How do you respond when you’re caught off guard?

Imagine holding a meeting but you don’t know how to respond to a situation. The way you react to your anxieties can negatively impact the outcome you want to achieve. It doesn’t have to be this way; you can be prepared.

In this episode I am joined by Matt Abrahams, an expert in communication. He says there are ways of preparing yourself and then responding, which is achieved through changing your mindset and having structures to follow.

He discusses the common moments we get caught off guard at work and how we can prepare for them. He also shares ways that you can become a better listener, and his methods to talk smarter in the moment.

It's about getting out of your head and finding ways to connect with the other person.

“You actually have to prepare to be spontaneous” – Matt Abrahams

You'll hear about:

• Moments we get caught off guard at work
• How to be able to apply Matt’s methods
• How do you listen properly and attentively
• Dealing with difficult situations
• The power of storytelling in these moments
• Matt’s recommendations to perfectionists
• Matt’s top tip for dealing with difficult situations
• What Matt’s best day looks like
• The impact Matt wants to have on the world

About Matt Abrahams

Matt Abrahams is a leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach. As a Lecturer in Organisational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting. Outside of the classroom, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. He has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as Nobel Prize, TED, and World Economic Forum presentations. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart The Podcast.

Resources:

• Profile: https://mattabrahams.com/about/
• Book: ‘Think faster, talk faster’ - https://mattabrahams.com/books/
• Podcast: https://mattabrahams.com/podcast/

My resources:

Find out more about my new venture, Strategy Shift (https://bit.ly/3TMvj3y).

Take my new Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj).

Sign up to my Strategic Leader newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

Take the Extraordinary Essentials test (https://bit.ly/3EhSKY5) to identify your strengths and development areas as a strategic leader:

For more details about me:

● Services (https://bit.ly/373jctk) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.

● About me (https://bit.ly/3LFsfiO) - my background, experience and philosophy.

● Examples of my writing (https://bit.ly/3O7jkc7).

● Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP).

● Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI).

What impact do the biases you hold have on your work?

Living and working in a more critical manner allows you to be more informed and less impacted by bias. This can have positive impacts on your work and those around you, just by challenging yourself to think differently.

In this episode I am joined by Alex Edmans, author of May Contain Lies. He shares his deep knowledge of bias and how to think smarter and more critically. He discusses how he uses this within personal aspects of his life too.

Are you confusing correlation with causation? A statement with a fact? Evidence with proof?

This episode is full of practical advice you can use in your projects or meetings. Or even when listening to the news, to become more aware of what could be misinformation.

“Misinformation affects our professional and personal lives” – Alex Edmans

You'll hear about:

• Which are the most harmful biases?
• How pervasive are biases?
• Does Alex make gut decisions still?
• Business and the ladder of inference
• Using these ideas in practice
• Is doing less better?
• Looking at specifics vs broad data
• How to challenge people with ill-informed views
• How to inspire more debate and dissent
• Managing himself with other’s critical thinking
• What Alex's best days look like

About Alex Edmans

Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School. He has a PhD from MIT as a Fulbright Scholar, and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. He has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, and given the TED talk “What to Trust in a Post-Truth World” and the TEDx talks “The Pie-Growing Mindset” and “The Social Responsibility of Business” with a combined 2.8 million views. He is a non-executive director of the Investor Forum, on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Responsible Investing, and on Royal London Asset Management’s Responsible Investment Advisory Committee.

He has won 25 teaching awards at Wharton and LBS and was named Professor of the Year by Poets & Quants in 2021.

His resources:

•Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aedmans/
•Book: www.maycontainlies.com
•Resources and research: www.alexedmans.com

My resources:

Find out more about my new venture, Strategy Shift (https://bit.ly/3TMvj3y)

Take my new Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj)

Sign up to my Strategic Leader newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

Take the Extraordinary Essentials test (https://bit.ly/3EhSKY5) to identify your strengths and development areas as a strategic leader:

For more details about me:

● Services (https://bit.ly/373jctk) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals
● About me (https://bit.ly/3LFsfiO) - my background, experience and philosophy
● Examples of my writing (https://bit.ly/3O7jkc7)
● Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP)
● Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI)

How well do you ask questions?

Asking questions can be more than a way to elicit an answer. They allow us to form connections. Used in the right way they are a powerful tool for us to learn from each other.

In this episode I am joined by philosopher, Dr Pia Lauritzen, who spends her life researching the art and science of question-making. This is becoming even more important as more organisations are opening up their approach to innovation, strategy and transformation, inviting people to share their perspectives.

We discuss ways of asking better questions, and getting the balance right between asking questions and sharing knowledge. We also delve into why you need to find out what people care about to be able to connect through questions.

“Questions are probably the most powerful way of being in the world” – Pia Lauritzen

You'll hear about:

• What is the power of questions?
• What does it take to break down barriers?
• How do you connect around questions?
• The balance between questions and knowledge
• Finding out what people care about
• Tools to help with questioning
• AI and questioning
• Coaching people to ask better questions
• How Pia has improved her questioning
• The impact Pia wants to have on the world

About Pia Lauritzen:

Pia Lauritzen is a Danish philosopher and tech entrepreneur. She holds a PhD in philosophy and is the inventor and founder of Qvest and Question Jam. She has published five books (Questions is upcoming on Johns Hopkins University Press in November 2023), and her regular column for strategy+business is read by more than 20,000 decision makers worldwide.

Her resources:

•Profile: https://www.pialauritzen.dk/
•Questions: Brief Books About Big Ideas, by Pia Lauritzen - https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/23069/questions
•What You Don’t Know About Questions (TEDx Talk) - https://www.ted.com/talks/pia_lauritzen_what_you_don_t_know_about_questions
•Six Reasons Successful Business Leaders Love questions, by Pia Lauritzen
•Question Jam - https://www.questionjam.com/
•Qvest platform - https://www.qvest.io/

My resources:

Take my new Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj).

Sign up to my Strategic Leader newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for stimuli, ideas, guidance and tips on how to lead your team, organisation or self more effectively, delivered straight to your inbox:

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

Take the Extraordinary Essentials test (https://bit.ly/3EhSKY5) to identify your strengths and development areas as a strategic leader:

For more details about me:

● Services (https://bit.ly/373jctk) to CEOs, entrepreneurs and professionals.
● About me (https://bit.ly/3LFsfiO) - my background, experience and philosophy.
● Examples of my writing (https://bit.ly/3O7jkc7).
● Follow me and engage with me on LinkedIn (https://bit.ly/2Z2PexP).
● Follow me and engage with me on Twitter (https://bit.ly/36XavNI).