Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot

Some Classic, All-Purpose Structures18 What–So What–Now What Discuss the topic, why it matters, the practical implications. Prep (Point, Reason, Example, Point) Make a point, give the rationale behind it, offer some illustrations, wrap up by returning to the point. Problem–Solution–Benefit Evoke an issue, offer a solution, and end by discussing the

What–So What–Now What works wonders when giving a spontaneous presentation, answering a question in a job interview, giving a piece of feedback—you name it. If you go back and review this chapter, you’ll find that I used What–So What–Now What as my organizing schema.

random. She deployed a structure that I taught her called What–So What–Now What.

I spend that fifteen seconds choosing a structure and then very cursorily applying it to the topic. Considering the topic and audience, I ponder whether I might use a persuasive structure like Problem–Solution–Benefit, a chronological structure like Past–Present–Future, or a comparative structure like Comparison–Contrast–Conclusion. To my students’

Comparison–Contrast–Conclusion.

Now turbocharge your message by leveraging the Comparison–Contrast–Conclusion road map (reflect on how the events are similar, then on how they’re different, then come to some conclusion based on the analysis).

storytelling works in large part via the creation of mental images in our minds, which our brain processes more quickly than it does abstract ideas.

Research in cognitive neuroscience supports the importance of orienting audiences when communicating. Scholars like to talk about “processing fluency”—how easily and smoothly information gets encoded in our brains.

information. In researching this book, I spoke with Myka Carroll, editorial director of the For Dummies brand and author of New York City for Dummies.14 As she relates, the popular For Dummies franchise follows a very clear format that contains cues and guideposts for readers. The franchise’s objective is to assist readers with a process called “wa