Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot

Written by Matt Abrahams

Narrated by Matt Abrahams

Develop the life-changing ability to excel in spontaneous communication situations—from public speaking to interviewing to networking—with these essential strategies from a Stanford lecturer, coach, and host of the popular Think Fast, Talk Smart The Podcast.

“A roadmap to mastering the art of thinking quickly and speaking confidently, this is the perfect book for…anyone else who talks.” —Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit, Smarter Faster Better and Supercommunicators

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. Abrahams 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.

Whether it’s a prospective client asking you an unexpected question during a meeting or all eyes turning to you at a dinner party, you’ll know how to navigate the situation like a pro and bring out your very best. Think Faster, Talk Smarter is an accessible guide to communication that will help you master new techniques in no time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Sep 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797163765

Matt Abrahams

Matt Abrahams is the Larsen Lam Family Lecturer in Organizational Behaviour at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, and a much sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant for Fortune 100 companies. His popular podcast, Think Fast, Talk Smart, is number one in the Apple ranks for career/business podcasts in India, Israel, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore, and in the top five in the US and the UK, with 1.1 million average downloads/listens per month. His TEDx talks have racked up just under 5 million views. Think Faster, Talk Smarter is his first book.

Reviews for Think Faster, Talk Smarter

[Kudagy Dagy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love this. It has a lot of strategies to talk in every situations, casual and formal.

[Tiesha Williams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This audio book was wonderful! I will surely use the formulas in spontaneous situations.

[Jerry Weis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A plethora of good tips and guidelines for speaking in almost any situation. I particularly found the various story structures quite useful.

Update: I recently started using the white flag technique to wind down conversations. Works like a charm!