are pivotal to effective impromptu communication. Drawing insights from a diverse panel of experts, including a sports broadcaster, an NFL referee, and a former FBI hostage negotiator, Matt provides listeners with actionable strategies to enhance their ability to communicate clearly and confidently under pressure.

1. The Challenge of Spontaneous Speaking

Matt Abrahams opens the episode by highlighting the universal discomfort associated with being put on the spot. Whether it's answering a quick question from a boss, making small talk, or introducing oneself, spontaneous speaking often induces feelings of awkwardness and anxiety. However, Matt emphasizes that with deliberate preparation and practice, individuals can significantly improve their impromptu communication skills.

Matt Abrahams [01:09]: "But the good news is with a little preparation and practice, we can all get better."

2. Insights from Annabelle Williams: The Sports Broadcaster

Annabelle Williams, a seasoned sports broadcaster and Paralympic champion, shares her approach to handling live interviews and high-pressure speaking scenarios. She draws parallels between broadcasting and athletics, underscoring the importance of rigorous preparation.

• Preparation as a Foundation: Annabelle underscores that deep research about the subjects she interviews allows her to stay composed and adaptable during live segments.

  Annabelle Williams [04:32]: "I do a lot of research about every single one of the athletes to know what their typical style is."

• Mental Compartmentalization: To manage stress, Annabelle practices compartmentalization—focusing solely on the current segment and discarding thoughts of upcoming interviews.

  Annabelle Williams [13:20]: "I just take it one interview at a time, one segment at a time."

• Physical Techniques to Alleviate Anxiety: She employs physical movements, such as jumping and shaking out her limbs, to dissipate nervous energy and prevent shaky hands or voices.

  Annabelle Williams [17:07]: "I find that it almost does the opposite of what you would expect... it's almost impossible... to have shaky hands or to have a quivering voice."

3. Brad Rogers: NFL Referee on Rapid Decision-Making

Brad Rogers, an experienced NFL referee, discusses the demands of making split-second decisions on the field while maintaining composure amidst intense scrutiny.

• Extensive Preparation: With 33 years of officiating, Brad emphasizes the role of repetitive practice and familiarization with prescribed verbiage to ensure clarity and consistency in announcements.

  Brad Rogers [08:03]: "I have prescribed verbiage that's shared with us on a lot of different fouls... I work through every announcement made each week."

• Handling Public Scrutiny: Brad shares a pivotal moment where direct eye contact with an angry fan taught him to focus on inanimate objects during announcements to maintain focus and reduce emotional distractions.

  Brad Rogers [15:33]: "I find something to focus on. Maybe it's like the ribbon around the stadium... It lets my brain flow what needs to be said."

• Physical Anchoring: He advocates for maintaining a strong physical stance—feet planted, back straight—and controlled breathing to manage stress and stay present.

  Brad Rogers [19:36]: "Your posture, the way that you hold yourself... keeps your back straight, try to anchor yourself to the ground."

4. Chris Voss: Former FBI Hostage Negotiator on Managing Cognitive Load

Chris Voss, renowned for his expertise in negotiation under extreme pressure, provides valuable insights into maintaining calm and effectiveness in high-stakes communication.

• The Power of Preparation: Chris attributes his success to extensive preparation, which enables him to rely on ingrained processes even in life-threatening situations.

  Chris Voss [09:59]: "It's just practice. It's preparation. It's putting in the hours ahead of time."

• Developing Gut Instincts: Through pattern recognition and repeated practice, Chris explains how negotiators develop gut instincts that aid in making swift decisions without overanalyzing.

  Chris Voss [11:07]: "Your gut does a pattern recognition... the practice and appropriation is about building my gut instinct."

• Overcoming Overthinking: Referencing Ed Catmull’s Creativity, Inc., Chris highlights that overthinkers do not necessarily perform better than those who act swiftly, advocating for timely decision-making.

