152. Fix Your Communication: Why It’s About Connection Over Perfection | Think Fast, Talk Smart:...

Both Frei and her wife Morriss are public speakers; the former, a professor at Harvard Business School, the latter, a CEO and best-selling author. As they discuss with Matt Abrahams, perfectionism and self-doubt can often creep in, both during preparation before speaking and after the fact. According to Matt, effective communication is about “connection, not perfection.” Instead of putting pressure on ourselves to “get it right,” Matt encourages us to shift our focus from ourselves to those we’re speaking to. “Whenever you're communicating, you're in service of the audience you're communicating to,” he says. “It's not about you, it's about them and what you can do for them.”

In this podcast episode, Frei, Morriss, and Matt explore frameworks and strategies for speaking more spontaneously, building confidence, managing anxiety, and course-correcting when communication goes awry.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Matt Abrahams introduces the episode, a collaboration with the Fixable podcast hosted by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss.

(00:04:58) Mission of Spontaneous Speaking

Matt discusses his focus on helping people communicate more effectively in unplanned situations.

(00:07:10) Audience Centered Communication

The importance of focusing on the audience to reduce anxiety and improve communication.

(00:09:51) Connection Over Perfection

Prioritizing connection over perfection in communication.

(00:11:00) Benefits of Effective Communication

The benefits of improving spontaneous speaking skills.

(00:12:17) Building a Communication Infrastructure

An outline of helping organizations create supportive communication environments.

(00:13:33) Six Steps to Better Communication

A six-step process to improve spontaneous communication, covering mindset and messaging.

(00:16:55) Managing Communication Anxiety

Strategies for managing anxiety in high-stakes communication situations.

(00:21:00) Handling Blanking Out

How to handle and recover from blanking out during a speech or presentation.

(00:25:21) Real-Life Experience

A recent experience of underestimating time during a keynote and how the situation was managed.

(00:27:44) The Value of Preparation

The importance of preparation in both spontaneous and planned communication.

(00:28:43) AMP and Building Confidence

Three immediate strategies for reducing anxiety right before speaking.

(00:31:53) Conclusion

[michaellam]

That was actually awesome and exactly what I needed to hear! I have really bad anxiety when it comes to spontaneous communication so I see this as the start of something amazing!! THANK YOU!

[sharontio]

Thank you Matt and team. This podcast inspired me to overcome my communication challenges. It is fixable.

[javohirjurayev]

This is one of the best podcast I have heard, this conversation between hosts and a guest covered a lot of things related to the communication . Good job guys, and ever since now I listen to their each single podcasts

[nestorcruz]

What was once a total failure for you, an embarrassment, something very hard for you, after years have passed you look back and laugh about it.

[letsgetdrawin]

Hey 👋🏻😊
Anyone from USA??
Please tell.
I'm from India

[PorqueValeLaPena]

Your wife?😂 C’mon. Not interested. Thank you. No credibility from people who are above 13 and still do not understand their true identity.