Insights from Think Faster, Talk Smarter by Matt Abrahams

“We can train ourselves to think and speak on our feet, reacting in ways that come across as
coherent, compelling, and unmistakably genuine.” ‐ Matt Abrahams
Learn to speak clearly and confidently when put on the spot in important meetings by mastering the following techniques and mindsets.

Deploy the 3S Anxiety Management Plan

Separate yourself from your anxiety: The instant you notice anxiety taking over your body, imagine yourself standing
outside your body, giving yourself advice like you would offer a nervous friend. Imagine saying, “What you're feeling is
perfectly normal in the situation.” Or “The nerves you feel are just a form of excitement.”

Slow your exhales: The longer you exhale, the more carbon dioxide you release. The less carbon dioxide you have in
your body, the less active your nervous system is. Therefore, when you feel anxious, take a deep breath, and aim to
exhale as long as possible (a good rule of thumb is to exhale twice as long as you inhale).

Stick your landings: When nervous, you'll naturally want to eliminate dead space by using filler words such as “ah” and
“um.” But if you embrace silence and banish filler words between sentences, you will sound more controlled and
confident. Banish filler words by timing your inhales just right – get to the end of your breath as you finish making a
point and then immediately transition to a gentle inhale (it’s impossible to utter a filler word while you inhale). See
yourself like a gymnast sticking a landing after a series of flips and then pausing to pose before resuming the
performance.

You'll find the 3S Anxiety Management Plan will temporarily reduce your speaking anxiety. But if you try too hard to be liked by your
audience, your anxiety will quickly return. That’s why you should “dare to be dull.”

Dare to be dull
When you “dare to be dull,” you stop judging yourself as you talk and talk freely. When Matt Abrahams dares his Stanford students to be
dull, they gasp. But when they try it, their communication becomes smoother and more authentic. He says, "In a delightful paradox, the
more mediocre you give yourself permission to be, the better, more compelling a speaker you become.”

The phrase “dare to be dull” comes from the improv world and helps sketch comics be more relaxed and spontaneous on stage. Steve
Johnston, past president of the iconic sketch comedy club, Second City—which produced stars like Chris Farley, Tina Fey, and Steve
Carell—says, "we tend to think we must come up with the Big Idea when we speak, contributing something important, beautiful, or
transcendent— like (an awe‐inspiring) cathedral. But providing the building block of a conversation—the brick—also matters. We serve
as bricks by waiting, listening, and at times offering up logical connections between others’ ideas. We don’t have to say something
original or pathbreaking every time.”

Use a smart message structure

Successful speakers regularly rely on structures to deliver messages. Salespeople use the
problem‐benefit‐solution structure to reliably increase sales. For example, “You look hot and
thirsty [problem]. You’d feel much better if you consumed some water [benefit]. I have a cold
and refreshing bottle of ultra‐purified water right here [solution].” Trial lawyers use the IRAC
structure to persuade a judge or jury: they state the issue, bring up the relevant legal rule,
analyze the issue using that legal rule, and make a conclusion based on their analysis.

The easiest and most effective structure for impromptu speaking is What‐So What‐Now What.
You start by discussing an idea, problem, or product [What]. Then explain why it’s important
[So What]. And end by describing what to do with it or what actions should be taken next
[Now What]. For example, “Our monthly report shows that sales have dropped by 15%
compared to the previous month [What]. If this continues, we’ll be forced to lay people off [So
What]. To increase sales, I propose that we launch the following marketing campaign… [Now
What]."

Get in the habit of thinking in a What‐So What‐Now What structure by taking a minute after
listening to a podcast, reading a news article, or watching an educational YouTube video to
decide:

• What was that piece about?

• Why was that information important and relevant to my life?
• How can I use it going forward?

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