  Chris Voss [12:06]: "The overthinkers make mistakes at the same rate as the people that are quick to pull the trigger. It just takes them longer to make the mistakes because they're overthinking it."

5. Techniques to Manage Overthinking and Stress

The panel collectively emphasizes techniques to minimize overthinking and manage stress, ensuring effective communication.

• Be Present and Focused: By concentrating solely on the current moment and the immediate task, speakers can avoid the pitfalls of overanalysis.

  Annabelle Williams [14:05]: "Make it about them, not about you... think what can I do to connect with this audience."

• Physical Movements and Breathing: Engaging in physical activities and mindful breathing helps in reducing anxiety and maintaining composure.

  Annabelle Williams [17:07]: "Jump up and down and I shake my hands and arms and laugh or try and smile."

  Brad Rogers [19:36]: "Remembering to breathe is also very important."

6. Practical Exercises and Homework Assignments

Matt Abrahams concludes the episode by providing listeners with actionable exercises to implement the discussed strategies.

• Active Listening and Analysis: Brad Rogers advises listeners to meticulously analyze others’ communication styles to enhance their own speaking abilities.

  Brad Rogers [21:33]: "Analyze what people are saying when someone is speaking... try and analyze what people are saying and how and why."

• Expanding Linguistic Precision: Another exercise encourages practicing various ways to express the same concept to improve verbal flexibility and reduce redundancy.

  Brad Rogers [22:10]: "Take a concept and think of as many different ways of saying the same concept as you can... practice those things over and over."

7. Looking Ahead: Mastering the Moment

As the episode wraps up, Matt Abrahams teases the next installment, which will focus on "Mastering the Moment." Listeners can anticipate further insights from the coaching team on staying present, adaptable, and effectively connecting with audiences during spontaneous speaking engagements.

Matt Abrahams [23:34]: "In our next episode, we'll tackle Mastering the Moment... share how they stay present and adaptable while still connecting with their audiences."

Conclusion

Episode 197 of Think Fast Talk Smart offers a comprehensive exploration of the strategies essential for excelling in spontaneous speaking scenarios. Through expert interviews and practical advice, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the importance of preparation, mindset, and physical techniques in enhancing their in-the-moment communication skills. By implementing the recommended exercises and adopting the shared insights, individuals can transform their ability to speak confidently and effectively under pressure.

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Notable Quotes:

• Matt Abrahams [01:09]: "But the good news is with a little preparation and practice, we can all get better."

• Annabelle Williams [04:32]: "I do a lot of research about every single one of the athletes to know what their typical style is."

• Brad Rogers [08:03]: "I have prescribed verbiage that's shared with us on a lot of different fouls... I work through every announcement made each week."

• Chris Voss [09:59]: "It's just practice. It's preparation. It's putting in the hours ahead of time."

• Chris Voss [11:07]: "Your gut does a pattern recognition... the practice and appropriation is about building my gut instinct."

• Annabelle Williams [17:07]: "Jump up and down and I shake my hands and arms and laugh or try and smile."

• Brad Rogers [19:36]: "Remembering to breathe is also very important."

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Additional Resources:

• Subscribe and Follow: Stay updated with future episodes by subscribing to the podcast on YouTube and your preferred podcast platform. Follow Matt Abrahams on LinkedIn and Instagram.

• Premium Content: For extended episodes, deep dive videos, and exclusive content, consider subscribing to Think Fast Talk Smart Premium at fastersmarter.io/premium.

• Newsletter: Sign up for the eNewsletter at fastersmarter.io to receive regular insights and updates.

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Produced by: Aru Nayer and Matt Abrahams
Music by: Floyd Wonder
Special Thanks to: Podium Podcast Company

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This summary is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the episode "Prep or Perish: Mastering In-the-Moment Communication" from the Think Fast Talk Smart podcast series. For the full experience and additional nuances, listening to the original episode is recommended.

