“You’re not going to hit the mark with everybody, but you still need to be mindful of everybody,” says Jonathan Levav , the King Philanthropies Professor of Marketing. “That’s critical to create an environment where communication is effective.” In this episode, Levav sits down with podcast host Matt Abrahams to talk about the science behind decision fatigue, how to lead effectively while working from home, and how to create the right company culture both in the office and online. The right commu...
Mar 01, 2022•22 min•Season 3Ep. 53
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , host Matt Abrahams sits down with finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen to talk about their new podcast, All Else Equal . Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected] Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>> Li...
Feb 16, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 52
In this 50th episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , host Matt Abrahams and executive producer Jenny Luna share the winners' plans from our Confident Communicator Challenge and offer new, research-backed techniques for managing nervousness both before and during your communication. Thank you to many, many listeners from all over the world who sent in their anxiety management plans. Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hell...
Feb 10, 2022•12 min•Season 3Ep. 51
“Make them want to turn the page,” says Paula Moya , a professor at Stanford University and author of The Social Imperative: Race, Close Reading, and Contemporary Literary Criticism . In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Moya sits down with strategic communication lecturer Matt Abrahams to share how the elements of story can be used in other types of communication. Create compelling situations, full of sense and surprise, she says. Create characters we can empathize with; speak your writt...
Feb 02, 2022•19 min•Season 3Ep. 50
“We have to make data emotional because emotions are what drive us to act,” says Chip Heath , a professor of organizational behavior and author of the new book, Making Numbers Count: The Art of Science of Communicating Numbers . In this interview with host Matt Abrahams, Heath talks about ways that data and statistics can be used to illuminate — or obscure — our message. “A lot of people in the world don’t understand numbers like the numbers people,” he says. “And there are a lot of untranslated...
Jan 18, 2022•18 min•Season 3Ep. 49
“Eighty five percent of people report being nervous about speaking in public, and I believe the other 15% are lying,” says Matt Abrahams, lecturer in Strategic Communication and podcast host. “What is it about speaking in front of others that makes most of us nervous? Well, those of us who study this ubiquitous fear believe it is part of our human condition.” In this special episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Matt Abrahams returns to one of the podcast's main goals: helping people become more c...
Jan 05, 2022•25 min•Season 3Ep. 48
“Great founders are great storytellers,” says Stanford Graduate School of Business professor Stephanos Zenios in this “Quick Thinks” episode . Zenios is the director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and heads Startup Garage , a project-based course where teams design and test business concepts that address real-world problems. “Founders have to tell a story to their customer so that they can inspire them to test and use their new product. They have to tell a story to their employees to ...
Dec 14, 2021•8 min•Season 3Ep. 47
“To be creative, ideas must be both novel and useful. That’s the definition that we use in creativity research,” says Justin Berg , an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. But, he warns: “Novel ideas are often not very useful and useful ideas are often not very novel.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Berg sits down with lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams to share lessons from his work on creativity, which has included conducting...
Dec 03, 2021•21 min•Season 3Ep. 46
In each episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Stanford GSB lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams asks his guests the same question: “What are the first three ingredients in a successful communication recipe?” Answers have ranged from specific and poetic, to impactful and thought-provoking. In this episode, we bring you some favorite responses, as well as Matt’s tips for solving three common communication challenges that tend to arise during the holiday season. Connect: Premium Signup >>>...
Nov 18, 2021•14 min•Season 3Ep. 45
"Leadership is a role that you play, like a part you play in other people’s lives. And [your] expression of that role is your responsibility as a leader,” says Stanford GSB lecturer Melissa Jones Briggs . Jones Briggs’ work combines techniques from the theater with social science research to teach lessons about power and communication. In this conversation with host Matt Abrahams, she discusses how acting in a leadership position requires staying present and also knowing when to step back. “Powe...
