Insights / High-Pressure Communication
How do I stay calm and clear when I’m put on the spot?
Stop trying to prepare every sentence before you speak. Give a headline, a reason and an action, and pause between complete thoughts. A short, complete answer is easier to deliver than a perfect one you are still building in your head.
The situation
The question you didn’t expect.
Someone asks you something unexpected, often in front of other people.
A learner in a leadership role worried about being asked something she couldn’t answer.
The breakdown
Worry turns into over-preparation.
That worry led to overthinking and excessive preparation: trying to have every sentence ready before speaking.
What I work on
A headline, a reason and an action.
In the session, I asked her to respond without preparing every sentence first. I practiced a headline, a reason, and an action with her, with pauses between complete thoughts.
The headline answers the question. The reason supports it. The action says what happens next.
Practice
Answer before every sentence is ready.
- Ask someone to give you questions you haven’t seen.
- Answer each one with a headline, a reason and an action.
- Pause between complete thoughts instead of filling the gap.
Keep going
Related reading.
Arjun Lyngdoh · Founder and lead coach of NESkills, with 21 years of communication training. About Arjun
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