Matt Abrahams - Learn How To Master Conversation & Improve Your Mental Health | #54

The Tom Cole Podcast

This week I am honored to by joined by Matt Abrahams.
Many of us dread having to convey our ideas to others, often feeling ill-equipped, anxious, and awkward. Public speaking experts help by focusing on planned communication experiences such as slide presentations, pitches, or formal talks. Yet, most of our professional and personal communication occurs in spontaneous situations that creep up on us and all too often leave us flustered and stumbling for words. How can we rise to the occasion and shine when we’re put on the spot?
In Think Faster, Talk Smarter, Stanford lecturer, podcast host, and communication expert Matt Abrahams provides tangible, actionable skills to help even the most anxious of speakers succeed when speaking spontaneously. Matt provides science-based strategies for managing anxiety, responding to the mood of the room, and making content concise, relevant, compelling, and memorable. Drawing on stories from his clients and students, he offers best practices for navigating Q&A sessions, shining in job interviews, providing effective feedback, making small talk, fixing faux pas, persuading others, and handling other impromptu speaking tasks.
Matt's Instagram
0:00 - Intro
1:32 - Matt's Challenge
1:33 - Handling Feedback
5:02 - Preparation For Conversation
8:47 - Matt Fulfills The Challenge
10:37 - Lessons From Podcasting
12:50 - How Students Communicate
14:57 - Conversation Is Not A Battle
20:57 - Do We Force Conversations
24:12 - Understanding Emotions
26:32 - What, So What, Now What
32:52 - How Communication Allows For Success
34:24 - Communication In Martial Arts
36:24 - Matt's Lessons About Love