Unstructured Comms

How do you feel when you are pressed to speak successfully on the spot? Does your heart rate rise, your mouth go dry, sweaty palms? Do you relish the challenge and dive into the answer? Think about the situation where the client has asked a particularly demanding question, and your brain is struggling to extract the thoughts that are swirling in your brain… like trying to grasp a cloud in the sky. Or what about when you are in a group think laden with good ideas, but struggle to deliver them in a crisp and compelling way to influence the key decision makers in the room.

Facing these challenges, how can we improve? Dive into this article to unlock your potential to improve your response time, enhance clarity, and elevate your persuasive power, transforming the way you communicate in critical moments. Offering practical tips and frameworks this article will allow you to be more comfortable and confident when translating what's in your head to those in the room. This article is based on the book "Think Faster, Talk Smarter" by Stanford University lecturer Matt Abrahams. (link to lecture here - Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques)

Matt Abrahams proves through anecdotes and evidence backed research that people who presume that the ability to improvise on the fly is innate… are actually incorrect. Anybody with a desire to improve their impromptu speaking skills, can be taught. He presents his six stage method for unleashing the power to thrive in off-the-cuff speaking

• Calm
  • Summary: It's natural to feel anxious when delivering a presentation or when asked a question on the spot. However, high levels of anxiety can impact the quality of your communication. Embracing and managing the anxiety that follows being put on the spot, will ensure that you are more relaxed and able to deliver your message to your audience to maximise the impact of your ideas.
  • Actions:
    • Breathe - inhale for 3 seconds and exhale for 6 seconds 10 times. This increases the oxygen balance of your body and brain, and there is evidence that indicates it significantly reduces anxiety.
    • Salivate - chew on some gum or a lozenge, this stops your mouth from drying out.
    • Slow your movements - the pace of speech matches the pace of your body movements, therefore slowing down your movements will slow down your speech and lower your heart rate.
    • Get rational - state the worst case scenario out loud if everything went wrong (hint: it's not as bad as you think).
• Unlock
  • Summary: There is no best way or "the right way" when it comes to spontaneous speaking. Everyone has a different relationship with their audience, a different style of communicating and different objectives. Trying to get it absolutely "right: only locks us in. Change your mindset to embrace mediocrity as there are only better or worse ways to communicate your ideas. Lean into your personality, audience and keep your performance authentic.
  • Actions:
    • Be alert to heuristics (mental shortcuts) - Usually in response to a stressor, be self-aware and notice when you are tired, hungry or annoyed. This will allow you to ensure that you are more engaged and connected to your audience.
    • Dare to be Dull - Don't focus on "doing it right" - take a hint from Nike and "Just do it" - When you stop monitoring or pre-judging your performance, attempting a perfect execution, you'll be more creative and freer.
    • Dialogue not monologue - You aren't a sage on a stage, interact and ask questions.
• Redefine
  • Summary: Redefine how you perceive speaking on the spot, and treat every opportunity as a chance to learn and improve. Carol Dweck's concept of a "growth mindset" is key: it emphasizes that skills, including speaking effectively under pressure, can be developed over time with effort and persistence. By reframing impromptu speaking as an opportunity rather than a threat, you can begin to approach these situations with curiosity and confidence.
  • Why: A fixed mindset can trap you in fear of failure, making you hesitant to take risks or try new strategies. Shifting to a growth mindset allows you to view challenges as opportunities to grow, reducing performance anxiety and fostering resilience in high-stakes situations.
  • Actions:
    • Embrace imperfection: View mistakes as feedback, not failure. Reflect on what worked and what didn’t after every impromptu speaking opportunity.
    • Set learning goals: Instead of striving for flawless delivery, aim to improve one specific skill each time (e.g., clarity, conciseness, or audience engagement).
    • Practice small wins: Start with low-pressure environments like casual conversations or team meetings to build confidence and refine your approach.
• Listen
  • Summary: Listening is the foundation of effective communication. By actively listening, you can tailor your response to meet the needs of your audience and demonstrate that you value their input. In spontaneous situations, listening carefully ensures your response is relevant and impactful.
  • Why: When we’re anxious, we often focus inward—thinking about what we’ll say next rather than truly hearing what’s being said. Active listening not only reduces misunderstandings but also helps build rapport and trust with your audience.
  • Actions:
    • Pause before responding: Give yourself a moment to absorb what has been said fully.
    • Paraphrase for clarity: Repeat back key points or questions in your own words to ensure understanding and show engagement.
    • Observe nonverbal cues: Pay attention to tone, body language, and context to grasp the underlying meaning of the speaker’s message.
• Structure
  • Summary: Having a framework or structure for your response can bring clarity and coherence to your thoughts, even under pressure. Structures provide a mental roadmap that guides your communication and makes your message easier to follow.
  • Why: Unstructured responses can feel scattered or overwhelming to listeners, undermining your credibility. Using a simple structure ensures that your message is clear, logical, and memorable.
  • Actions:
    • Use the PREP method (Point, Reason, Example, Point): Start with your main idea, support it with a reason, illustrate it with an example, and restate your main point.
    • Apply the “What, So What, Now What” framework: Explain what’s happening, why it matters, and what should happen next.
    • Limit key points: Focus on 1-3 main ideas to keep your response concise and digestible.
    • I've included a summary of frameworks that can be used.
• Focus
  • Summary: In high-pressure moments, it’s easy to get sidetracked by irrelevant details or overthinking. Focus allows you to zero in on your key message, ensuring that your communication is impactful and purposeful.
  • Why: Distractions, whether internal (e.g., self-doubt) or external (e.g., audience reactions), dilute the power of your message. By concentrating on your goal, you can communicate with clarity and conviction, keeping your audience engaged.
  • Actions:
    • Define your purpose: Before speaking, ask yourself, “What’s the one thing I want my audience to take away?”
    • Visualise success: Picture yourself delivering your message effectively and receiving a positive response.
    • Eliminate filler words: Practice replacing "um" and "uh" with deliberate pauses to maintain focus and credibility.

