Improving Spontaneous Speaking Skills

Jul 16, 2024

Improving Spontaneous Speaking Skills

Introduction

  • Target: How to speak better in the moment
  • Challenge: Introducing yourself, making small talk
  • Goal: Develop techniques for thinking faster and talking smarter

Problem Overview

  • Speaking on the spot can be harder than planned speaking
  • Examples: making a toast, answering questions, giving feedback
  • Origin: Stanford MBA students struggling with impromptu questions
  • Methodology: Developed after research into psychology, anthropology, sociology, improvisation, and neuroscience

Workshop Activity: Counting Fs

  • Simple activity to illustrate missing small details in communication
  • Most common miss: the word 'of'
  • Importance: Small details matter in communication

Six-step Methodology for Speaking Spontaneously

1. Managing Anxiety

  • Common: 85% of people feel nervous in high-stake situations
  • Approach: Manage both symptoms and sources
    • Symptoms: Physical reactions like blushing, sweating, dry mouth, shaking
      • Solution: Deep belly breaths, drinking warm water, holding cold objects
    • Sources: Negative future outcomes causing anxiety
      • Solution: Stay present-oriented, physical activity, playlist, friendly conversation, mental tricks like counting backwards

2. Maximizing Mediocrity

  • Problem: Self-judgment reduces cognitive bandwidth for speaking
  • Solution: Allow yourself to be mediocre to achieve greatness
    • Focus less on evaluating and more on just speaking

3. Seeing it as an Opportunity, Not a Threat

  • Reframe spontaneity as an opportunity
  • Tools:
    • Growth Mindset: Carol Dweck’s idea of 'not yet', learned skills,
    • Yes, and: Improvisation rule for building on ideas,
    • Next Play: Focus on the next action instead of previous mistakes,
    • Mistakes: View as 'missed takes' to try again with a better approach

4. Listening Better

  • Common issue: Limited listening to just get the gist
  • Solution: Deep listening to understand the speaker’s needs
    • Techniques: Bottom-line focus, Pace-Space-Grace from Collins Dobbs
      • Slow down, create space, listen actively
    • Tools: Clarifying questions, paraphrasing
    • Benefit: Enhanced understanding and engagement

5. Structuring Messages

  • Importance: Organized communication keeps audience engaged
  • Techniques: Logical structure, storytelling format
    • Example: Problem-Solution-Benefit, What-So What-Now What
  • Benefits: Helps prioritize and deliver clear messages

6. Focus and Conciseness

  • Problems: Overloading with information, rambling
  • Solutions: Setting a clear goal (information, emotion, action)
    • Example: Elevator pitch formula → "What if you could…So that…For example…That’s not all"
  • Benefit: Precise and clear information delivery

Conclusion

  • Practice: Repetition, reflection, and feedback
  • Podcast: 'Think Fast, Talk Smart'
  • Resources: Book, additional materials via provided QR code