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.
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 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 ask, the more you learn, the more engaged you will be with others.”Think Fast, Talk Smart is a podcast produced by Stanford Graduate School of Business. Each episode provides concrete, easy-to-implement tools and techniques to help you hone and enhance your communication skills.For a full transcript of this episode, visit our website. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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 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 out the key information, and do what they are planning to do anyway, which is move on to the next thing.” This kind of writing, Rogers says, is “more effective for us, and kinder to readers.”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Rogers and host Matt Abrahams explore how to use structure, simplicity, and everyday vocabulary to write in a way that saves readers time and transmits ideas more effectively.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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 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 and persuasion, we have to understand it really deeply. And then describe it in a simple and compelling enough way that others can take action.”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Frei and host Matt Abrahams explore strategies for simpler communication, building and maintaining trust, and celebrating diverse perspectives within our teams. They also discuss takeaways from Frei's latest book, Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leaders' Guide to Solving Hard Problems.More resources:For a transcript of this episode, visit our website.Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leaders' Guide to Solving Hard ProblemsFixable, a podcast with Anne Francis and Frances FreiSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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 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 of the information in favor of being aware of what's going on now.” Madsen agrees, explaining that we don’t need all the answers, we just need to show up. “Step first,” she says, “then see where you are.”In this celebration of the 100th episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the three guests join host Matt Abrahams to discuss how improv can transform our communication in everything from small talk to work presentations, and help us create space where we feel safe enough to show up as our most authentic selves.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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 Successfully When You're Put on the Spot See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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 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 episode, Strategic Communication lecturer Matt Abrahams speaks with Stanford lecturers Adam Tobin and Dan Klein on how to become more comfortable and confident in in-the-moment speaking situations. For a full transcript of this episode, visit the podcast webpage. You can also find this podcast on YouTube.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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, 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 candor, obnoxious aggression, manipulative insincerity, and ruinous empathy.In this episode of Think Fast Talk Smart, Scott shares how we can all move our communication into the radical candor quadrant, “to learn what we don't know and to help other people learn what they don't know.”More ResourcesKim Scott, personal website and on LinkedInThe Radical Candor podcastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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 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 have a tendency to conform to the people around us," she says. "And if we are surrounded by people who show us our limitations, that can be a barrier."On this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast, host Matt Abrahams sits down with Milkman to further explore her research into human behavior and decision making, motivation, and tools we can use to make real change. More resourcesFor a full transcript, visit this episode's webpage.Bob Cialdini, "Change My Mind: Using “Pre-suasion” to Influence Others"Szu-Chi Huang, "From Dreaming to Doing: How We Set and Achieve Goals"Jonah Berger, "Magic Words: Change What You Say to Inspire and Influence Others"See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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 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 different stakeholders, you’ll never get anything done.”On this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Gallo and host Matt Abrahams discuss how we can simplify our language and weave relevant stories to translate and tailor our communication for our audience.For a full transcript of this episode visit the podcast's website. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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 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 their organizations.In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Wilkins and host Matt Abrahams explore communication strategies that leaders and individuals can use to improve their presence and show up more authentically to work and life.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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 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 is so woven into our DNA that if we don't have it, we suffer,” he says. “Not having that sense of connection with other people does great biological damage and seems to be one of the major contributors to disease and mortality."As Cohen and host Matt Abrahams explore in this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, effective communication is the tool we need to build strong connections with others and enjoy a deep sense of belonging.More resourcesFor a full transcript of this interview, visit the episode web page.@15min, Matt mentions an episode with Robert Cialdini.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Shut Up! How to Communicate Better by Talking Less
What does it take to be a more effective communicator? According to Dan Lyons, it starts with knowing when to shut your mouth.As a journalist, author, and screenwriter, Lyons knows a thing or two about wielding words. But as he reveals in his book, STFU: The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in an Endlessly Noisy World, most of us talk too much and listen too little. “A great conversation is about listening. And it probably involves you talking less,” he says.In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Lyons and host Matt Abrahams explore how to stop over-talking, emphasizing the value of active listening, asking good questions, and giving others space to speak.For a full transcript of this episode, visit our website. More Resourceshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/realdanlyons/https://www.amazon.com/STFU-Power-Keeping-Mouth-Talking-ebook/dp/B09X427GK8See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Best of: How to Handle Challenging Conversations
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 during tough discussions.“There’s often a lot more focus on the skill set on delivering emotion than receiving emotion, but if the receiver of emotion can put themselves in a place of curiosity, agency, and openness … it opens up a whole new world of possibilities.”Dobbs is an executive coach and teaches several courses, including Interpersonal Dynamics and Leadership Labs. For a full transcript of the interview, visit this episode's web page.Think Fast, Talk Smart is a podcast produced by Stanford Graduate School of Business. Each episode provides concrete, easy-to-implement tools and techniques to help you hone and enhance your communication skills.More ResourcesBuilding Successful Relationships: How to Effectively Communicate in Your Professional and Personal LifeHow to Build Better RelationshipsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Give It to Me Straight: The Power of Honest, Constructive Feedback
How do we deal with professional blind spots? According to David Dodson, MBA ’87, we need the panoramic perspective of those who work around us.“360 reviews, done properly, are a massive competitive weapon,” says Dodson, also a lecturer in management at Stanford GSB. Such comprehensive and constructive feedback, he says, can be transformational for employees and managers alike. “The first time I did a 360 review and got feedback was a massive turning point in my development as a manager,” he says. “Had I not had 360 feedback, I probably would have gone a decade or more with ineffective technique.”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Dodson shares valuable insights and actionable advice for individuals in leadership and management roles, highlighting the importance of effective communication and feedback in achieving success.For a full transcript of this interview, visit the episode web page.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
No Rules, No Trust: How Accountability Shapes Communication
Communication is like a game. For it to work, each person has to trust that their partner will play by the rules. As Professor Anat Admati says, the same is true for corporations and their stakeholders.“To have good governance, you need trust and accountability,” says Admati, a professor of finance and economics and the director of the Corporations and Society Initiative. How does a society ensure that markets, businesses, and governments are all on the same page? As Admati says, “We need rules. I can commit to you that I won’t harm you because something bad will happen to me if I [do].”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Admati joins host Matt Abrahams to discuss how communication forms a bedrock of trust that can align markets, businesses, and governments — for more accountable capitalism and a healthier society.More resourcesFor a full transcript of this episode, visit our the podcast's website.Anat Admati Anat Admati: The Economist Who Said “The Bankers Have No Clothes”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.