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Thinking on your feet is a necessary skill in all walks of life.  If you are like me then you’ve heard the phrase “expect the unexpected” enough to make your ears bleed.  This oft used phrase applies to a large majority of public speaking and communication opportunities.  In the hustle and bustle of today’s world it is incredibly rare to find yourself in a situation were you have been given adequate time to prepare.

Situations like this require a great deal of creativity.  This quick how to article will give you the tips you need to spark your creativity on the fly.

Get Comfortable

Think about something that you are good at.  It doesn’t matter what it is, it just needs to be something that you excel at.  Now answer these questions:

1. Why do you do this?
2. How do you feel when you do it?
3. How do you prepare for it?

I’ve been lifting weights and working out for a while.  Over time I’ve become very good at it.  Right now you are probably puzzled and trying to draw a correlation between working out and creative speaking.  Here comes the connection.  My answers to the 3 questions above are :

1. I enjoy it
2. I feel great. I enjoy pushing my body.
3. I put my favorite music on my ipod, warm up, and then I attack the work out.

The overriding theme in those answers is comfort and joy.  I enjoy working out, I get great results, and I’m very comfortable doing it.  I’ve seen plenty of people in the gym who are uncomfortable.

Here’s the tie-in.  When you are speaking off the top of your head treat it like a leisure activity.  Be as comfortable as possible.

Think about your answers to the questions I posed above.  I’m sure you feel good when doing things you are good at.  Otherwise, you wouldn’t bother with those activities.

Those positive vibes resonate through your body and allow you to perform well. Recreate those some sensations when you need to speak creatively.

Use Ideas, Viewpoints, or Data that you are Familiar With

Most people think creativity is based on thoughts that come from nowhere.  In actuality, creative thoughts are mere extensions of  ideas, viewpoints, or other pieces of data that have yet to be heard.

In the heat of nervousness, people tend to go away from the things that they are comfortable with.  It is not because they want to, it is because they are not prepared (or have not read my article ).   When  you find yourself in a situation like this follow these steps:

1. Think about a topic you are comfortable with
2. Think of a way to word your thoughts
3. Express something that has yet to be explored

Creativity is merely expressing something in a way that has not yet been experienced.  You will blow people away by simply expounding on ideas that you have always held but never expressed.

Conclusion

On the spot speaking creativity has often been thought of as difficult, mind racking, and impossible.  In this short article, I have explained why this is not the case.  In order to speak creatively on the spot you only need to do 2 things:

1. Get Comfortable
2. Expound on things that you are already comfortable with

The rest will take care of itself.  You can thank me later.

written by Marcus A Smith