2022 CONFIDENT COMMUNICATOR CHALLENGE

Hi, Matt Abrahams here. Happy New Year! Thanks for visiting our resource page for our first Think Fast, Talk Smart episode of 2022.

I’m so excited that you have chosen to join Think Fast, Talk Smart listeners worldwide in our Confident Communicator Challenge. This activity is based on the very first assignment all of my Strategic Communication MBA students complete in my class at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Its purpose is to remind you of specific activities and approaches you can use to feel more confident in your communication.

I look forward to reviewing your submissions!

Here’s how it works: 

You’ll create a specific action plan you can use whenever you’re feeling anxious about your communication. I call this an Anxiety Management Plan (AMP).

Step 1: Using ideas from our podcast and the resources found below, come up with 3-5 specific techniques that will help you feel less nervous.

Step 2: Once you have identified these specific techniques, create an acronym so your plan is easy to remember. See our two examples below.

For example, I use BRAVE:

• Be present oriented.
• Reframe communication as a conversation, not a performance.
• Approach your communication from your audience’s point of view.
• Visualize a successful presentation experience.
• Exhale longer than you inhale.

Jenny, our Executive Producer, uses CALM:

• Converse with the audience.
• Affirm your knowledge and abilities that you bring.
• Look confident in your posture.
• Mindfully focus on your audience.

There’s no right or wrong way to do this; it’s all about making an Anxiety Management Plan, that works for you!

We’d love to hear yours! Make your own Anxiety Management Plan (what we’re calling an “AMP”) and send it to us. Record an audio file with your name, where you’re located, your acronym, and its meaning. Send the audio file to stanfordbusiness@stanford.edu by January 31st at noon Pacific please–the most creative and applicable ones will receive a copy of my book, Speaking Up Without Freaking Out. 

You can also find us on: linkedin.com/showcase/think-fast-talk-smart

Resources:

Videos