Transcript

[Matt Abrahams]

This episode was brought to you by Stanford University. Over the years, we've shared advice from my Stanford colleagues on how to be more confident and compelling in your communication. You might remember Kelly McGonigal sharing ways to harness your anxiety to help you feel empowered. Stanford faculty contribute to the world in many other ways. I was really impressed by Stanford Medicine's Michelle Monje and Crystal Makal, who led a clinical trial that could revolutionize the treatment of a lethal and incurable pediatric cancer that attacks children's brains, veins and spinal cords. Michelle and Crystal's team reprogrammed the sick kids immune systems to fight the tumors. This improved their symptoms and shrank the tumors for most patients. Exciting breakthroughs like these seem to happen every day at Stanford. To stay up to date on the next great discovery, sign up for Stanford Report at Connect Stanford.

[Chris Voss]

Eduardo, you know the overthinkers make mistakes at the same rate as the people that are quick to pull the trigger. It just takes them longer to make the mistakes because they're overthinking it.

[Matt Abrahams]

I'm Matt Abrahams and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Welcome to this Spontaneous Speaking, Think Fast, Talk Smart mini series. I want you to think back to the last time you were put on the spot. Your boss asked you a question, a friend wanted advice. You had to make small talk or maybe just introduce yourself. How did it feel? If you're like most of us, it was awkward, uncomfortable and probably nerve wracking planned communication. The presentations, pitches, meetings with agendas, those are hard enough. But when we have to speak in the moment on the spot, that can be even more difficult. But the good news is with a little preparation and practice, we can all get better. In this three part Think Fast, Talk Smart miniseries, we've put together a team of coaches to help you improve your spontaneous speaking skills. Your coaching team is made up of people whose jobs require them to speak on the spot every day. They do this stuff for a living. Everything from a Sotheby's auctioneer to an NFL referee to a former FBI negotiator. In this first episode, we'll tackle preparation and mindset, focusing on how we can approach speaking spontaneously in a way that makes us feel more comfortable and confident. And we'll see a lot of this starts way before we actually speak. To start, we're going to speak with a sports broadcaster and a Paralympic champion, among many other swimming accolades. Her job is to get to the heart of the race and make people feel in their hearts connected to those that she speaks with.

[Annabelle Williams]

I know for the majority.

[Matt Abrahams]

Before we get started, I wanted to thank all of you for listening and supporting Think Fast Talk Smart. We know the content means so much to so many of you. We see it in your LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube posts. It takes a lot of work to bring the show to you. And I invite you to consider joining Think Fast Talk Smart Premium to help us continue creating useful content and to reach more listeners. Check out faster Smarter IO Premium Variety.

[Annabelle Williams]

Of People Public speaking, especially spontaneous public speaking, is a huge fear. And I've been asked so many times, you know, why do you like doing this thing, this thing that most people absolutely despise? And I think it's because in many ways it mirrors being an athlete. You have to prepare a lot. There's a moment in time where you know you're going to be live, and in that moment you have to perform and it either goes really well or it goes really poorly. And if it goes really well, you get the same sort of adrenaline rush afterwards. And if it goes poorly, you have to grapple with that challenge and then embrace a mindset to go again or figure out how you're going to do it better. Often with a pretty short turnaround time on live television, sometimes it's moments from one interview to the next, and if you think one didn't go well, you've really got to figure out how to forget about that, put it behind you, move forward. And that's similar in a sporting context.

[Matt Abrahams]

So you've actually just captured what I.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Often share with people, that you can.

[Matt Abrahams]

Prepare to be spontaneous.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

And it sounds like that's what you're doing both when you train as an.

[Matt Abrahams]

Athlete, but also training to respond to.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

What you're seeing as a commentator unfold.

[Matt Abrahams]

In front of you.

[Annabelle Williams]

That's exactly right. And I think preparation is the absolute key. I do a lot of research about every single one of the athletes to know what their typical style is. And so you have to adjust your energy and your response and give them the platform they deserve in a very short period of time. And a lot of that comes down to preparation in advance and trying to anticipate how someone's going to go in an event, because it's almost impossible to do that live.

