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

By Matt Abrahams

Stanford lecturer and host of the #1 business podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart, Matt Abrahams, reveals the secrets to finding the right words when it counts.

'Filled with practical, tactical advice, this book is indispensable' – Kim Scott, bestselling author of Radical Candor

Communication is crucial to success in life and business. However, it is not just big speeches that matter: it is also those critical, spur-of-the-moment situations for which we cannot prepare.

A prospective client asking unexpected questions during a sales pitch, a teacher singling you out for an answer during a class, a high-pressure meeting with senior executives at work, or even a heartwarming toast to deliver on the spot. All are fraught scenarios that might cause you to freeze up. The pandemic has only boosted this fear, by stripping the spontaneity from communication during lockdown, and then changing the communication landscape.

In this invaluable guide, Matt Abrahams – Stanford University lecturer and creator of the hit podcast, Think Fast, Talk Smart – provides a six-point methodology that will enable you to cut through the anxiety arising from these stressful, impromptu circumstances to create and deliver crisp, compelling and calm communication.

Think Faster, Talk Smarter is an energetic, engaging resource for anyone who wants to speak out, spread their ideas, and ultimately share their story.

'Exceptional' – Tony Faddell, inventor of the iPod, co-creator of the iPhone, and internationally bestselling author of Build

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: Sep 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781035024988

Matt Abrahams

Matt Abrahams is a leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach. As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting. He received Stanford GSB’s Alumni Teaching Award in recognition of his teaching students around the world. When he isn’t teaching, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. He has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as TED, World Economic Forum, and Nobel Prize presentations. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart The Podcast. His previous book Speaking Up without Freaking Out: 50 Techniques for Confident and Compelling Presenting has helped thousands of people manage speaking anxiety and present more confidently and authentically.