Think on Your Feet: Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Communication Skills on the Job

As a museum professional, my work requires a TON of impromptu communication – and this book has upped my game across the board. What's great about the tips and tricks packed in Think on Your Feet is that they can be applied to SO many different situations.For example, I work with large school groups on a weekly basis, and the ideas and activities in this book have honed my listening and responding skills – this is incredibly important when working with groups of students. As a kid (and as an adult), it really sucks being ignored when all you want to do is share an idea or talk about something you find interesting (which people should feel comfortable doing at a museum). Even so, I have been guilty of not listening to every person in any given tour, mainly because I didn't have the skills to balance multiple conversations in a large group, and this can easily lead to disappointing experiences for museum visitors. What's great about this book is that it equipped me with the skills to make sure everyone in my tour groups feel heard and appreciated.Along with making me a better public speaker, this book has reshaped how I approach communication at work. Like many folks who work in museums and non-profits, I have had to cope with an extremely toxic work environment – complete with unprofessional outbursts, drawn out meetings that could have been emails, and the need to fight for a healthy work life balance. There are many reasons why navigating communication at work can be difficult (power dynamics, difficult personalities, etc.), and the information in this book has given me so many tactics to help manage and balance my communication at work.This book is a must-read!

I’m not an actor or museum educator, and Idon’t have a “boss” at my job… but I am a person, so being able to speak confidently on the fly is important to me!Not only is this book fun and easy to read, but the activities that are outlined give me an arsenal of accessible tools that enable me to feel proactive about improving my communication skills - being a better listener to my partner, with my family, and at work, and being able to speak up about the things that are important to me and articulate in “a way that’s thoughtful and relevant” - just as the author claims.Improving communication means improving relationships overall, even the one you have with yourself (read: self-esteem and confidence), and that’s what this book is here for!

Jen Brown has created THE handbook for effective communication and strategic management of the unexpected moments in our lives when we need to pull it all together and engage an audience (of one, or many). If you've ever had to give an impromptu presentation at work, navigate an interpersonal conflict with a colleague, bring people on board around a new idea, or are looking to sharpen your toolkit more generally as it relates to all things communication, then this is definitely the go-to guide that you can come back to time and time again to implement the many gems she's embedded in the text. Buy this book for yourself - and an extra copy for someone you care about and want to see succeed at work and in life.

I really appreciate the practical uses and applications within this book! The author discussed points and then gave you examples and suggestions to go with them- WHICH I HAVE WANTED FOR SO LONG.I also really loved the way the author helps you to reset the way you think about communication ("yes and" instead of "yes but") to help you more effectively AND POSITIVELY communicate to colleagues, audiences, friends, etc. LOVED IT!

I took an improv for business class when Jen lived in New York and loved it. I always feel I'm one of those people who thinks later, "i wish i would've said..." So that was my reason for getting this book. I've read it all through and now I'd like to go back and re-read and commit to doing all the exercises. But the book itself is easy to read, witty, insightful. I really enjoyed it.

Think on Your Feet is a great read for companies within the entertainment industry. From public speaking appearances, to networking events to interacting with fans during baseball games and ballpark events, the entertainment industry needs books like this to keeps us alert and educated when it comes to portraying our brand to the public. Start a company book club and add this to your list- you won't be disappointed!

Some of us have difficulty articulating what we want/need to say in an important meeting or in front of other people. That is why this book is so important! It teaches us HOW to do that in an effective, easy to understand way. Jen is an excellent writer, making this an easy read with tips and skills you can put to immediate use. I would highly recommend this to anyone who even slightly struggles with public speaking.

Jen is a star. She makes a very scary topic –– how to survive the business world –– easy to understand. She's incredibly generous with her advice and her writing is lovely.