[Matt Abrahams]

So we've just heard from Annabelle Williams about how researching in advance helps you stay on your feet during interviews. But what if your job came with the pressure of one wrong word sparking diplomatic disaster? That's the everyday reality for our next coach, Giampolo Bianchi. As a UN interpreter, he relies on meticulous preparation to manage the intense cognitive demands of translating complex conversations in real time.

[Brad Rogers]

For simultaneous interpreting, we have this concept, which is the cognitive load. And so the idea when you're interpreting is to try to use that working memory as efficiently as possible and avoid overwhelming yourself. And there are strategies to do that. It does mean that you are going to have to concentrate very hard for a sustained period of time. So it's very taxing.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Yeah, I can imagine that you might be exhausted after some of the simultaneous translations. Would you mind sharing, like, one thing you do to try to maximize your cognitive bandwidth? Because I think all of us find ourselves in situations where our bandwidth gets tested.

[Brad Rogers]

I would say, like the number one thing that I do to avoid cognitive overload is just preparation. When a conference interpreter works at a meeting, they have to know almost everything about the meeting before it even begins. And that includes looking up the organization charts, figuring out who's the director general, who's the deputy director general. Sometimes you might even go so far as to look up the delegates online and see if there are already recorded speeches of them so that you can listen to them and prepare by getting used to their accent. Well, look up the jargon that's used in the organization because if you prepare that information beforehand and if you really study it and learn it by heart, then you can almost automate the process of thinking about those things so that you can then dedicate your mental resources to something else. Every second that you spend thinking about, oh, what does that acronym mean? Is a second that you're not spending on understanding what is being said and interpreting it.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

That's phenomenal. So it is in that in depth preparation that you are freeing up your cognitive bandwidth in the moment. When you and I first spoke, we talked about this notion of pattern recognition. And what you're doing is you're identifying some of the patterns in advance from.

[Matt Abrahams]

The world of UN diplomacy. We're heading straight to the gridiron where high stakes and fast calls sound a bit different.

[Brad Rogers]

There are two fouls on the play, both by the defense. Offside defense, number 98, who was unabated, the quarterback. We were blowing the whistle to shut the play down. Personal foul.

[Matt Abrahams]

That's the voice of our next coach, NFL referee Brad Rogers. His job to spot violations, make split second decisions, keep players safe, and announce those calls to a packed stadium of passionate fans, all while maintaining order on the field. So, Brad, many of us struggle to.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Remember what we want to say.

[Matt Abrahams]

In your role, you're asked in the.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Moment to decide If a rule was violated and then assess a consequence for that violation.

[Matt Abrahams]

How do you remember all the things you need to remember in that moment?

[Brad Rogers]

You know, a little of it is the fact that this is my 33rd year of officiating. I've had 33 years of bad announcements or bad experiences. So you learn from those things. As referees in the National Football League, we work through reciting announcements for fouls. I say them in the car. I say them to my wife. Our wives as referees are probably some of the most learned in what to say and what not to say. But we have prescribed verbiage that's shared with us on a lot of different fouls, that we are messaging the same thing from one game to the next. I work through every announcement made each week. So I watch every game of announcements and I listen to my peers and I hear what they say and I'm like, boy, that made sense. That's something I need to add to what I need to communicate next week. I listen to their language that was used in their announcement, and I try to implement those. I also listen to the TV announcers and I see if they are confused or if they make positive comments about the announcement. I can control only my preparation and then learn from those mistakes.

[Matt Abrahams]

From penalty flags to life or death decisions, we're raising the stakes. Brad Rogers relies on predetermined rules and regulations to make quick calls on the field. But what happens when there are no clear rules and every word could mean the difference between chaos and calm? The answer comes from our next coach, former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

You've negotiated in incredibly high pressure situations where life is on the line. How do you stay calm and collected while thinking on your feet and trying to manage to a positive outcome?

