The moment is yours

I’ve always envied quick-witted people.
Here’s why today, I embrace the choice to not be one of them.

We’ve all been there.

Someone throws out a perfect comeback: sharp, effortless, and timed just right.

The room laughs.
The moment is theirs.

And you think: Why can’t I do that?

Well, you can.
There’s actually a pretty simple way: practice.

Quick-witted people aren’t born that way. They’re quick because they go for it.

A lot.
Without overthinking it.

They throw out lines all the time. The thing that’s easily overlooked is that most of their lines aren’t particularly great. Some of them are actually kind of lame (especially their first ever).

But they don’t care.
They simply go for it again.
And again.
And again.

And when a line does hit the mark, we remember the brilliance of that line and forget the many misses.

In other words, if you want to be more quick-witted, you can start today. There’s no secret sauce.

Let go of perfection, respond faster, see what happens, repeat.

But before you go all-in, ask yourself this:
Why do you want to be quicker?

Because when the laughs fade, what’s left?

Sure, the sharpest remark won the moment.
But the most thoughtful remark changed the conversation.

It comes with less glamour, but with a lot more impact.

So, maybe quick isn’t what you actually need. Maybe what you’re looking for is confidence. The ability to speak up without second-guessing. To express yourself without fear.

That doesn’t come from being faster. It comes from knowing that when you do speak, what you say will matter.

So instead of chasing speed, try this:
Listen better. Think deeper. And say the thing that moves the conversation forward.

I prefer to take my time.
How about you?

Keep lighting the path!

Things get heated

Heated discussions make for great drama in a TV show, but who likes that in real life?

Let alone in high stakes meetings?

Sure, it makes for a great story when Taylor saves the day at the last minute with his quick-wittedness, persuading the board to approve the plan. Emotions were flying high, the situation was on a knife’s edge. But Taylor just rose to the occasion with his sharp remarks.

Many of us dream of pulling off something like that, visualizing ourselves being the quick-witted hero in tense moments. It feels like the gold standard—the stuff heroes are made of.

Or is it?

Because Cameron handled it very differently with her board. She foresaw the conflict. She made calls beforehand. Listened to their objections. And addressed concerns.

The board meeting went smoothly. Boring almost. Definitely not the kind of story you’d brag about at the bar this evening.

And yet, they arrived at a solution that everyone was happy with, no-one lost their temper, and everyone’s status remained intact.

What would you prefer?

I think that quick-wittedness is very much overrated. I’d certainly prefer the thoughtful “slow-wittedness” of Cameron.

How about you?

How much preparation you need …

Some experts seem to appear on TV all the time. Whenever something happens, these people pop up in TV shows to explain what happened.

It’s the kind of people who always seem to know what to say. Who understand quickly and answer eloquently. Who are clever, relaxed and quick-witted.

Science educator Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of them. Yet, if you ask him how he became so quick-witted, his answer might surprise you:

You need to be 10x prepared in order to look like you didn’t have to prepare. – Neil deGrasse Tyson

So, yes, these people are smart. But probably the smartest aspect about their personality is that they prepare. That’s why they always know what to say. That’s why they are quick to answer. And that’s why they are so easy to work with for TV stations.

They don’t just wing it. So they don’t easily fail. TV stations can rely on them. Because they prepare. And, in essence, that’s why they are always on TV.

Der einzige Weg, um schlagfertiger zu werden

… ist, den Mund aufzumachen.

Schlagfertige Menschen sind schlagfertig, weil sie oft schnell antworten. Sie haben ganz einfach Übung darin, schlagfertig zu sein. Weil sie es oft genug tun, treffen sie oft genug ins Schwarze. Und aus jedem Treffer lernen sie, denn das Lachen der Gruppe bestätigt: Gut gemacht! Mehr davon!

Doch wahr ist auch: Schlagfertige Menschen treffen bei weitem nicht immer. Im Gegenteil. Sie sind oft genug auch peinlich. Doch die Masse macht’s. Wer genug Treffer erzielt, dem machen ein paar Schüsse daneben nicht viel aus. In Erinnerung bleiben – auch bei den anderen – nicht die vielen halb so witzigen Kommentare, sondern die wenigen Volltreffer.

Schlagfertigkeit gehört zu den Eigenschaften, bei der Perfektion vollkommen schädlich ist, weil die perfekte Gelegenheit schon lange verstrichen ist, während man immer noch nach der perfekten Antwort sucht. Schnell reagieren, schnell den Gewinn einstreichen, schnell weitermachen, wenn’s kein Treffer war.

Man kann sich Schlagfertigkeit auch nicht rein theoretisch erarbeiten, denn Schlagfertigkeit erfordert immer Spontaneität und Spontaneität muss man praktisch üben. Schon alleine weil die Nervosität des ersten Mals zunächst überwunden werden will. Wer aber selten versucht schlagfertig zu sein, für den fühlt sich jedes Mal wie das erste Mal an.

Wenn Sie also schlagfertiger werden wollen, dann ist das nächste Gespräch der beste Zeitpunkt, um damit anzufangen. Perfektion an den Nagel hängen, schnell antworten, schauen, was passiert, und daraus lernen.

Aber erlauben Sie mir noch eine Frage: Warum wollen Sie denn eigentlich schlagfertiger werden? Warum haben Sie das Gefühl, Sie müssten schlagfertiger sein? Schlagfertigkeit ist das Eine. Aber wenn die Lacher erstickt sind, und dann die viel bessere, bedachte Anmerkung aus dem Hintergrund kommt, bringt das ein Gespräch oft viel weiter. Das wäre nämlich auch eine Option. Besser zuhören, schärfer nachdenken, wertschätzender formulieren.

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Picture of Dr. Michael Gerharz

Dr. Michael Gerharz