Life is a series of presentations in which we are called upon to think fast and deliver a quick response.
“When you are fast…people think you are smart, they think your products are higher quality, they think the management of your organization is higher quality, and they are willing to pay more for your solutions as a result. You can never rest on what you have accomplished in the past, you can only coast in one direction, down.” – Brian Tracey
It is important to keep our lives simple and to think fast on our feet…
But how do you do this?
I found this neat infographic while reviewing the article:
Let Go, Keep it Simple, Move Quickly: Secrets to Being a Productive Entrepreneur (Infographic)
Lets review this further:
- say, “Yes, and…” – first principle of improv comedy
Now typically, we hear the word “but” such as “yes, but”. My friend Karl Steinkopf did a short 7-minute presentation on conjunctions that has given me a new respect for “yes, and”. Yes we want the cake AND we want to eat it. The “yes, and” is for creative problem solvers. The “but” people are not in the think fast mode are not geared up to take advantage of opportunities (or create them.) - relax your jaw, your mouth may talk on its own – body intelligence
When we are tense, all areas of our body tense up. I know the back of my jaw gets a little sore when I am under a lot of stress. There are some exercises that I go through (even hen waiting my turn to speak) to relax myself. This suggestion makes me think of the times many of us comment on when we are in the flow and don’t always know quite what we said. - if the other side is silent, let the silence be, don’t feel like you have to fill in
In other words…”Shut up!” It’s okay for there to be silence so that the other person has time to think. Give people time to think, this is especially important in sales. Give those around you time to process the information that you have given them. - repeat something several times while you are thinking
This could be interpreted in several ways…I don’t know about you, but I play scenarios in my head over and over in preparation for meetings, phone calls or presentations. When working with a client, I may repeat what they have told me while thinking to reinforce what they have said to make sure I understand what they are trying to tell me. - follow the least effort principle
To me, this speaks to our natural strengths. About 14 years ago, I was asked to present to a congregation for the company that I was with. While on the road to the presentation, I was told how to answer a concern that they had that had not been told to me previously (this was before handy internet on the telephone, so I did not I don’t know about you, but I am n - visualize your knee jerk, now produce a “mind jerk”
Hmmm…What do you think on this one? - listen to your gut, it thinks faster than your brain
According to Malcolm Gladwell, in Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, our decisions and even first impressions occur fast – think instantaneously or in two seconds. Our gut or subconscious mind knows our decision before our conscious minds. - work with the first thought that comes to mind – it is there for a reason.
This one goes back to Malcolm Gladwell also.In Toastmasters, we have a part of the meeting called Table Topics which works on our impromptu speaking skills. I’ve learned over the years it is best to go with your first instinct and run with it; otherwise, the message gets garbled.In business, it is easy to go into paralysis by analysis. Again, sometimes you just have to go with it.
Bottom line…think fast and see what opportunities arise around you.