220. Prep Like a Pro: Communication Confidence, Clarity, and Comedy

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

🗓️ 5 August 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Master the art of thinking on your feet and turning unpredictability into powerful communication.

Being quick on your feet isn’t just a performance skill — it’s a communication necessity. And for Peter Sagal, longtime host of NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me, it’s a craft he’s honed over more than two decades in front of a live audience. In this expanded conversation from our Spontaneous Speaking series, Sagal shares what it really takes to communicate with presence, flexibility, and confidence when the script goes out the window.
“My job was no longer to be funny — my job was to make funny possible,” Sagal explains, reflecting on the shift from performer to facilitator. He opens up about how structure and ritual prepare him to embrace chaos, why listening matters more than cleverness, and how he defines success not by what he says, but by what others are able to say because of him. “Preparation is key,” he notes, “but being willing to let go of that preparation and follow what’s happening in the moment is really important.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Sagal and host Matt Abrahams discuss how to navigate speaking on the spot—whether you're managing meetings, leading teams, or handling high-stakes conversations—and offer a powerful reminder: the best spontaneous communicators don’t control the moment—they connect through it.

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Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:41) - Making Funny Possible
(03:50) - Ditching the Script
(07:05) - Pre-Show Rituals
(09:20) - How to Introduce People Well
(12:23) - Being Funny in the Moment
(14:17) - Staying Present On Stage
(16:37) - Gracious Communication
(20:19) - The Final Three Questions
(23:55) - Conclusion

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, Matt here. As September approaches, many of us are heading back to school in work. To help get you back in the groove and hone your communication skills, check out daily Back to Basic videos. We'll be publishing each day in August. We have identified a weekly communication topic and will share a short, helpful video each day at 7 a.m. Pacific on our YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok channels.
0:23.2	Please check out these practical, helpful videos, and be sure to follow us to get your daily
0:27.9	dose of Think Fast Talk Smart. You can see a complete calendar at FasterSmarter.io slash basics.
0:35.8	Communication can sometimes be chaotic, especially when setting others up for success
0:40.3	and managing spontaneous conversations. But with a little work, we can all find composure and clarity.
0:48.9	My name is Matt Abraham's, and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of
0:54.0	Business.
0:55.1	Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. As part of our four-part mini-series on spontaneous
1:01.6	speaking, we introduced you to a number of coaches whose jobs require successful in-the-moment
1:07.3	communication. So many of our listeners found value in our coach's advice that we
1:12.3	wanted to provide you with an opportunity to hear our complete interviews. So today I'm excited
1:17.6	for you to learn from Peter Sagle. Peter is a humorist, writer, and the longtime host of the
1:23.6	popular NPR News Quiz Show, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. He's also an accomplished author of several
1:29.7	books and a marathon runner. Let's jump right in and learn from Peter. Peter, welcome. I look forward
1:39.9	to our conversation. Well, thank you. I do too. This episode is brought to you by Grammarly.
1:45.8	Here at Think Fast Talk Smart, we create a lot of content, from social media posts to
1:50.3	newsletters, guest invitations to sponsorship proposals. To help us be more effective and produce
1:55.8	high-quality content, we rely on Grammarly. Grammarly is the essential AI communication assistant that boost
2:02.3	productivity so you can get more of what you need done faster, no matter what or where you're writing.
2:09.0	Grammarly helps us be more efficient and strike the right tone for our many messages. I know you'll
2:14.6	find it very useful. Let Grammarly take the busy work off your plate so you can
2:19.3	focus on high impact work. Download Gramerly for free at Grammarly.com slash podcast. That's
	...

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