All too often, we communicate without really connecting. The key to building deep connections with others, says David Brooks , is to make them feel seen and heard. Brooks is a writer for the New York Times , the Atlantic , and the best-selling author of several books. In his latest, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen , he explores how vulnerability — both being vulnerable ourselves and creating space for others to be as well — is the key to fostering deep...
Feb 13, 2024•25 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast Join Matt Abrahams engaging with his international audience and answering questions that touch upon some of today's most pressing communication challenges. Matt offers advice on everything from the nuances of crafting clear, impactful questions and navigating emotional dynamics in group settings to maintaining control during presentations and delivering difficult news. Additionally, listeners are treated to innovative strategies for creating memorable introductions and managing disruptive behavi...
Feb 08, 2024•21 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast Matt takes live questions from his worldwide audience and shares a lesson around concision, relevance, accessibly, and precision in messaging. In this "masterclass," he emphasizes the communicator's role as a translator who simplifies complex information for diverse audiences. Key takeaways include the careful use of analogies, considering cultural backgrounds and audience understanding, and providing techniques for chunking information into understandable segments. Additionally, the episode del...
Feb 06, 2024•24 min•Ep 127•Transcript available on Metacast If we want to generate better ideas, then we need to get people back to the office. In this bonus meetings mini-series episode, we feature an episode from the newest podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business – If/Then: Business, Leadership, Society. In this conversation with senior editor Kevin Cool , Professor of Marketing and former TFTS guest Jonathan Levav details his study of remote work and creativity. “Pairs that worked face-to-face generated 15 to 20% more ideas than pairs that w...
Jan 30, 2024•35 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast Whether you’re giving a toast or presenting in a meeting, communication is critical to success in business and in life. Join Matt Abrahams, a lecturer of Strategic Communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business, as he sits down with experts in the field to discuss real-world communication challenges. How do I send my message clearly when put on the spot? How do I give better feedback? How can I easily convey complex information? How do I manage my reputation? How do I manage my anxiety in...
Jan 29, 2024•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast How can we make meetings more effective? How can we keep people engaged and interested? Whether it’s in person or on Zoom, here are a few techniques you can use to make your gatherings more meaningful, productive, and memorable. Get practical tools and actionable insights to actually make meetings matter, as well as knowing when NOT to have a meeting. Join Matt Abrahams in a dynamic conversation with Elise Keith , an expert on effective meetings and communication. Elise explains the three main c...
Jan 23, 2024•25 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast Delve into why people hate meetings, explore what hinders their effectiveness, and how to change that. Karin Reed (Emmy Award winner) and Joe Allen (“The Meeting Doctor”) join Matt Abrahams in the first of a two-part series that aims to reshape your approach to meetings and help you make them effective and meaningful, whether in person, virtual or hybrid. They shed light on the constraints hindering effective meetings, and explore strategies for optimizing meetings, emphasizing the importance of...
Jan 16, 2024•27 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast The information you receive is only as strong as the questions you ask. This week we revisit Matt's discussion with Debra Schifrin about 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: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email ...
Jan 09, 2024•26 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast Research-backed techniques on how to beat nervousness in the moment. In this episode, Matt uses clips from experts from previous Think Fast Talk Smart episodes to provide you with several communication anxiety management techniques to help you feel more comfortable and confident when you communicate. And as a guide to help us learn these techniques, he introduces the ABCs of anxiety management. Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback ...
Jan 02, 2024•17 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast We have to be vulnerable in order to build trust in our relationships. But as Jacob Morgan says, “Vulnerability for leaders is not the same as it is for everybody else.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Morgan shares with host Matt Abrahams his “vulnerable leadership equation” and how leaders can use it to transform the way they interact with others — creating more trust, unlocking people’s potential, and building successful teams and organizations. As Morgan explains, owning up to yo...
Dec 26, 2023•23 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast Matt reflects on all the advice we've heard this season and shares the top 10 takeaways that he’s applying to his own communication: Episode Reference Links: Jonah Berger: episode 80 Rachel Greenwald: episode 89 Dan Pink: episode 92 Vanessa Patrick: episode 95 Carmine Gallo: episode 103 Katy Milkman: episode 104 Kim Scott: episode 105 Francis Frei: episode 109 Patrick McGinnis: episode 113 Julian Treasure: episode 114 Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Q...
Dec 19, 2023•17 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast “Stress is natural,” says Alia Crum , an assistant professor of psychology at Stanford. “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.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams talks with Crum about her work as the principal investigator at the Stanford Mind & Body Lab , ...
Dec 12, 2023•26 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast What comes to people’s minds when they think about you, and can you control it? Dorie Clark says you can — with the power of your personal brand. According to Clark, “You have brand equity in your own life.” Your personal brand or reputation, she says, “makes things either easier or harder for you” as you pursue your personal and professional goals. The key question, she says, is “What kind of reputation have you built up?” By taking stock of the personal brand you have, you can redefine it to a...
Dec 05, 2023•25 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast Communication is about so much more than sharing words. As neuroscientist Shane O’Mara explains, communication is about sharing reality. According to O’Mara, “A conversation is where we create a shared reality together.” As a professor of experimental brain research at Trinity College Dublin, his research has focused on how human brains sync up through communication. “The essence is that we are creating a shared reality where we come to share the same states of emotion, the same states of memory...
Nov 28, 2023•21 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast Even if you don’t think you’re a natural, anyone can become proficient at the art of small talk by utilizing the right tactics and behaviors. In this collaboration with Harvard Business Review, strategic communications lecturer Matt Abrahams shares his tips and techniques for cocktail party chit chat, networking small talk, and holiday dinner-table conversation. Watch the full video on HBR's YouTube channel . Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions ...
Nov 21, 2023•13 min•Ep 116•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 ...