Nov 11, 2021•19 min•Season 3Ep. 44
“Social psychologists believe that if we want to understand our own behavior and the behavior of others, the first thing we have to ask or notice is, ‘What is the situation in which they are performing, in which they are behaving?’ And then we want to know as much about the situation as possible.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Stanford emeritus psychology professor Phillip Zimbardo sits down with host Matt Abrahams to discuss how time influences our perception and our positive or n...
Oct 28, 2021•19 min•Season 3Ep. 43
Being a better listener has a lot to do with silence, says Collins Dobbs , a lecturer in management at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “A lot of people are uncomfortable with the smallest modicum of silence, but learning often happens when we create distance for useful reflection.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Dobbs talks with host Matt Abrahams about the importance of “space, pace, and grace” when you’re receiving others’ feedback and handling the emotions that come out dur...
Oct 15, 2021•23 min•Season 3Ep. 42
“Part of teamwork is dating,” says Stefanos Zenios , The Investment Group of Santa Barbara Professor of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Operations, Information & Technology. “Dating each other to see whether you can work well together. It’s about developing how you will speak with each other in the team, how you will manage difficult conversations, and how to be respectful, but also how to help each other grow.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , host Matt Abrahams sits down with ...
Sep 30, 2021•18 min•Season 3Ep. 41
“Stress is natural, stress is inevitable when you're living a life that's connected with things you care about. And learning how to embrace it, learning how to work with it is really what helps us thrive and grow and perform at our highest level, according to psychologist and associate professor at Stanford, Alia Crum . In this episode, Crum talks with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams about her research and findings as principal investigator of the Stanford Mind and Body Lab where she is focusing...
Sep 16, 2021•25 min•Season 3Ep. 40
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams sits down with David Eagleman , a neuroscientist and the host of the PBS series The Brain , to discuss why our brains are wired for storytelling and how new senses might impact our connection and communication with others. “I’ve always been really interested in this idea of how we can pass information to the brain via unusual channels," Eagleman says. "We’ve got our eyes or ears or fingertips and our nose, we’re ...
Sep 02, 2021•21 min•Season 3Ep. 39
“One of the things I think is really exciting about all this, and perhaps a little bit frightening, is nobody actually knows how to do it. It is not something that we’ve ever done before. And I’ve studied a lot of globally distributed work, and virtual teams, and so forth. But hybrid work is not that and it’s not telecommuting, which we know a bit about. But it’s something that is a mix of these multiple different modes of working,” says Pamela Hinds , Fortinet Founders Chair and professor of ma...
Aug 19, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 38
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Stanford GSB Lecturer Robert Siegel sits down with Matt Abrahams to discuss the role of communication in helping businesses to adapt and transform and his new book The Brains and Brawn Company: How Leading Organizations Blend the Best of Digital and Physical Specifically . “You have to see how things are interacting with each other. You have to see how your organization is interacting both internally and externally. And so what we found is that great s...
Aug 05, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 37
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Sara Singe r, a professor of organizational behavior (by courtesy) at Stanford Graduate School of Business and a professor of medicine at Stanford School of Medicine, sits down with lecturer Matt Abrahams to discuss the role of open communication in high-performing teams. “Learning requires leadership that reinforces learning, a supportive environment, including especially psychological safety, but also an appreciation for differences when you’re worki...
Jul 15, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 36
“I say sometimes that leadership is a journey into yourself. It’s self-renewal, self-reflection, self-confidence. It’s going to bed kind of scratching your head and saying, “Man, I’m not as good,” and waking up the next morning and trying it again — and I think that’s what matters.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , former CEO of General Electric and Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer Jeff Immelt sits down with lecturer Matt Abrahams to discuss communicating during times of ...
Jun 25, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 35
“Simple language, forceful language, vivid language, and keeping it simple and direct,” says Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer , are all tools to increase the strength of your communication. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , host and lecturer Matt Abrahams interviews Jeffrey Pfeffer, author of Dying for a Paycheck , about the verbal and nonverbal ways we can harness, or give away, our authority in communication. To hear more from Jeffrey, listen to Pfeffer on Power , a podcast about accelerati...
