Matt Abrahams is a renowned communication expert, with decades of teaching, coaching, and consulting experience. At Stanford University, he teaches a business school class on strategic communication. Beyond academia, he’s a soughtafter keynote speaker and consultant, guiding presenters from IPO road shows to prestigious platforms like TED, the World Economic Forum, and the United Nations. His acclaimed podcast, Think Fast, Talk Smart, garners millions of listeners, and his book, Think Faster, Talk Smarter, equips speakers with practical skills for impromptu success. With a previous bestseller, Speaking Up Without Freaking Out, Matt has empowered countless individuals to speak confidently and authentically. In our conversation, we discuss:
• The concept of “daring to be dull”
• The power of visualization to desensitize oneself to speaking situations
• Managing negative selftalk
• The WHAT structure for delivering toasts (why we are here, how you are connected, anecdote, thanks)
• The ADD structure for Q&As (answer, detailed example, describe relevance)
• Breathing techniques to reduce anxiety, such as the double exhale
• Concrete speaking structures like What? So What? Now What? and the Four I’s (information, impact, invitation, implications)
• Much more

—

Brought to you by:
• Sprig—Build a product people love: https://sprig.com/getstarted?utm_sour...
• Dovetail—Bring your customer into every decision: https://dovetailapp.com/lenny
• Coda—Meet the evolution of docs: https://coda.io/lenny

Find the transcript and references at: ⁠https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/ho...

Where to find Matt Abrahams:
• X:   / tftsthepod  
• LinkedIn:   / maabrahams  
• Website: https://mattabrahams.com/
• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ll0Mwo...

Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X:   / lennysan  
• LinkedIn:   / lennyrachitsky  

In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Matt’s background
(04:50) Techniques for managing anxiety in public speaking
(10:57) Dare to be dull
(13:40) Reframing anxiety as excitement
(16:08) Using mantras to boost confidence
(18:45) Managing negative selftalk
(20:03) Normalizing speaking anxiety
(23:12) Using conversation as a communication technique
(24:52) Using the doubleexhale breathing technique
(28:29) Getting presentoriented
(29:46) Using tongue twisters
(33:34) Broad advice for speaking on the spot
(38:35) The PREP structure
(38:59) The What? So What? Now What? structure
(42:10) Toastmasters and improv
(45:31) Getting better at small talk
(51:05) The importance of sharing back
(52:33) Giving feedback
(56:31) Improving toasts and tributes
(01:02:57) Mastering Q&A sessions
(01:07:25) Apologizing effectively
(01:09:29) Closing thoughts

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.