podcast image for Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
Description

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 challenges.

How do I send my message clearly when put on the spot? How do I write emails to get my point across? How can I easily convey complex information? How do I manage my reputation? Whether you’re giving a toast or presenting in a meeting, communication is critical to success in business and in life.

Think Fast, Talk Smart provides the tools, techniques, and best practices to help you communicate more effectively.


Episodes
  • 2024 / 3 / 26
    135. Best of: The Personal and Professional Power of Emotional Awareness

    Why deep connection with others starts by connecting more deeply with ourselves.How are you feeling right now? According to Celine Teoh, we all need to ask ourselves that question more often — and be more...

  • 2024 / 3 / 19
    134. How to Chat with Bots: The Secrets to Getting the Information You Need from AI

    Leveraging AI to unlock new levels of creativity and communication innovationJoin Matt Abrahams with creativity and innovation experts Jeremy Utley and Kian Gohar to explore the transformative potential of AI...

  • 2024 / 3 / 12
    133. From Good to Super: How Supercommunicators Unlock the Language of Connection

    The ways supercommunicators operate and how to emulate their techniques.Across more than 130 episodes, Think Fast, Talk Smart has touched a lot on what it takes to be a good communicator. But what about...

  • 2024 / 3 / 5
    132. Lean Into Failure: How to Make Mistakes That Work

    Effective and productive teams and relationships are based on the ability to communicate safely and to fail successfully. In this episode, Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School and author of...

  • 2024 / 2 / 27
    131. Friction Fixing: How to Use Obstacles to Your Advantage

    Why resistance isn’t always a bad thing.Friction — that’s Professor Huggy Rao’s metaphor for the forces that hamper workplace efficiency. But as he says, some friction can be helpful — if you know how to use...

  • 2024 / 2 / 20
    130. Best Of: How to Maintain a Powerful Presence in Your Communication

    “Simple language, forceful language, vivid language, and keeping it simple and direct,” says Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, are all powerful tools to strengthen your communication.Host and Stanford Graduate...

  • 2024 / 2 / 13
    129. Connect Deeply: How to Communicate So People Feel Seen and Heard

    New York Times Opinion columnist David Brooks shares how to communicate so that others feel seen, heard, and understood.All too often, we communicate without really connecting. The key to building deep...

  • 2024 / 2 / 8
    128. Four Powerful Principles, Pt 2: Your Questions Answered

    Matt takes live questions from his worldwide audience.Join Matt Abrahams engaging with his international audience and answering questions that touch upon some of today's most pressing communication...

  • 2024 / 2 / 6
    127. Four Principles of Powerful, Focused Communication, Pt. 1

    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...

  • 2024 / 1 / 30
    126. Making Meetings Meaningful, BONUS: When Face-to-Face Meetings Matter

    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...

  • 2024 / 1 / 29
    Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast (A Sound Bite!)

    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...

  • 2024 / 1 / 23
    125. Making Meetings Meaningful, Pt. 2: Key Ingredients for Effective Meetings

    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,...

  • 2024 / 1 / 16
    124. Making Meetings Meaningful, Pt. 1: How to Structure and Organize More Effective Gatherings

    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...

  • 2024 / 1 / 9
    123. Best Of: Why Curiosity Is Communication’s Secret Weapon

    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....

  • 2024 / 1 / 2
    122. How To Be More Confident and Calm in Your Communication: Managing the "ABC’s" of Communication Anxiety

    Research-backed techniques on how to beat nervousness in the moment. In this episode, Matt uses clips from experts from previous TFTS episodes to provide you with several communication anxiety management...

  • 2023 / 12 / 26
    121. Building trust and connection: How to lead with vulnerability

    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...

  • 2023 / 12 / 19
    120. A Few of Matt’s Favorite Things: 10 Communication Takeaways from 2023's TFTS Episodes

    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:(00:00) Matt's Introduction(00:42) Jonah Berger: episode 80(02:09) Rachel...

  • 2023 / 12 / 12
    119. Best Of: How to Embrace the Benefits of Stress

    “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...

  • 2023 / 12 / 5
    118. Maximizing your Personal Brand: Communicating Who You Are to Help Get What You Want

    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.”...

  • 2023 / 11 / 28
    117. Say It, See It: How to Connect Through Conversation

    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...

  • 2023 / 11 / 21
    116. Quick Thinks: Don't Sweat the Small Talk

    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...

  • 2023 / 11 / 14
    Best of: How We Set and Achieve Goals

    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...

  • 2023 / 11 / 14
    115. Best of: How We Set and Achieve Goals

    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...

  • 2023 / 11 / 7
    Communication Means Paying Attention: The Four Pillars of Active Listening

    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...

  • 2023 / 11 / 7
    114. Communication Means Paying Attention: The Four Pillars of Active Listening

    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...

  • 2023 / 10 / 31
    Missing Something? How to Kick FOMO with Conscious Decision-Making

    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...

  • 2023 / 10 / 31
    113. Missing Something? How to Kick FOMO with Conscious Decision-Making

    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...

  • 2023 / 10 / 24
    112. From Mistakes to "Missed Takes"

    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...

  • 2023 / 10 / 24
    From Mistakes to "Missed Takes"

    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...

  • 2023 / 10 / 16
    111. Best Of: How to Spark Creativity in Your Communication

    “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...

  • 2023 / 10 / 16
    Best Of: How to Spark Creativity in Your Communication

    “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...

  • 2023 / 10 / 10
    110. Write It Well: How to Craft an Email to Capture Busy Readers

    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...

  • 2023 / 10 / 10
    TL;DR: How to Write to Capture Busy Readers

    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...

  • 2023 / 10 / 3
    Simplify! How to Communicate Complex Ideas Simply and Effectively

    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...

  • 2023 / 10 / 3
    109. Simplify! How to Communicate Complex Ideas Simply and Effectively

    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...

  • 2023 / 9 / 26
    All In: How Improv Helps You Show Up and Communicate Well

    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...

  • 2023 / 9 / 26
    108. All In: How Improv Helps You Show Up and Communicate Well

    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...

  • 2023 / 9 / 19
    Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot

    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...

  • 2023 / 9 / 19
    107. Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot

    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...

  • 2023 / 9 / 12
    Best Of: Using Skills From Improv to Master Your In-The-Moment Communication

    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...

  • 2023 / 9 / 12
    106. Best Of: Using Skills From Improv to Master Your In-The-Moment Communication

    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...

  • 2023 / 9 / 5
    105. Radical Candor: The Communication Shift That Can Transform Your Career

    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,...

  • 2023 / 9 / 5
    Radical Candor: The Communication Shift That Can Transform Your Career

    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,...

  • 2023 / 8 / 29
    104. How to Change: Building Better Habits and Behaviors (And Getting Out of Your Own Way)

    "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...

  • 2023 / 8 / 29
    How to Change: Building Better Habits and Behaviors (And Getting Out of Your Own Way)

    "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...

  • 2023 / 8 / 22
    103. Simple Is a Superpower: How to Communicate Any Idea to Any Audience

    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...

  • 2023 / 8 / 22
    Simple Is a Superpower: How to Communicate Any Idea to Any Audience

    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...

  • 2023 / 8 / 15
    Create a Presence: How to Communicate in a Way Others Can Feel

    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...

  • 2023 / 8 / 15
    102. Create a Presence: How to Communicate in a Way Others Can Feel

    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...

  • 2023 / 8 / 8
    We Belong Together: How Communication Fuels Connection and Community

    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...