Many of us dread having to convey our ideas to others, often feeling ill-equipped, anxious and awkward. Public speaking experts help by focusing on planned communication experiences such as slide presentations, pitches or formal talks. Yet, most of our professional and personal communication occurs in spontaneous situations that creep up on us and all too often leave us flustered and stumbling for words. How can we rise to the occasion when we’re put on the spot?
In Think Faster, Talk Smarter, a new book by communication expert, Stanford lecturer and host of the international chart-topping no.1 podcast, Think Fast, Talk Smart, Matt Abrahams provides tangible, actionable skills to help even the most anxious of speakers succeed when communicating and speaking spontaneously.
As a global keynote speaker and communication consultant Matt Abrahams has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication skills to speak everywhere from TED to the World Economic Forum and Nobel Prize presentations. But he’s keen to point out… it’s also in everyday interactions where this skill can really matter.
Whether it’s speaking in front of others in a meeting or conversations with family, friends, small talk at a party, with colleagues or being called on to ‘say a few words’, learning to speak spontaneously can help us get out of our own way, showing up for some of the most meaningful moments in life.
Abrahams argues that by training ourselves to think and speak on our feet, and reacting in ways that come across as coherent, compelling and unmistakably genuine, we can learn to be more of who we really are in the moment, conveying more of what we really think.
Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot by Matt Abrahams, published by Pan Macmillan, is available now priced at £15.49
