How to recover when you blank on stage

My guest is Matt Abrahams, lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and a world expert in communication and public speaking. He explains how to speak with clarity and confidence and how to be more authentic in your communication in all settings: public, work, relationships, etc. He shares how to eliminate filler words ("umm"-ing), how to overcome stage fright and how to structure messages in a way that makes audiences remember the information. He also shares how to recover gracefully if you "blank out" on stage and simple drills and frameworks that dramatically improve spontaneity, storytelling and overall communication effectiveness. People of all ages and communication styles will benefit from the practical, evidence-supported protocols Matt shares to help you communicate with greater confidence and impact.

Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.

Pre-order Andrew's book Protocols: https://go.hubermanlab.com/protocols

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Timestamps

(0:00) Matt Abrahams

(3:21) Public Speaking Fear, Status; Speech Delivery

(5:36) Speech, Connection, Credibility; Authenticity

(9:05) Monitoring, Self-Judgement; Memorization, Tool: Object Relabeling Exercise

(13:13) Sponsors: Eight Sleep & BetterHelp

(15:40) Cadence & Speech Patterns; Lego Manuals, Storytelling & Emotion

(19:18) Visual vs Audio Content, Length, Detail

(23:19) Understanding Audience's Needs, Tool: Recon – Reflection – Research

(24:25) Judgement in Communication, Heuristics

(27:33) Questions, Responding to the Audience, Tool: Structuring Information

(31:34) Feedback & Observation; Tools: Three-Pass Speech Review; Communication Reflection Journal

(39:09) Movement, Stage Fright, Content Expertise

(42:54) Sponsors: AGZ by AG1 & Joovv

(45:34) Multi-Generation Communication Styles & Trust; Curiosity, Conversation Turns

(50:32) Linear vs Non-Linear Speech, Tool: Tour Guide Expectations

(53:21) Develop Communication Skills, Audience Size, Tools: Distancing; Practicing

(1:01:43) Tool: Improv & Agility; Great Communication Examples; Divided Attention

(1:09:36) One-on-One Communication vs Public Speaking

(1:11:00) Sponsor: Mateína

(1:12:00) Neurodiversity, Introverts, Communication Styles; Writing & Editing

(1:16:30) Calculating Risk, Tool: Violating Expectations & Engaging Audience

(1:21:20) Authenticity, Strengths, Growth & Improv

(1:23:23) Damage Control, Tools: Avoid Blanking Out; Contingency Planning, Silence

(1:30:32) Nerves, Tool: Breathwork; Spontaneous Communication; Beta-Blockers

(1:34:29) Communication Hygiene, Caffeine, Tools: NSDR/Yoga Nidra; Vestibular System & Sleep

(1:40:08) Conversation Before Speaking; Delivering Engaging Speeches

(1:42:56) Sponsor: Function

(1:44:43) Anticipation, Tool: Introduce Yourself; Connect to Environment, Phones

(1:51:30) Customer Service & Kids Jobs; Tool: Role Model Communication; COVID Pandemic

(1:56:04) Quiet But Not Shy, Extroverts; Social Media Presence

(2:00:25) Martial Arts, Sport, Running, Presence & Connection

(2:04:16) Apologizing; Communication Across Accents & Cultures

(2:07:36) Interruptions, Tools: Paraphrasing; Speech Preparation

(2:10:57) Public Speaking Fear, Tool: Envision Positive Outcome; Arguments & Mediation

(2:13:19) Omit Filler Words, Tool: Landing Phrases; Time & Storytelling

(2:16:52) Asking For a Raise; Poor Communicators & Curiosity; Memorization

(2:19:49) Pre-Talk Anxiety Management; Acknowledgements

(2:23:47) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Disclaimer & Disclosures

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