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Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

203. No Script, No Problem: Final Secrets to Speaking Under Pressure (Bonus)

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

🗓️ 15 May 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Stay sharp, sound confident, and speak with impact — even when you're put on the spot.


Communicating clearly is challenging enough when there’s time to prepare. But in most situations — whether in meetings, casual conversations, or high-stakes moments — we rarely have the luxury of scripting our words. We must think and speak in real time.
Spontaneous communication is a daily challenge, yet few of us receive formal training in how to handle it with poise and confidence. So how can we stay composed and communicate effectively when put on the spot? Drawing on years of experience, our expert coaches — including a sports broadcaster, FBI negotiator, UN interpreter, game show host, NFL referee, and Sotheby’s auctioneer — share their final pieces of advice to help answer that question.
In this special episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the Spontaneous Speaking miniseries concludes with powerful tools, frameworks, and tips for staying calm, organizing your thoughts, and speaking with clarity under pressure. Matt Abrahams shares practical strategies and exercises designed to help you build lasting habits and sharpen your impromptu speaking skills.
Whether you tend to freeze when caught off guard or simply want to express your ideas more effectively on the fly, this final installment will equip you to not only think fast — but speak smart.

Episode Reference Links:


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Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (01:56) - The Power of Structure
  • (05:48) - Expert Tip: Trust Yourself
  • (06:09) - Expert Tip: Project Confidence & Provide Value
  • (07:48) - Expert Tip: Ask for What You Need & Visualization
  • (10:15) - Expert Tip: Review & Reflect
  • (12:15) - Expert Tip: Use an Encouraging Tone
  • (12:36) - Expert Tip: Turn Observation into Storytelling
  • (14:29) - Conclusion

   ********
This episode is sponsored by Grammarly. Let Grammarly take the busywork off your plate so you can focus on high-impact work. Download Grammarly for free today
Become a Faster Smarter Supporter by joining TFTS Premium.   

Transcript

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0:00.0

This episode is brought to you by Grammerly. Here at Think Fast Talk Smart, we create a lot of content,

0:06.4

from social media posts to newsletters, guest invitations to sponsorship proposals. To help us be more

0:12.5

effective and produce high-quality content, we rely on Grammarly. Grammarly is the essential AI

0:18.2

communication assistant that boost productivity so you can get more of what you need done faster, no matter what or where you're writing.

0:26.6

Grammarly helps us be more efficient and strike the right tone for our many messages.

0:31.6

I know you'll find it very useful.

0:33.9

Let Grammarly take the busy work off your plate so you can focus on high-impact work.

0:39.0

Download Grammarly for free at Grammarly.com slash podcast.

0:43.5

That's Gramerly.com slash podcast.

0:49.7

The ability to think on our feet and respond well is something we all can learn to do.

0:56.3

My name is Matt Abrams, and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of

1:01.1

Business. Welcome to this quick think's final episode of our Think Fast, Talk Smart mini-series into

1:07.7

effective, spontaneous speaking. The three episodes of this miniiseries that precede this one have walked through how to prepare,

1:16.4

how to be present, and how to persist during spontaneous challenges.

1:21.0

In our fourth episode, we now take a look at a few bonus bits of advice that can really help

1:26.5

you to be more calm and confident

1:29.4

when communicating in the moment.

1:33.0

Before we get started, I wanted to alert you to a new study guide based on the advice that

1:37.8

our six coaches provided in our recent spontaneous speaking miniseries.

1:42.2

This study guide gives you summaries and practices you can put into

1:47.1

place to be a more effective spontaneous speaker. Go to FasterSmarter.io slash spontaneous.

1:56.7

Growing up with the last name of Abraham's, I have always known what it is like to be put on the spot and have to speak spontaneously.

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