Nov 14, 2023•22 min•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast We should all be audience-centric in communication. But, as Julian Treasure contests, we need to take it one step further. What is the listening I am speaking into? , he says, is the question every speaker should ask themselves over and over. "Every human being’s listening is unique ... we listen through a set of filters and those filters develop as we grow and mature in life and we have experiences. Knowing where the person is coming from, you'll be able to sense their listening." Treasure, an ...
Nov 07, 2023•31 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast What if you had that job? What if you were with that person? What if there’s a better option out there? If you find yourself asking these questions, Patrick McGinnis invented the term for what you’re experiencing: FOMO. First coined by McGinnis in a piece published by the Harvard Business School newspaper, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) describes the anxiety we feel when thinking that other people are having more fun and living more fulfilling lives than we are. As McGinnis says, “We are constantly ...
Oct 31, 2023•22 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast This episode we're sharing an excerpt from Matt Abrahams's audiobook, Think Faster, Talk Smarter . Listen in as Matt explains how to think like a movie director, where a mistake isn't a grave error, but rather a "missed takes" and an opportunity to try again with a new approach. This audio excerpt is courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio from THINK FASTER, TALK SMARTER by Matt Abrahams, read by the author. Copyright 2023 by Matthew Abrahams LLC. Used with permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc...
Oct 24, 2023•18 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast “Sparking communication starts with asking why or what or how.” On this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Tina Seelig , the Professor of the Practice at Stanford’s department of management science and engineering and the executive director of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, chats with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams about the importance of asking questions about everything we do. “Having a mindset of curiosity opens the door to great communication,” Seelig says. “The more questions you a...
Oct 16, 2023•26 min•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast Whatever you’re writing, Todd Rogers says most people are too busy to read it. That’s why, he says, “you want to make it as easy as possible for them." Rogers is a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the author of the book Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World . From text messages to fundraising letters to political speeches, Rogers says effective writing makes it “easy for busy readers to navigate what we send them, pull ...
Oct 10, 2023•28 min•Ep 110•Transcript available on Metacast You said it. But did they hear it? For Frances Frei , communication is about saying things simply enough for an audience to truly understand. As a professor of technology and operations management at Harvard Business School, Frei knows that shaping culture within organizations requires communicating in ways that influence how people think and act. The problem for many leaders, she says, is that when we “understand something deeply, we describe it in a complicated way. If you want broad influence...
Oct 03, 2023•26 min•Ep 109•Transcript available on Metacast If you’re reading from your notes, you're going to miss the magic of the moment. That’s why Adam Tobin , Dan Klein , and Patricia Ryan Madsen bring improv techniques to all their communication. Communication experts in their respective fields of media, performance, and drama, Tobin, Klein, and Madsen all see the immense power of improv in helping us communicate more freely. As Tobin says, "You do the preparation so that you are expert in the material. And then you let go of the specific delivery...
Sep 26, 2023•35 min•Ep 108•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, executive producer Jenny Luna interviews host and strategic communications lecturer Matt Abrahams about the tips and tools in his new book, Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot 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 >>> F...
Sep 19, 2023•22 min•Ep 107•Transcript available on Metacast In January of 2020 we launched Think Fast Talk Smart with the goal of helping people improve their communication skills. Now, with more than 100 episodes and an engaged audience tuning in from more than 200 countries, we're proud to take you back to the very first episode, where the magic began. As we've discussed multiple times on the show, most professional communication is spontaneous in nature. It’s providing feedback in the moment, answering questions, introducing people. On this inaugural ...
Sep 12, 2023•24 min•Ep 106•Transcript available on Metacast Moving forward in our careers often means giving and receiving feedback. But how candid can we be in communicating with others? For Kim Scott , anything less than radical just isn’t enough. An executive, speaker, author, and executive coach, Scott is known for her concept of Radical Candor , which she defines as “caring personally and challenging directly at the same time." By mapping communication onto the axes of caring and challenging, she derives four quadrants of feedback behavior: radical ...
Sep 05, 2023•35 min•Ep 105•Transcript available on Metacast "We're wired to look for the path of least resistance and efficiency, and that's normally a good thing, but it can get in the way when we want to make a change," says Wharton professor Katy Milkman . Through her research on decision making and in her recent book How to Change: The Science of Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want To Be , Milkman examines the many barriers we create for ourselves when it comes to achieving goals. "Who you surround yourself [is important] with because we hav...
Aug 29, 2023•26 min•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast The best communicators express ideas simply. And to do that, says Carmine Gallo, “you have to connect with people in a language they understand.” Gallo is an author, communication coach, and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. For him, the cornerstone of good communication is empathizing with an audience enough to truly speak their language. “Think about the audience first,” he says. “If you cannot speak the same language to different stakeholders and adapt the language for those ...
Aug 22, 2023•24 min•Ep 103•Transcript available on Metacast What does it take to have a presence that’s felt by those around us? According to Muriel Wilkins, the answer is simple: Be present. “Having presence, at the root of it, [is] your ability to be present,” says Wilkins, a C-suite advisor, executive coach, and host of the HBR podcast, Coaching Real Leaders . Working with some of the business world’s top brass, Wilkins helps leaders discover how they can use presence to communicate more effectively, lead more authentically, and create more impact in ...
Aug 15, 2023•25 min•Ep 102•Transcript available on Metacast When it comes to emotional and physical wellbeing, Psychology professor Geoffrey Cohen says there is one healthy behavior that outweighs the others: authentic connection. “It is really, really important,” he says. Deep connections with other people are foundational to a happy and healthy life. As Cohen explores in his new book, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides , achieving a sense of belonging isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s essential. “That sense of connection ...
Aug 08, 2023•24 min•Ep 101•Transcript available on Metacast 
