Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart

Overview
Episodes

Details

Join Matt Abrahams, a lecturer of Strategic Communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business, every Tuesday 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. Learn more & sign up for our eNewsletter: https://fastersmarter.io

Recent Episodes

Launching: Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
NOV 14, 2024
Launching: Think Fast Talk Smart Premium

Introducing our new Premium membership, designed to enhance communication and career skills with expanded content and tools. Enjoy early access to live events, AMAs (Ask Matt Anything), EQuips—Essential Quick Insight Playlists—Extended Deep Thinks episodes, and the AI Chat Matt tool.

The focus is on building a global community where members can connect, share insights, and receive feedback. A portion of membership fees will support charities dedicated to developing communication skills worldwide.
Register before November 21st to receive a 25% discount and join the exclusive Founders Club.


Connect:

play-circle
2 MIN
168. How Story Can Change Everything in Your Career
NOV 12, 2024
168. How Story Can Change Everything in Your Career

Join TFTS Premium - Launching this week


Make your message memorable.

“Immediately forgettable” — that’s how Matthew Dicks describes most of the business communication that he encounters. If you want to be remembered, he says, it’s time to tell stories.

A veteran elementary school teacher, storytelling coach, and best-selling author, Dicks knows how the right narrative can transform mundane messages into stories that stick. In his book, Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling, he explores how to capture and hold an audience’s attention, which is particularly critical for business leaders. "When we tell a story about a product or service, the people we work with, our company, we become memorable and interesting and entertaining in a way that doesn't happen very often in business," he says.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Dicks and host Matt Abrahams discuss practical techniques for crafting compelling narratives, from setting a scene to creating suspense. “Don’t build a building. Don’t buy a machine,” he says. Becoming a better storyteller is one of the most effective ways to level up. “It’s a crazy thing for businesses,” he says.

Episode Reference Links:


Connect:


Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (02:01) - Why Storytelling Matters in Business
  • (03:37) - The Essence of a Good Story
  • (05:38) - Become a Better Storyteller
  • (07:18) - Using Suspense in Stories
  • (09:24) - Suspense in Business Communication
  • (11:26) - Structuring Stories Like Scenes
  • (13:35) - Relating Stories to Life
  • (16:02) - Homework for Life
  • (18:42) - Storytelling Delivery
  • (19:49) - The Final Three Questions
  • (23:54) - Conclusion
play-circle
25 MIN
167. Hollywood Lessons For Successful Communication
NOV 5, 2024
167. Hollywood Lessons For Successful Communication

Join TFTS Premium - Launching this week


Beyond the Big Screen.

Every business meeting, product launch, or marketing communication has something in common with your favorite movie: they all succeed or fail based on their ability to make you feel something. Just ask Jeff Small, CEO of Amblin Partners.

"Good stories win," says Small, who leads one of the world's most renowned independent film and television companies alongside Steven Spielberg. As both a business leader and storytelling expert, Small knows that successful communication is built on person-to-person connection through the power of story. "Whatever walk of life you're in, you have to be able to tell a story to connect with people, to get across the message that you're trying to get across."

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Small joins host Matt Abrahams to share insights from his experience at the intersection of creativity and commerce, unpacking how effective storytelling can transform your communication, whether leading teams through industry disruption, resolving conflicts at work and at home, or creating films to inspire audiences for generations to come.


Episode Reference Links:


Connect:


Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (02:25) - What Makes a Good Story?
  • (03:18) - Bringing Emotion into Communication
  • (03:54) - Storytelling Across Professions
  • (05:58) - Crafting an Effective Story
  • (07:44) - Uniqueness in Storytelling
  • (08:47) - Balancing Creativity and Business
  • (10:16) - Managing Conflict with Connection
  • (12:05) - Screen Time and Family
  • (13:45) - Navigating Industry Change
  • (16:05) - The Final Three Questions
  • (22:30) - Conclusion
play-circle
23 MIN
166. Why Relying on Talent Alone Will Fail You
OCT 29, 2024
166. Why Relying on Talent Alone Will Fail You

Join TFTS Premium - Launching this week


Why practice is the key to success.

If there’s anyone who knows about performing under pressure, it’s former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck. Whether playing in front of thousands or presenting to ten, his key to success is practice.

"There's a romantic notion that you rise to the occasion," says Luck, a Stanford graduate and four-time Pro Bowl selection. "But I think you settle to the level of your training. We practiced those high-pressure situations all the time.” From calling critical game-winning plays to navigating communication off the field, our performance in high-stakes situations, Luck maintains, is determined by our level of preparation.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Luck and host Matt Abrahams explore how deliberate practice can help us hone our performance across all domains of our lives.  From managing high-pressure situations to building psychological safety in homes and workplaces, Luck shares insights gained from both sides of the field — as a player and now as a coach.

Episode Reference Links:


Connect:


Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (02:21) - Communication in High-Stress Situations
  • (04:31) - Staying Calm Under Pressure
  • (07:01) - Earning Leadership Through Respect
  • (08:24) - Overcoming Conflict Aversion
  • (09:31) - Decision to Retire from the NFL
  • (11:38) - Returning to Education
  • (13:16) - Life Lessons Through Coaching
  • (15:37) - The Final Three Questions
  • (18:45) - Conclusion
play-circle
20 MIN
165. Building Your Personal Brand Makes a Promise: Are You Keeping It?
OCT 22, 2024
165. Building Your Personal Brand Makes a Promise: Are You Keeping It?

Join TFTS Premium - Launching this week


Create more meaningful communication by defining your audience.
 
Before you even think about communicating a message, defining a brand, or developing a strategy, Seth Godin says you have to ask these questions: “Who’s it for? What’s it for? And what’s the change [you] seek to make?”

As a best-selling author, entrepreneur, and marketing expert, Godin understands that effective communication rests on purpose and intent. “Branding is not logoing,” he says, but a “promise” that an individual or company makes about who they are and what others can expect of them. By intentionally defining who we are and who our audience is, Godin argues we can create more meaningful connections and drive real change.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Godin and host Matt Abrahams explore how we can be more deliberate in our communication, using storytelling, clarity of messaging, and defining the impact we want to make on our audience and the world.

Episode Reference Links:


Connect:


Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (02:03) - Defining Branding and Marketing
  • (03:44) - The Role of Status in Podcast Growth
  • (05:53) - Storytelling as a Powerful Tool
  • (07:33) - The Smallest Viable Audience
  • (09:06) - Clarity in Messaging
  • (11:23) - Strategy Defined
  • (14:46) - Developing Effective Strategies
  • (17:22) - The Final Three Questions
  • (21:29) - Conclusion
 
play-circle
23 MIN