Jun 03, 2021•20 min•Season 2Ep. 34
“There’s no difference between the physiological response to something that you’re excited about and something that you’re nervous about or dreading,” says Andrew Huberman , associate professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University. In this podcast episode, Huberman talks with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams about his research on the autonomic continuum, a spectrum between states of very high alertness or fear, all the way down to deep sleep, and shares how to better-use the s...
May 13, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 33
“Communication is such a delicate dance and kids need to emerge from childhood having practiced,” says Julie Lythcott-Haims , former associate vice provost of undergraduate education Stanford University. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams sits down with Lythcott-Haims to discuss her new book, Your Turn: How to be an Adult , and ideas on how to communicate with young people so they feel empowered to take on the various (and often intimidating) duti...
Apr 22, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 32
It has been over a year since millions of people have switched from office work to working from home. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and host Matt Abrahams highlights guests’ top takeaways on how to best communicate, share information, and cultivate a professional presence though the screen. “I think we have to find ways to reduce cognitive overload,” says Professor and Senior Associate Dean Sarah Soule . “I now offer my information in much smaller pieces interspersed with ...
Apr 16, 2021•10 min•Season 2Ep. 31
“Communication, conflict, and cooperation are intertwined in a multitude of ways,” says Nir Halevy , associate professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Halevy sits down with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams, to discuss how we can often solve conflicts and disagreements by employing the correct strategy in our communication. “How you articulate a particular grievance, your choice of words, the nonverbal aspects of you...
Mar 31, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 30
The information you receive is only as strong as the questions you ask. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturers Matt Abrahams and Debra Schifrin discuss how to craft inquiries that can lead to better communication outcomes. Questions are also instrumental in building relationships, Schifrin points out. “If you’re asking questions, you’re signaling to the other person that you value them. You’re taking time to listen to their answers.” Connect: P...
Mar 11, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Recognizing the importance of forging connections with others — and learning how to build those bonds in real time — is the focus of a course that’s been the most popular elective at Stanford GSB for decades: Interpersonal Dynamics. The iconic course has taught thousands of students and professionals what it means to have exceptional relationships and how to interact with others in a way that contributes to deeper, stronger connections. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and po...
Feb 18, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 28
“Psychology trumps technology,” says Jeff Hancock , founding director of the Stanford Social Media Lab and professor in the Department of Communication at Stanford. “If you want to understand what's going on in social media, the first place to start is with what's going on psychologically.” On the latest episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams sits down with Professor Hancock, to talk about the communication tendencies, styles, and mistakes of social media use...
Jan 28, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 27
“The reader is impatient,” says Glenn Kramon , Stanford GSB lecturer in management and editor at the New York Times. “Start with the most important conclusion and then explain how you got there.” On the latest episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams sits down with Glenn Kramon to talk about just how important our writing is — from a lengthy report to the opening line of an email. Listen as they discuss tips on improving your writing skills and share examples o...
Jan 08, 2021•22 min•Season 2Ep. 26
As we look back on more than 20 interviews with Think Fast, Talk Smart guests, we’ve heard one piece of advice over and again: Know Your Audience. This wisdom echoes what research clearly shows: Content that is relevant and meaningful to an audience is more likely to be heard, retained and acted upon. The word communication comes from the Latin for to “make common,” yet many of us start our message from the wrong place. As lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams shares in this Quick Thinks episo...
Dec 04, 2020•8 min•Season 2Ep. 25
“Something like 90 to 95% of our decisions and behaviors are constantly being shaped the non-consciously by emotional brain system.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Professor of Marketing Baba Shiv sits down with lecturer and host Matt Abrahams to share his research on how emotions affect our, and our audience’s, decision making. “You’ve got to pay careful attention to the audience that you’re talking to and allow the person to talk,” Shiv says. “Allow the person to talk because then...
Nov 20, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 24