Finally, to tie this all together, please see the table for practical frameworks to support you in familiar impromptu scenarios that consultants come across in everyday life. I have even included examples from my time on the Leonardo project.

Key Word	When to use it?	Framework	Example
Pitching	You've noticed that a different course of action is necessary to achieve the client's desired outcome. And need to structure a coherent response to persuade them.	Problem-Solution-Benefit	Scenario: The client struggles with manual traceability between requirements and design data.
		In-Action:	Problem: "Your engineering teams spend excessive time manually aligning requirements in DOORS with system models in Cameo, leading to delays and missed updates."
		• Define a challenge, issue, pain point, or Problem that you are addressing, one that your audience shares	Solution: "We propose implementing an automated integration using the HCL connector to ensure bi-directional traceability between Polarion and Cameo."
		• Present Solution to the problem, spelling out the specific steps, process/product, or method for remedying the problem	Benefit: "This will eliminate manual errors, reduce design cycles by 20%, and enhance collaboration across hardware and software teams."
		• Describe the Benefits that adoption of your proposed solution will yield
Q&A	You've come to the end of a compelling presentation and the client begins to ask difficult questions.	ADD	Question: "How can this solution improve regulatory compliance?"
		In-Action:	Answer: "The solution ensures traceability and audit trails are always up-to-date."
		• Answer the Question in a single sentence	Detail: "For instance, integrating Polarion and Cameo automatically records every change in requirements, linking them directly to system models."
		• Detail an example that supports your answer	Describe: "This enables you to generate compliance reports instantly, saving significant time during audits and reducing risk of non-compliance penalties."
		• Describe the benefits that explain why your answer is relevant to the asker
General Purpose	Can be used in several circumstances and if you were to memorise one framework, this one would be the recommended.	What - So What - Now What	Scenario: Explaining the need for a PLM and ALM integration.
		In-Action:	What: "We are integrating your Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tool with your Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tool."
		• What: Concisely detail your subject in plain English	So-What: "This ensures real-time synchronisation of requirements and design updates, crucial for managing complex aerospace systems."
		• So-What: Why is it important to the target audience	Now What: "We recommend initiating a pilot project to connect key requirements and assess the impact on your current processes."
		• Now What: What is the call to action, or where should we go next to learn more or get involved
Feedback	Cultures committed to continuous learning thrive and feedback is an essential tool to enable this.	4 I's	Scenario: Team member didn't provide a deliverable on time.
		In-Action:	Information: "The delay in delivering the Cameo-Polarion integration configuration impacted the overall project timeline."
		• Provide Information	Impact: "This resulted in a two-week delay for the requirements validation phase."
		• Explain the Impact	Invitation: "Could we set up weekly check-ins to identify and address potential bottlenecks earlier?"
		• Extend an Invitation	Implications: "This would help ensure smoother collaboration and on-time delivery for future milestones."
		• Detail the Implications
Apologies	Humility is an important trait for aspiring leaders, and therefore essential that you recognise when an apology is due.	AAA	Scenario: Consultant overlooked a key stakeholder's input.
		In-Action:	Acknowledge: "I realize I did not consider your input when finalising the integration approach."
		• Acknowledge the offending behaviour taking responsibility for it	Appreciate: "I understand this caused frustration and delayed the alignment with your team's processes."
		• Appreciate how your offence has impacted others	Amends: "Moving forward, I'll ensure your team is involved in all relevant discussions, starting with the next requirements alignment meeting."
		• Detail how you will make Amends, specifying what action that you will take or refrain from taking to remedy the situation or how your thinking will change
Influence	Have you ever tried to clearly articulate a point clearly to your client and felt that it did not land?	PREP	Scenario: Convincing a client to adopt a data-driven testing approach.
		In-Action:	Point: "Automated testing through simulation is critical for minimising prototype costs."
		• Make your Point succinctly	Reason: "It significantly reduces errors caught in later development stages, saving time and money."
		• State a Reason behind	Example: "A similar aerospace client reduced physical prototype costs by 30% by integrating simulation with their requirements tool."
		• Bring it to life with an Example i.e. anecdote, analogy etc.	Point (Restated): "Investing in simulation-driven testing will provide you with faster and cheaper validation processes."
		• Reinforce by restating your main Point clearly
Compare Solutions	How often do you need to compare options, and present a conclusion clearly summarising the so-what	CCC	Scenario: Comparing the HCL connector with Cameo DataHub for integration.
		In-Action:	Comparison: "Both tools provide bi-directional traceability and support major file formats."
		• Comparison: Provide a couple of the key points that the options have in common	Contrast: "The HCL connector offers faster setup and supports real-time updates, while DataHub requires more configuration and customisation."
		• Contrast: State the contrasting points and the implications that these may have	Conclusion: "Given your tight timelines and preference for minimal disruption, the HCL connector is the better choice for your project."
		• Conclusion: Provide a clear conclusion or recommendation based on the comparisons and contrasts stated