Effective Speaking in Spontaneous Situations

Introduction

• Title purposefully grammatically incorrect to catch attention.
• Workshop designed to be highly interactive and participative.
• Emphasis on learning by doing.
• Initial activity to count number of 'f's in a sentence.
  • Revealed most participants miss the word 'of'.
  • Analogy to being ineffective in spontaneous speaking.

Importance of Anxiety Management

• High percentage (85%) of people are nervous about public speaking.
• Anxiety is ubiquitous and can be beneficial if managed.
• Introduced techniques to manage anxiety:
  • Greet Your Anxiety: Acknowledge anxiety to prevent spiraling.
  • Reframe as a Conversation: Treat the speaking as a conversation, not a performance.
  • Be Present-Oriented: Engage in activities like light exercise, listening to music, or tongue twisters to ground yourself in the present moment.
• Activity: Group tongue twister to demonstrate present orientation.

Core Topics

Ground Rules for Interactivity

• Emphasis on active participation.
• Steps to becoming effective at spontaneous speaking:
  1. Get out of your own way.
  2. Reframe as an opportunity, not a threat.
  3. Slow down and listen.
  4. Use structured responses.

Step 1: Get Out of Your Own Way

• Discussed how perfectionism can prevent effective spontaneous speaking.
• Activity: Shout the wrong name to practice breaking habitual thought patterns.
• Maxim: "Dare to be dull" to reduce pressure and strive for authenticity.

Step 2: See Situations as Opportunities

• Reframe speaking opportunities positively.
• Activity: Exchange gifts and invent reasons for the gifts to see the fun in spontaneous situations.
• Maxim: Embrace the "Yes, and..." principle from improv to open opportunities.

Step 3: Slow Down and Listen

• Listening is crucial to understanding the demands of spontaneous speaking situations.
• Activity: Spell out words to partner to practice deliberate and attentive communication.
• Maxim: "Don’t just do something, stand there." to emphasize listening before action.

Step 4: Structured Responses

• Using structure makes information easier to process and recall.
• Introduced two structures:
  • Problem-Solution-Benefit: Define the problem, present a solution, explain the benefits.
  • What-So What-Now What: Explain what it is, why it matters, what happens next.
• Activity: Sell a slinky using one of the structures to practice structuring spontaneous speech.
• Side note: Handout with structures provided for future reference.

Practical Application and Resources

• Emphasis on practice to make these techniques second nature.
• Recommended the book Speaking Up without Freaking Out and the website No Freaking Speaking for further learning and resources.

Q&A Session

• Addressed handling hostile situations by reframing questions and acknowledging emotions.
• Effective engagement with remote audiences by using polling and interactive technology.
• Expert witness advice: Use paraphrasing to reframe and buy time.
• Cultural considerations: Tailor approaches to the cultural expectations of the audience.
• Humor in speaking: Use self-deprecating humor and have a backup plan if it falls flat.
• Journalist perspective: Use follow-up 'why' questions and ask for advice to get more genuine responses.

Conclusion

• Recapped the day’s techniques and their utility in spontaneous speaking situations.
• Encouraged continued practice and provided resources for further study.
• Opened floor for additional questions and invited ongoing engagement.