As Professor Jesper Sørensen sees it, a winning strategy is the result of conversations, not commands. Sørensen says strategy can be directed from the C-suite, but it doesn’t have to be. “Lots of great strategies are discovered,” he says, “they're discovered because the leaders were able to listen to their frontline workers or their frontline managers.” A more iterative approach, says Sørensen, helps companies adapt their strategy to an ever-changing landscape. In the latest episode of Think Fas...
Nov 08, 2022•26 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast What’s the secret to coming up with good ideas? For Jeremy Utley , it’s about generating as many as possible. The director of executive education at the Stanford d.school, Utley says, “very few problems we face in business or in life have a single right answer.” All ideas — the good, the bad, and the ugly — are “a necessary input to an innovation process,” and an essential step in getting to solutions that will actually work. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Utley and host Matt Abraha...
Oct 25, 2022•23 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast Stress, anxiety, nervousness — when these feelings inevitably arise, lecturer Kelly McGonigal says it’s not about making them go away, but using them to your advantage. “What I have come to value about anxiety,” says McGonigal, “is it’s a sign that I care.” As she explains, feelings of stress alert us to things that matter to us and help us stay present in the moment — particularly useful, she says, when it comes to communication. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , McGonigal and host Ma...
Oct 11, 2022•27 min•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast As the dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business, Dean Jon Levin knows the importance of crafting the right message and sharing it in the right way. But, as he says, one of the biggest challenges for any leader is to know what to communicate, and how. How do leaders strike the balance between being clear and directive, and as Levin says, “leaving space for people to form their own opinions, to discuss ideas, to debate”? He joins host and lecturer of strategic communications Matt Abrahams to d...
Sep 27, 2022•20 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast Why do we drive on only one side of the road? Why don’t we sing in libraries? Why wear a swimsuit? For Professor Michele Gelfand , it all comes down to culture. As a cross-cultural psychologist, Gelfand is fascinated by social environments and their effects on human behavior, particularly, how strictly people adhere to social norms. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Gelfand joins host and lecturer of strategic communications Matt Abrahams to explain why some cultures are “tight” and “h...
Sep 13, 2022•21 min•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast “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 “Best of” episode, we revisit one of our most popular interviews. In it, Huberman, from the wildly popular Huberman Lab Podcast , shares his research on the autonomic continuum, a spectrum between states of high alertness or fear all the way ...
Aug 30, 2022•31 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast “We need to be much more adaptive in the way we think about hybrid work,” says Michael Arena . “Experiment, experiment, experiment.” Innovation relies on teams connecting in very specific ways. But are those connections possible in a hybrid work reality? Glenn Carroll , a professor of management at Stanford GSB, and Michael Arena, a faculty member of Penn's Master's in Organizational Dynamics program, have been looking for the answer — studying how team interactions have changed since millions o...
Aug 16, 2022•23 min•Ep 65•Transcript available on Metacast How others perceive us in person and via social media can impact our careers and social standing. But we can build the reputation we want through conscious communication. On this episode, strategic communication lecturers Matt Abrahams and Allison Kluger share techniques on effectively improving and managing your reputation. Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Th...
Aug 02, 2022•20 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast Your words — are they credible? Or are they what Paul Oyer calls “cheap talk?” According to professor of economics Paul Oyer, how our words align with our actions isn’t just a matter of communication, but a matter of economics too. Economic concepts hold in all areas of life, which Oyer’s research has explored in everything from Uber driving to online dating. “Economics is everywhere,” Oyer says. “It's an incredibly powerful lens to analyze almost anything in the real world.” Join Matt Abrahams,...
Jul 18, 2022•20 min•Ep 63•Transcript available on Metacast In the kickoff to our Summer Learning Series, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes. This interview features Stanford GSB faculty members Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas and gives specific insights into how humor can transform your communication at home and at work. At the time of this episode, their book Humor, Seriously was just set to launch. Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Epis...
Jul 05, 2022•32 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast All communication comes from a place of creativity and creativity is rooted in design. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , strategic communications lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams interviews four authors from the Stanford d.school. Each conversation challenges convention in how we approach our communication, be it visual, body language, or speech. Listen to this episode to hear more from Ashish Goel , author of Drawing on Courage ; Susie Wise , author of Design for Belonging ; Ca...
Jun 21, 2022•36 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast “It's not reassuring when we don't know the answers to critically important questions involved in health and wellbeing. But it's far more of a problem if we try to pretend we do.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Stanford Medical School dean Lloyd Minor sits down with podcast host Matt Abrahams to discuss transparency in leadership. “Rather than pushing ambiguity away, we should lean into it, and use it as a stimulus to guide our communication in more effective ways.” They also discus...
Jun 07, 2022•18 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast Why do we do what we do? What factors drive us? And how do things like competition with others help us achieve our goals? These are the questions most interesting to Szu-chi Huang , an associate professor of marketing with a specific interest in motivation. “Competition definitely increases motivation,” says Huang. “It makes attaining the goal more valuable.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Huang and host Matt Abrahams explore the intersection of human psychology, behavior, and goal ...
May 24, 2022•21 min•Ep 59•Transcript available on Metacast In relationships between imperfect people, mistakes are inevitable. And when we find ourselves with damaged connections, it’s a specific kind of communication that can help us make amends. Fred Luskin is the Director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Project, and has devoted much of his career to researching the way forgiveness affects our psychological, relational, and physical health. “Apology is one of the few things that research shows actually facilitates forgiveness,” Luskin explains....
May 10, 2022•19 min•Ep 58•Transcript available on Metacast “Listening actively and deeply happens when I genuinely believe that the person who's speaking has intrinsic worth and brings a perspective that I lack and need.” This episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart features Kristin Hansen , lecturer in management and executive director of Civic Health Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to reduce extreme polarization and foster healthier civil discourse in U.S. citizenry, politics, and media. Together with host Matt Abrahams, Hansen shares...
Apr 26, 2022•18 min•Ep 57•Transcript available on Metacast “Anyone can make a complicated thing sound complicated. It takes real skill to make it sound simple.” This episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart features Steve Blank , seasoned entrepreneur, marketer, and Stanford adjunct professor in the Department of Management Science and Engineering. “Messages need to be memorable,” he tells podcast host and strategic communications lecturer Matt Abrahams. “The more memorable the message, the greater its ability to create change.” Blank teaches courses on Lean S...
Apr 12, 2022•21 min•Ep 56•Transcript available on Metacast “Very often, you are not designing for yourself. And you kind of have to get out of your own way to effectively design with others’ needs in mind.” In this podcast episode, lecturer Matt Abrahams is joined by Sarah Stein Greenberg , Director of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, aka the Stanford d.school , and author of Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways . Together, Greenberg and Abrahams discuss how design and communication require seein...
Mar 29, 2022•21 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast “A mistake that some leaders make is to assume that the people in your organization share your core values. Some of the time some of them do, but there's a bunch who don't, and those are the most difficult sorts of situations.” In this episode, Political Science professors Neil Malhotra and Ken Shotts sit down with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams, to discuss how to lead others whose values may not align with your own. “The most effective thing you can do is to understand the other person's story...
Mar 15, 2022•25 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast “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•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast 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 >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>> Li...
Feb 16, 2022•22 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast 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•13 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast “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•20 min•Ep 50•Transcript available on Metacast “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•19 min•Ep 49•Transcript available on Metacast “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•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast “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•9 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast “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•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast 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•15 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast "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•20 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast “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•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast 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•24 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast 
