Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

“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 r...

“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 prog...

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 Em...

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....

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 >>>> T...

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 mo...

“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 i...

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 Sm...

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. “Apol...

“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 civ...

“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 m...

“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 Uncon...

“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 no...

“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 f...

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 Si...

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 Si...

“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 situat...

“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 wo...

“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...

“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...

“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 po...

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 commun...

"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 ho...

“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 s...

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,...