Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Spontaneous Speaking is More Stressful

• Workshop created to help students respond to cold calls
• Cold calls are when a professor asks a question and students must respond on the spot
• Cold calls cause panic and silence
• Workshop created to address this issue
• Spontaneous speaking is more prevalent than planned speaking

Techniques to Improve Spontaneous Speaking

• Use the "Acknowledge-Reframe-Answer" technique
• Acknowledge the question and show understanding
• Reframe the question to buy time and clarify
• Answer the question confidently and concisely

The Power of Pausing

• Pausing can be an effective tool in communication
• Pausing allows you to gather your thoughts and formulate a response
• Pausing can also create anticipation and engagement from the audience
• Pausing helps to create a more impactful and coherent message

Nonverbal Communication

• Nonverbal cues are important in communication
• Use gestures and facial expressions to enhance your message
• Maintain eye contact to establish connection and build trust
• Body language should be confident and open

Practice Makes Perfect

• Practice spontaneous speaking in low-stake situations
• Gradually increase the difficulty and pressure of the situations
• Practice helps to build confidence and improve communication skills
• Seek feedback and learn from each experience

Be Authentic and Genuine

• Be yourself when speaking spontaneously
• Don't try to be someone you're not
• Show vulnerability and share personal stories
• Being authentic builds trust and credibility

Summary

• Spontaneous speaking is more stressful than planned speaking
• Use the "Acknowledge-Reframe-Answer" technique to respond to cold calls
• Use pausing effectively in communication
• Nonverbal cues are important for conveying your message
• Practice and seek feedback to improve your skills
• Be authentic and genuine when speaking

SPONTANEOUS SPEAKING IS MORE COMMON THAN PLANNED SPEAKING (00:03:42)

• 85% of people feel nervous when speaking in public.
• It is important to manage anxiety when communicating.
• Making the audience comfortable is the communicator's responsibility.
• Techniques for managing anxiety include acknowledging and greeting it, reframing the speaking situation as a conversation, and becoming present-oriented.

GROUND RULES (00:15:22)

• Four steps are critical to effective communication.
• Ground rules:
  • Be open to learning.
  • Participate and engage.
  • Create a safe and respectful environment.
  • Keep an open mind.

Getting out of our own way [03:22]

• We often hinder our own spontaneous speaking by trying to be perfect and give the right answer.
• We need to get ourselves out of the way and let go of perfectionism.
• One way to practice getting out of our own way is to play a game called "Shout the Wrong Name."

Seeing the situation as an opportunity [10:37]

• Spontaneous speaking situations should be seen as opportunities rather than challenges or threats.
• By reframing the situation as an opportunity, we can be more open and authentic in our responses.
• A game called "Exchange Imaginary Gifts" can help us practice seeing spontaneous speaking situations as opportunities.

Slowing down and listening [17:59]

• To be an effective communicator, we need to slow down and listen to understand the demands of the situation.
• We should be in service of our audience and respond to their needs.
• A game called "Spell What You Say" can help us practice focusing, listening, and responding.

Telling a story [26:43]

• The fourth part of the process is being able to tell a story.
• When telling a story, it is important to have a clear structure and engage the audience.
• We can use the storytelling technique of "show, don't tell" to make our stories more vivid and engaging.

TELL A STORY (00:38:50)

• Responding in a structured way is key to successful communication.
• Structure increases processing fluency, making information more effectively and efficiently processed.
• Using structure helps with memory recall, just like chunking phone numbers into a structure.
• Introduces two useful structures: problem, solution, benefit and what? so what? now what?

USEFUL STRUCTURE #1 (00:40:14)

• Problem, solution, benefit structure is persuasive and effective.
• Helps the speaker remember and the audience understand the message.
• Provides structure to keep the audience engaged and on track.
• Can be reframed as an opportunity instead of a problem.

USEFUL STRUCTURE #2

• Another useful structure is the what? so what? now what? structure.