138: Think Fast, Talk Smart | Matt Abrahams

02/22/23 • 31 min

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Matt Abrahams is the host of the globally ranked Podcast 'Think Fast, Talk Smart' and lecturer at the world famous Stanford University Graduate School of Business in California. Matt is passionate about helping people hone and develop their communication skills. Think Fast, Talk Smart started many years ago where Matt began helping students at Stanford to be able to deal with questions from faculty and it has since grown into a global powerhouse of learning fuelled by the rise of podcast consumption during the pandemic.
As fellow podcasters we investigate how the process of humble enquiry and listening has allowed us both to create very real, powerful and intimate connections with our guests.
Public speaking is a ubiquitous fear for many as we risk our status being eroded in a social hierarchy by a poor performance. However the importance of a leaders ability to communicate effectively is clear and we all need to invest the time and effort to practice and hone our communication style for maximum impact.
Matt is full of top tips including helping people deal with the anxiety associated with public speaking using his two pronged approach to managing 'Sources' and 'Symptoms'. Sources are what generate, initiate and exacerbate our anxiety and symptoms are the things we experience. The basis for many nerves if our fear of a potential negative outcome in the future so by being more present and in the moment we can mitigate that fear.
We also discuss how leaders can prepare to speak 'off the cuff' and deal with questions and interventions. Matt's methodology is (1) get out of your own way, don't judge and evaluate yourself all the time. What we need to do is utilise the improvisation technique of 'Dare to be Dull'. As Matt explains, just get it done as opposed to heaping pressure on yourself. This will actually reduce the cognitive load by striving for mediocrity so you can achieve greatness. (2) Structure your content (approach) so you can simply slot your answer or response into a pre determined structure. A good structure to deal with questions Matt uses is A.D.D. as opposed to discovering the answer as you ramble!
Answer the question
Detailed and concrete example must then be provided
Describe relevance or value
Think Fast, Talk Smart is available on all major podcast platforms
www.nofreakingspeaking.com

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Previous Episode

137: Outside-In | Adrian Simpson

Adrian Simpson is the co-founder of Wavelength and in this episode we discuss the global research that has highlighted ‘Foresight’ as a critical skill for CEO’s and senior executives for a world in constant change.

What does the term ‘Outside-In’ mean for future leaders and why is it important for individual and collective success?

Adrian describes ‘Outside-In’ as the discipline of learning from people, industries and sectors that are very different from your own. The world is so fast paced and volatile, that leaders must press the pause button, stop what they are doing and spend time looking outside for inspiration, education and provocation in order to develop real breadth and not just depth of capability.

Organisations that embrace an Outside-In approach are also very human centred which in turn makes them a great place to work, such as Four Seasons and Southwest Airlines have proved. Adrian outlines the incredible recruitment process of Southwest with their focus on attitude over skills and an uncompromising focus on culture.

So why is the outside-in approach so important? There are simply too many important agendas for any single leader to manage and leaders will find it refreshing and supportive of others to simply say, “I don’t know.”

Adrian refers to Roselinde Torres who carried out her own research on what makes great leaders. One such capability is the ability for leaders to ask themselves critical questions such as ‘where are you looking for pattern identification, ideation and stimulus?’ and she goes on to suggest that the answer will be found simply by looking in the leader’s diary. This in turn, Adrian suggests, raises the issue of a leaders ‘Personal Boardroom’ and the company that they keep. For example do you have people who will be your ‘nerve giver, ‘coach’, ‘sponsor’, or ‘chief connector’ or have you merely created an echo chamber that lacks diversity of thought.

All leaders need to start to experiment with structures around them that will elevate the opportunities and results of their curiosity.

We discuss how the pandemic was the ultimate outside-in event which has forced organizations to consider their ‘Gathering Strategy’ to cope with the new ways of working and requirement for flexibility. Leaders again must look to see what works from across sectors and regions and understand that the office needs to be a place of education, connection or celebration and if successful, coming to the office is the time to put on your out of office notifications as the formal becomes informal and the informal, formal.

This episode is packed full of learning and great examples from Adrian’s global network and experiences.

www.wavelengthleadership.com

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Next Episode

139: The Voices of Future Leaders

This episode was created in collaboration with Heidrick & Struggles. I chat to a panel of young leaders to discover what they want from their leadership and culture and what kinds of leaders they aspire to become in order to shape a World Better Led.

The panel includes Sarah Sage, Floris Hondmann, Lea Evers and Jacob Vincent with huge thanks to TA Mitchell and Luisa Muse. This is an important episode for all leaders in a multigenerational working environment.

All of these young leaders are passionate about a ‘World Better Led’ and how their work can create clarity, purpose, meaning and opportunities for growth and development. Human Centred Leadership has taken pole position and profit now becomes a far more complex and contextualised question for organisational leaders to answer and provide a compelling narrative to those they seek to recruit.

Young talent has an expectation for their leaders to be authentic but not perfect and to take the time to understand, respect, communicate and lead in a personalised way.

Empathy is important to them all, they care. They have a strong bond and sense of collaboration between themselves, and they know more about each other's lives than perhaps was common in early careers just a few decades ago.

The pandemic allowed all of us to reassess priorities and identify our own non-negotiables and the way we work will never be the same. We discuss the idea that working from the office is actually the time that we need to switch on our ‘out of office’ notifications. They want the office to be productive and focus on celebration, connection and education rather than endless meetings, reports and zoom calls which can be done at home.
Watch this episode: https://www.youtube.com/@theleadersenigma/videos
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