8 Tips on How to Think Faster Yvonne Bryant International

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 on how to think faster while reviewing the article:
Let Go, Keep it Simple, Move Quickly: Secrets to Being a Productive Entrepreneur (Infographic)

Whether a creative entrepreneur developing a new product or service, a woman entrepreneur working for something better with work/life balance, or an executive…the following 8 tips will help you in your next meeting or negotiation. 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 when 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. Working with a vocal coach or pilates/yoga instructor can also help you learn to relax your jaw and neck areas.
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…this allows time 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 have time to research the topic and product.) I don’t know about you, but I am not good at BS or as Guy Kawasaki calls it – Bull Shitaki. For young professionals and entrepreneurs out there…the answer to questions you don’t know the answer to is…”I don’t have the answer to that at present, may I get back to you…”
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. 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.