183. Rethinks: How Anxiety Can Fuel Better Communication

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Think Fast Talk Smart

Communicating, Influence, Career Skills, Career, Business, Education, Leadership, Careers, Communication, Career Growth, Public Speaking, Language Learning, Improv

4.7 • 711 Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Reframe anxiety as a strength and use stress to enhance your communication.

Stress, anxiety, nervousness — when these feelings inevitably arise, lecturer Kelly McGonigal says it’s not about making them go away, but using them to your advantage.
“What I have come to value about anxiety,” says McGonigal, “is it’s a sign that I care.” As she explains, feelings of stress alert us to things that matter to us and help us stay present in the moment — particularly useful, she says, when it comes to communication.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, McGonigal and host Matt Abrahams discuss how to channel stress toward more effective communication and to a deeper connection to our own purpose and meaning.

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Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:43) - The Benefits of Anxiety in Communication
(06:02) - Presence and Anxiety in Performance
(07:42) - Common Communication Mistakes
(11:41) - Encouraging Audience Engagement
(14:45) - Crafting Effective Communication
(16:42) - The Joy of Movement
(19:50) - The Final Three Questions
(25:57) - Conclusion

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Loom. Lume lets you record your screen, your camera, and your voice to share
0:07.0	video messages easily. At Think Fast Talk Smart, we use Loom video messaging to get feedback on episodes,
0:13.4	share updates, and get us all aligned before our meetings. This has saved us a ton of time,
0:18.9	reduce the number of meetings we have, and made collaboration so much better.
0:23.7	Loom has easy editing and AI features to help you record once and get back to the work that really counts.
0:29.9	Try Loom for free today at loom.com slash think fast.
0:39.8	Hi, Matt here.
0:41.7	Many of us get quite nervous when we need to communicate something that is important to us.
0:46.7	Yet, there are things we can do to tame and reframe our anxiety.
0:51.5	In essence, we can make use of our nervousness to propel us to success. We're opening
0:57.6	up our archive to bring you a best-of episode where I speak with Kelly McGonigal, who not only provides
1:03.8	actionable ways to feel more calm and confident in our communication, but she shares insights
1:09.7	into how backward mapping can help craft compelling
1:13.4	content. How we approach our communication and how we approach others when we're nervous about
1:20.7	our communication can make a tremendous difference in feeling confident and portraying that
1:26.9	confidence. I'm Matt Abraham's, and I teach
1:30.5	strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Welcome to ThinkBask,
1:36.0	Hothsmart, the podcast. I am really excited today to chat with Kelly McGonagall.
1:42.0	Kelly is a lecturer at Stanford GSSP, who teaches a class on
1:45.6	presentation and communication skills for academics. She is also the best-selling author of
1:50.8	The Willpower Instinct, The Upside of Stress, and her latest book is The Joy of Movement,
1:56.6	How Exercise Helps Us Find Affiness, Hope, hope, connection, and courage.
	...

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