Masterclass on Communicating with Confidence

<p><strong>Welcome to Grit &amp; Growth’s masterclass on communicating with confidence, featuring Matt Abrahams, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer in strategic communications. Whether pitching to investors, reporting to your board, or motivating employees, Abrahams has tips and tricks for managing anxiety and making an impact with both what you say and how you say it.</strong></p><p><strong>Abrahams knows a thing or two about communicating. Whether he’s teaching MBAs at </strong><a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Stanford GSB</strong></a><strong> or hosting his podcast </strong><a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>“Think Fast, Talk Smart,”</strong></a><strong> he advises entrepreneurs on the value of </strong><a href="https://nofreakingspeaking.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>“Speaking Up Without Freaking Out”</strong></a><strong> — which is also the title of his best-selling book.</strong></p><p><strong>Abrahams believes confidence and mindset can be developed to alleviate anxiety and improve almost any pitch or meeting. He’s also on a personal mission to stop entrepreneurs from beginning their presentations with “Hi, my name is _______, and today we're going to talk about_________.”</strong></p><p><strong>“That is boring. It's silly because you're showing a slide that has your name and your topic on it. I like to joke that every good pitch should start like a James Bond movie. No, not with sex and violence, but with action, get people participating and focused … and that's what will help people get interested in what you're saying.”</strong></p><p><strong>Top Seven Masterclass Takeaways&nbsp;</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Some anxiety is a good thing. It can give you energy and focus. Abrahams suggests using cognitive reframing to use your excitement about your business and vision to manage your fear of pitching.</strong></l