[Chris Voss]

It's just practice. It's preparation. It's putting in the hours ahead of time. Anything that looks easy, that somebody makes look easy, they put a lot of time into. And so, like any skill, you break it down into small pieces and you practice it live, and then you practice it in small stakes interactions. As a hostage negotiator, I had enough confidence in a process that I'm like, all right, I don't know sure how this is going to come out, but the best outcome is if I just follow the process. This is the best chance of success. That's my former boss, Gary Nestner. His phrase used all the time. What's the best chance of success? Which means it's not going to be perfect, but it means you're just going to it's going to work more than anything else does.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

So it sounds like there was a bit of a ritual to your practice, but it's really about relying on what you have done and know that you can get through it.

[Matt Abrahams]

When you're under pressure, how do you.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Quickly gather information and adjust your approach? You constantly must be reading the circumstances and then making adjustments. Do you have mental shortcuts, heuristics, things you use to help you make those decisions? Are you using some kind of pattern recognition?

[Chris Voss]

Your gut does a pattern recognition. It's not a conscious process. The practice and appropriation is about building my gut instinct. So when you get to the point where you can lean back enough to let your gut kick in, then you're going to be fine again. My gut's not perfect, but it's better than anything else.

[Matt Abrahams]

Even with preparation and practice, it can be difficult to overcome. Arguably the biggest obstacle when it comes to successful spontaneous speaking, your own mind, that constant overthinking, analyzing and second guessing. There are, however, many tips our coaches have to help you turn down the mental noise and keep your focus.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Many of us in these high stakes situations, clearly different than the high stakes situations you've lived through and live in, we get in our head and we overthink. And that overthinking actually gets in the way of us just hearing what our gut is saying and being present. Do you have ways that help you turn down that volume of overthinking?

[Chris Voss]

I'm reading Creativity Ick by Ed Catmull, the guy who founded Pixar, and he's talking about this very dilemma. Exactly. The people that work for him that are the overthinkers versus the people that are quick to pull the trigger. And he says, you know, the overthinkers make mistakes at the same rate as the people that are quick to pull the trigger. It just takes them longer to make the mistakes because they're overthinking it. And I thought that makes all the sense in the world. The entrepreneurs, they say, make the mistake now, gather the data, fail fast, move forward. You see it over and over and over again. And that insight in Ed's book just really opened my eyes to the dangers, the perils of overthinking.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

One, we have to recognize we're doing it, and two, we have to realize that it's not serving us any better than just being present and going for it.

[Chris Voss]

That's the hard part. The reality is you're not going to be successful at a higher rate with the overthinking. So you Might as well pull the trigger and get the data.

[Matt Abrahams]

Annabelle also had some helpful tips for dealing with the stress of spontaneous speaking. Anxiety around speaking in the moment looms large and she says one thing that helps her is taking things one at a time.

[Annabelle Williams]

So I think one of the most important things with respect to live television is the mindset to compartmentalize things. When you go live, I literally think to myself all I'm allowed to focus on at this point is this two minute segment and then when it's done, move and go to the next part. There is no point me thinking about, I know I've got an interview with X athlete in an hour and a half. You just take it one interview at a time, one segment at a time.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

The idea of being very present, focused and being focused on the moment or timeframe you have now and not what comes next can really help you do.

[Matt Abrahams]

Your best as well.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Well, those listening likely won't need to speak in situations like you do. What advice would you give for them to be better speakers in the moment?

[Annabelle Williams]

Make it about them, not about you. I think a lot of people, whether or not they have to stand on stage or in front of a team or in a job interview, they think oh my goodness, how am I coming across? Do I sound okay? What's the style of my answer? Do I look okay? Very self conscious in that moment. And my answer would be forget entirely about yourself. And then you think what can I do to connect with this audience? And my entire focus is on making the experience a positive one for whoever I'm speaking to. And then when I have that mindset, I'm much less focused on myself, I'm much less self conscious, I can ad lib in a different way.

