4 Fundamentals to Smart Speaking | Matt Abrahams (Key Points Talk)
In this edited short version of Matt Abraham's "Think Fast, Talk Smart" talk at TEDx - we focus on his 4 fundamentals for better public speaking:
1) Approach
-Most people are nervous and terrified of public speaking because they see it as a chance to fail or be judged and laughed at. You need to change your approach and think of it as a positive opportunity to share your ideas with people
2) Audience
-A lot of times people think "OK What do I need to tell people", but Matt says this is the wrong idea. You need to be in service of your audience and think "What does my audience need to know?"
-Then, to understand your audience you need to do some research and find out: What does my audience already know? What knowledge do they have that I can build on and what knowledge are they lacking that I need to fill in?
-What do they expect of me? Your audience has most likely already seen whatever type of presentation it is that you're going to do. They've seen TED talks, they've seen key note speeches, they've seen stand up comedy. Use that to your advantage. You can keep your audience following you by sticking to their expectations or you can surprise them by doing something unexpected
-What is your audience's attitude about your topic? Do they agree with your view already? Are they neutral or against your view?
3)Context
The context in which you speak is also very important so you can engage your audience properly.
-What time is it? If it's right after lunch they might be in a food coma and need you to be very active. If it's later in the day they might be a little bit more focused and you can adjust accordingly.
-Emotional context: What emotional state is your audience in? Have the previous talks been happy or sad ones? Think about what emotional state the audience is in and then what emotional state you want to put them in. Do you want to excite them and motivate them? Do you want to touch them in a more sentimental way? Or maybe just make them laugh?
4) Structure
Structure is very important to any talk as it helps audience be engaged and remember what you share with them. Look at how phone numbers are structured in the US. A typical number goes 555-123-4567. Three digits, Three digits, Four digits. This makes it much easier to remember.
The 3 different structures Matt recommends:
1) Past - Present - Future: This is what the situation was, here is what it is now, here's how we want to change the situation for the future
2)Problem - solution - benefit: Here's the problem we're facing. Here's the solution I recommend. Here's the benefit to be expected
3)What - so what? - now what? : Here's the issue. Here's why you should care. Here's what we should do.
If you liked this, make sure to check out the full 16 minute talk here
• Think Fast. Talk Smart | Matt Abrahams | T...
About Matt:
"Stanford lecturer and entrepreneur Matt Abrahams is an expert on interpersonal communication and presentation. His talk at TEDxMontaVistaHighSchool's 2015 Spring conference explains the ins and outs of impromptu and public speaking.
Matt Abrahams is a passionate, collaborative and innovative educator and coach. Matt teaches both Strategic Communication and Effective Communication at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Matt is also Co-Founder and Principal at Bold Echo Communications Solutions, a presentation and communication skills company based in Silicon Valley that helps people improve their presentation skills. Matt has worked with executives to help prepare and present keynote addresses and IPO road shows, conduct media interviews, and deliver TED talks. Finally, Matt recently published the second edition of his book Speaking Up Without Freaking Out, a book written to help people become more confident, authentic, and compelling presenters. Prior to teaching, Matt held senior leadership positions in several leading software companies, where he created and ran global training and development organizations."