Communication is critical to success in business and life. Concerned about an upcoming presentation or interview? Watch this phenomenal talk by Matt Abrahams at Stanford University.
Most of us don’t feel comfortable if they have to talk in front of an audience whether it’s planned or not. In his funny and informative talk, Matt Abrahams shows us what happens normally when we have to give a talk in front of people and how we can learn to manage our anxiety and negative thoughts and to become a better communicator.
This is an amazing talk and in case you have an upcoming presentation, speech or a spontaneous conversation, in general, this is THE video you should watch!
As always, in case you do not have enough time to watch this one hour talk read the little summary of the most important facts down below!
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ANXIETY MANAGEMENT
In order to overcome anxiety, you have to accept it. Greet it gently and beware of the fact that you are nervous right now. That is absolutely ok.
How do you normally feel during a presentation? Like an artist performing something? Do you feel attacked by upcoming questions from your audience? Wear another type of glasses and reframe this situation. See your presentation rather as a conversation than a performance. By taking this approach you will see your audience not as an enemy but rather as a good friend that you want to explain something.
Ask questions and engage with the audience.
Get into a conversation mode and use appropriate body language to support your words.
Be present-oriented. Don’t think too much about your presentation before you start with it. Get active and focus on another task that distracts you from your (negative) thoughts. Do push-ups, sing a song, listen to music, say a tongue twister or use the 5 seconds rule by Mel Robbins.
There is a Q&A afterwards? Don’t get nervous. When people asking questions it might be the case that they sometimes ask questions that make you feel uncomfortable. It literally feels like an attack. However, see a Q&A more like an opportunity to clarify and explain your arguments and views. It is not a ‘me versus them’. It is an ‘I help you to understand it better’.
GROUND RULES
Learn something from actors.They need to improvise all the time. Do a little research and find out how they actually do this. This knowledge can help you to start any sentence.
Get out of your own way; dare to be dull.
So many things in life depend on the perspective. Approach a situation with ‘Yes and’ instead of ‘No, but’. See your speech as an opportunity and not a challenge.
Slow down and listen to people. Don’t interrupt them.
SPEAK SPONTANEOUSLY
People will listen to you if you have a story to tell. Nobody expects you to come up with an academy award winning storyline. The basics are enough to impress people. Tell a story and respond in a structured way.
Take advantage of structures. They will help you to order your thoughts while speaking and your audience will retain information better. Four possible structures that help you to speak more spontaneously are:
1) Problem-Solution-Benefit (What problem is there? What do you offer your audience in order to solve the problem? What are the benefits if they stick to your solution?)
2) What? So what? Now what? (What is it? Why is it important? What are the next steps?)
3) Past-Present-Future (What did we see in the past? What is the status quo? How will the future look like?)
4) Tell them what you will tell them. Tell them. Tell them what you have told them. (Introduce your topic to your audience. Talk about your topic. Summarize the most important facts again.)