[Matt Abrahams]

I look much more relaxed, super important.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

And embedded in that answer. Beyond think about the audience, focus on their needs was that notion of be present. So you can do that.

[Matt Abrahams]

In some situations it can be beneficial to refocus attention to objects in the room to allow yourself to clearly communicate what needs to be said without becoming disturbe distracted by others faces.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Brad, you do your work, your high stakes work in front of millions of.

[Matt Abrahams]

People live and recorded and there's technology.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

That'S there to assess essentially if you got it right, how do you personally.

[Matt Abrahams]

Handle that stress of being evaluated by.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

That many people and checked on by technology.

[Matt Abrahams]

How do you manage that?

[Brad Rogers]

One of the things, when you make an announcement, you're looking up towards people and I made the mistake one time at a game, it was a college game and I made an Announcement. It was a player that was going to be disqualified from the game late in the game, and it was an All American, their prized player, and he was going to be removed from the game. And I made the announcement and I happened to be looking at a fan directly in the upper levels. And this fan, I could almost sense the hate, rage, anger coming from them as they were doing this, you know, pointing at me. And they were demonstrative with their frustration at what was happening. And I learned at that point, you don't need to look at people. Find an object, find something to look at as you're making the announcement. And so when I make an announcement, I find something to focus on. Maybe it's like the ribbon around the stadium. I'll look at a clock and I'll talk to that. Even though I'm talking to the people, I need to have something that's not going to give me any reaction back, help me stay focused. Typically, it doesn't matter what the call is. If it's in a home stadium and it's not going their way, they're going to boo no matter what. I tune that out and it's almost as if I can turn the volume down to the place and it lets my brain flow. What needs to be said as we'll.

[Matt Abrahams]

Hear from Annabelle, There are also physical practices that you can utilize to help mentally prepare yourself for spontaneous speaking. What do you do to help you.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Manage the anxiety that you feel in these circumstances?

[Annabelle Williams]

Okay, so the main thing I do, and actually I learned it when I was at Stanford, one of the improvisation classes we did. And I've done it ever since then. And I do it for anytime I'm speaking, whether or not it's live television, spontaneous prepared keynotes. I find a place 5, 10 minutes before I know we're starting, and I jump up and down and I shake my hand and arms and laugh or try and smile and. And I find that it almost does the opposite of what you would expect. If I feel a little nervous and my voice sounds a bit shaky, jumping and shaking everything out, it's almost impossible after that point to have shaky hands or to have a quivering voice. The other thing is I just talked myself, I talk myself into it. I'm always nervous, Always. I'm always nervous before I go on television or do any kind of speaking. And I think that is really important. It helps you to perform. And this adrenaline surge is essential to get into that state of flow where you're sharp and alert and ready to perform. So I think, great, thank Goodness, I feel this way. Thank goodness I have these nerves and this kind of energy. If I didn't, you know, if you felt, oh, well, this is just another day in the office, then I don't think I would perform as well. So I use the adrenaline as much as I can in a positive way.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

So that movement and shaking around is a very common technique used by performers, for sure, athletes as well. And you're right, what it does is it gives an outlet for that energy and it helps you focus your behavior and calm down when you're done with it. And then I love this reframing that you're doing on the anxiety and saying, hey, this is good for me. This is giving me the energy I need. This is helping me focus.

[Matt Abrahams]

Gio M. Paulo, our UN interpreter, also has a couple of things he always physically does right before he starts translating, which we got to see him do in real time.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Could I put you on the spot? I'm going to ask you a question. Would you mind translating the question that I ask and then answer it back in English? Would that be okay?

[Chris Voss]

Sure.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

You've translated in really high pressure situations with super important conversations happening. How do you stay calm and collected while thinking on your feet during these tense moments?

