Effective Speaking in Spontaneous Situations

Introduction

• Focus on effective speaking, especially in spontaneous situations.
• Importance of engaging participants through interactive activities.

Icebreaker Activity

• Count the number of 'f's in a sentence.
• Most participants only counted three, missing the word "of" which illustrates how we miss details in communication.

Importance of Spontaneous Speaking

• Spontaneous speaking occurs frequently in everyday situations (e.g., introductions, feedback, toast).
• The audience often feels anxiety when called upon to speak spontaneously.

Managing Anxiety

• 85% of people experience anxiety when speaking in public.
• Techniques to manage anxiety include:
  • Greeting your anxiety: Acknowledge feelings of nervousness as a normal reaction.
  • Reframing: View speaking as a conversation rather than a performance.
  • Present Orientation: Focus on the current moment to reduce anxiety about future outcomes.
  • Tongue Twisters: Use tongue twisters to warm up your voice and ground yourself in the moment.

Core Principles of Spontaneous Speaking

1. Getting Out of Your Own Way

• Overthinking can hinder spontaneous speaking.
• Engage in activities (e.g., "Shout the Wrong Name") to practice spontaneity.

2. Reframing as an Opportunity

• View speaking occasions as opportunities, not threats.
• Example activity: Exchange imaginary gifts to foster a mindset of opportunity.

3. Listening

• Slow down and listen to the audience; truly understand their questions before responding.
• Exercise: Spell out fun plans to reinforce the importance of listening.

4. Using Structure

• Structure helps in organizing thoughts and delivering messages effectively.
  • Problem-Solution-Benefit: Identify a problem, propose a solution, and outline the benefits.
  • What-So What-Now What: Describe what the issue is, why it’s important, and what the next steps are.

Conclusion

• Practice these techniques to enhance spontaneous speaking abilities.
• Recommended resources:
  • Book: Speaking Up Without Freaking Out
  • Website: No Freaking Speaking

Q&A

• Addressed various audience questions regarding handling hostile situations, remote audiences, humor in speaking, and tips for journalists asking spontaneous questions.