How to speak more confidently and persuasively | Matt Abrahams (professor, speaker, author)

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

March 31, 2024

Duration

1h 11m

Channel

Lenny's Podcast

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

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 sought-after 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 self-talk
• 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

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Find the transcript and references at: ⁠https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-speak-more-confidently-and Where to find Matt Abrahams:

• X: https://twitter.com/tftsthepod
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maabrahams/
• Website: https://mattabrahams.com/
• Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ll0MwobDt1JW9gYaOONEo

Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/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 self-talk (20:03) Normalizing speaking anxiety (23:12) Using conversation as a communication technique (24:52) Using the double-exhale breathing technique (28:29) Getting present-oriented (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 podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Matt Abrahams

  guest

• Lenny Rachitsky

  host

• Narrator

  other

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Lenny's Podcast, featuring Matt Abrahams and Lenny Rachitsky, How to speak more confidently and persuasively | Matt Abrahams (professor, speaker, author) explores turn Anxiety Into Strength: Practical Tools For Confident Speaking Stanford communication professor Matt Abrahams breaks down how anyone can reduce speaking anxiety and become more effective in spontaneous communication, from small talk to Q&A and toasts. He explains science-backed tools like visualization, breathing, reframing anxiety as excitement, and using mantras to calm nerves. Matt also introduces simple mental structures (e.g., PREP, What–So what–Now what, ADD, four I’s, triple-A) to organize thoughts quickly when speaking on the spot. Throughout, he emphasizes that speaking well is a learnable skill, not an innate talent, and that practice, reflection, and feedback are essential.

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