[Brad Rogers]

That's basically my interpretation of the question. And as for the answer, there are a lot of smaller actions that you can take to help you focus. For example, this might sound a little silly, but your posture, the way that you hold yourself while you're working, you have both feet planted on the ground. You keep your back straight, try to anchor yourself to the ground, and that helps. Remembering to breathe is also very important. As people get stressed, they tend to hyperventilate. So you have to remember to keep your breathing in check. And on a mental level, the best thing that you can do is try and zero in on the present moment. Just focus on what you're doing at that exact moment. Don't dwell on anything else. Try and really zero in focus on what you're doing.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

So I like that there's a physical component. You get your body physically present, and then there's a mental component, which is extreme focus. And breathing helps you do that. I want to just point out for our audience who can't see you, but I can. Two things happened when I asked you to translate. You actually did go into that position naturally. It's not that you were slouching or leaning, but all of a sudden I saw you become more formal as you were listening, and I definitely saw you take a breath.

[Matt Abrahams]

Okay, so We've taught you the skills. Now it's your turn to take this advice and put it into action. At the end of each episode of our mini series, we'll be giving you, our listeners, some homework, a couple of ways you can try to implement what you've learned in your real life. Remember, it comes down to preparation, practice, and having the right mindset. And that's what this homework is all about. Giovanno's first exercise shows us how listening and observing the people around us can help us become much better communicators.

[Brad Rogers]

I would advise people, perhaps to analyze what people are saying when someone is speaking, really listen to them and try and suss out what is the idea that they're trying to communicate and how are they communicating it? Why are they saying what they're saying? Why are they using certain words and not others? Or why are they avoiding the use of certain words? And really try and analyze what people are saying and how and why. And that'll help you when you have to do it yourself.

[Matt Abrahams]

Your next homework activity focuses on improving your precision when you speak.

[Brad Rogers]

The language that we speak is our primary tool when we're interpreting, and you should learn to use that tool as efficiently as possible. And one of the ways to do that is to practice different ways of saying things. For example, there's an exercise interpreters do when they're studying. When they're preparing, they'll take a concept and they'll think of as many different ways of saying the same concept as they can. So, for example, how many different ways do you know of saying go up? Something can go up, but it can also grow. It can escalate, it can hike, it can balloon, it can skyrocket. And then the opposite for things that are going down, they can descend, they can plummet, they can bottom out and really practice those things over and over and then try to use them in your everyday language. Instead of saying the same thing more than once, just use a synonym or use a different register. Make it more formal or less formal. And that's a fun exercise.

[Gianpaolo Bianchi]

Thank you for elevating our game without lowering our abilities. That was really helpful. And I'm going to practice that. I think that's a wonderful tool. Much like an athlete might do lots of different drills to accomplish the same thing in their sport. You're suggesting we do the same thing.

[Matt Abrahams]

So there you have it. The best advice from our team of coaches on how to prepare and get in the right mindset for spontaneous speaking. As we've heard from Annabelle Gianpaolo, Brad and Chris. There's a lot of work you can do in advance to help successfully communicate when put on the spot. These include research, practice and preparation, mental reframing, compartmentalization, physically shaking out your body, and other physical and mental practices to help you prepare. In our next episode, we'll tackle Mastering the Moment. Our coaches, some you've met and some you have yet to meet, will share how they stay present and adaptable while still connecting with their audiences. Thank you for joining us for this first of three episodes in our Spontaneous Speaking miniseries. To continue learning more about how you can become a better spontaneous speaker, please tune in to our next two episodes, which will feature more exciting coaches and all of their tips and tricks. This episode was produced by Aru Nayer and me, Matt Abrahams. Our music is from Floyd Wonder with special thanks to Podium podcast company. Please find us on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to subscribe and rate us. Also, follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram and check out fastersmarterio for deep dive videos, English language learning content and our newsletter. Please consider our Premium offering for extended Deep Things episodes. Ask Matt Anythings and more at fastersmarter IO Premium.