308. Ask Matt Anything: From Nerves to Know-How in High-Stakes Moments
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

308. Ask Matt Anything: From Nerves to Know-How in High-Stakes Moments

July 23, 202617 min
  • Business & money

“Managing emotions—yours and your audience's—is hard enough, but it's even harder when you're under pressure to respond." High-pressure communication doesn't have to derail your message. In this Think Fast, Talk Smart Ask Matt Anything episode, Matt Abrahams answers real-world questions from members of the Think Fast, Talk Smart Learning Community, sharing practical advice for communicating with confidence when the stakes are high. From managing cognitive load and regulating anxiety to leading uncertain conversations and running more engaging meetings, Matt offers actionable strategies for staying focused, connecting with your audience, and communicating with clarity under pressure ...

Play episode

Opens the player: the full transcript, every word clickable, with translation and flashcards.

Try it: tap any word

Real sentences from the start of this episode. Every word is marked with its level.

Sentence 10 of 12 · 0:32

Take a listen as I answer real-world communication challenges.

,

power of breathwork for regulating your nervous system, and practical

Hear this sentence

Tap a word to see its meaning in your language.

Do you know these words?

8 harder words from this episode. Tap one to see what it means, then mark it.

  • C10:32

    Tap for the meaning

  • B22:41

    Tap for the meaning

  • B26:24

    Tap for the meaning

  • B26:46

    Tap for the meaning

  • C19:13

    Tap for the meaning

  • B212:38

    Tap for the meaning

  • B213:13

    Tap for the meaning

  • C115:23

    Tap for the meaning

Mark a few words and we'll tell you how this episode fits your level.

Is this episode right for you?

  • 186 words a minute: natural, fairly fast speech.
  • 87 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

Transcript

The opening of the episode. The whole transcript is in the player.

0:02

Matt Abrahams: Managing emotions, yours and your audience's, is hard enough, but it's even harder when you're under pressure to respond. I'm Matt Abrahams. I teach Strategic Communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

0:15

Welcome to this Quick Thinks episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. Today's episode is a special one. We're taking you inside a recent live Learning Community Ask Matt Anything that I hosted.

0:28

Take a listen as I answer real-world communication challenges. We discuss how to manage cognitive load when you're under stress, the power of breathwork for regulating your nervous system, and practical strategies for running meetings that stay on track and keep people engaged.

That was the opening. The rest of the episode (17 min) is in the player: every word clickable, with translation, saved words and flashcards.

Continue in the player

Automatically generated from the audio. May contain errors. Audio belongs to its publisher and is played from their feed. Rights holders can request removal — copyright & takedown policy