Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

“Part of teamwork is dating,” says Stefanos Zenios , The Investment Group of Santa Barbara Professor of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Operations, Information & Technology. “Dating each other to see whether you can work well together. It’s about developing how you will speak with each other in the team, how you will manage difficult conversations, and how to be respectful, but also how to h...

“Stress is natural, 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, according to psychologist and associate professor at Stanford, Alia Crum .  In this episode, Crum talks with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams about her re...

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams sits down with David Eagleman , a neuroscientist and the host of the PBS series The Brain , to discuss why our brains are wired for storytelling and how new senses might impact our connection and communication with others. “I’ve always been really interested in this idea of how we can pass information to the brain...

“One of the things I think is really exciting about all this, and perhaps a little bit frightening, is nobody actually knows how to do it. It is not something that we’ve ever done before. And I’ve studied a lot of globally distributed work, and virtual teams, and so forth. But hybrid work is not that and it’s not telecommuting, which we know a bit about. But it’s something that is a mix of these m...

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Stanford GSB Lecturer Robert Siegel sits down with Matt Abrahams to discuss the role of communication in helping businesses to adapt and transform and his new book The Brains and Brawn Company: How Leading Organizations Blend the Best of Digital and Physical Specifically . “You have to see how things are interacting with each other. You have to see how y...

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Sara Singe r, a professor of organizational behavior (by courtesy) at Stanford Graduate School of Business and a professor of medicine at Stanford School of Medicine, sits down with lecturer Matt Abrahams to discuss the role of open communication in high-performing teams. “Learning requires leadership that reinforces learning, a supportive environment, i...

“I say sometimes that leadership is a journey into yourself. It’s self-renewal, self-reflection, self-confidence. It’s going to bed kind of scratching your head and saying, “Man, I’m not as good,” and waking up the next morning and trying it again — and I think that’s what matters.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , former CEO of General Electric and Stanford Graduate School of Business...

“Simple language, forceful language, vivid language, and keeping it simple and direct,” says Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer , are all tools to increase the strength of your communication. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , host and lecturer Matt Abrahams interviews Jeffrey Pfeffer, author of Dying for a Paycheck , about the verbal and nonverbal ways we can harness, or give away, our authority...

“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 podcast episode, Huberman talks with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams about his research on the autonomic continuum, a spectrum between state...

“Communication is such a delicate dance and kids need to emerge from childhood having practiced,” says Julie Lythcott-Haims , former associate vice provost of undergraduate education Stanford University.  In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams sits down with Lythcott-Haims to discuss her new book, Your Turn: How to be an Adult , and ideas on how to comm...

It has been over a year since millions of people have switched from office work to working from home. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and host Matt Abrahams highlights guests’ top takeaways on how to best communicate, share information, and cultivate a professional presence though the screen.  “I think we have to find ways to reduce cognitive overload,” says Professor and Seni...

“Communication, conflict, and cooperation are intertwined in a multitude of ways,” says Nir Halevy , associate professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Halevy sits down with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams, to discuss how we can often solve conflicts and disagreements by employing the correct strategy in our communica...

The information you receive is only as strong as the questions you ask. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturers Matt Abrahams and Debra Schifrin discuss 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...

Recognizing the importance of forging connections with others — and learning how to build those bonds in real time — is the focus of a course that’s been the most popular elective at Stanford GSB for decades: Interpersonal Dynamics. The iconic course has taught thousands of students and professionals what it means to have exceptional relationships and how to interact with others in a way that cont...

“Psychology trumps technology,” says Jeff Hancock , founding director of the Stanford Social Media Lab and professor in the Department of Communication at Stanford. “If you want to understand what's going on in social media, the first place to start is with what's going on psychologically.” On the latest episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams sits down with Pro...

“The reader is impatient,” says Glenn Kramon , Stanford GSB lecturer in management and editor at the New York Times. “Start with the most important conclusion and then explain how you got there.” On the latest episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams sits down with Glenn Kramon to talk about just how important our writing is — from a lengthy report to the opening...

As we look back on more than 20 interviews with Think Fast, Talk Smart guests, we’ve heard one piece of advice over and again: Know Your Audience. This wisdom echoes what research clearly shows: Content that is relevant and meaningful to an audience is more likely to be heard, retained and acted upon.  The word communication comes from the Latin for to “make common,” yet many of us start our messa...

“Something like 90 to 95% of our decisions and behaviors are constantly being shaped the non-consciously by emotional brain system.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Professor of Marketing Baba Shiv sits down with lecturer and host Matt Abrahams to share his research on how emotions affect our, and our audience’s, decision making.  “You’ve got to pay careful attention to the audience th...

“Effective is being able to achieve your goals, which is important, but there are plenty of people who achieve their goals that most of us would find unworthy. So the question what does it take to be a good leader requires you to reflect on the values that you hold dear.” In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Organizational Behavior Brian Lowery sits do...

“Knowing your values gives you a beacon, or a lamppost, that can inform how you’re going to prioritize your actions.”    In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer and Stanford University’s former Vice President of Public Affairs David Demarest speaks with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams on why knowing your values and the concerns of your stakeholders...

What way can the language we use reinforce existing stereotypes and biases?  In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Sarah Soule , Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Organizational Behavior sits down with lecturer and host Matt Abrahams to discuss how even the details of our word choice can shape culture, for better or worse.   Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart...

“Sparking communication starts with asking why or what or how.” On this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smar t, Tina Seelig , the Professor of the Practice in Stanford’s department of Management Science and Engineering, sits down with podcast host and lecturer Matt Abrahams to talk about the structures of storytelling that will help become more creative communicators and the importance of asking quest...

“In companies, you’re interacting with other people who come from different cultural contexts, and in order to be effective, you have to understand how much of your own communication and other people’s communication is shaped by their cultural ideas and their cultural values.” On this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , host Matt Abrahams sits down with Jeanne Tsai , an associate professor of Psyc...

“The less time you can spend dwelling on your mistakes, the more mental energy you can devote to doing what you need to do in that moment.” On this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Christian Wheeler , the StrataComm Professor of Management and Professor of Marketing at Stanford Graduate School Business, sits down with podcast host and lecturer Matt Abrahams to talk about embracing failure and m...

We asked listeners to send in their communication conundrums and ended up with an inbox full of thoughtful, specific questions.  In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , host and Stanford GSB lecturer Matt Abrahams is joined by Shawon Jackson , MBA ’21, to share techniques on crafting written responses, dealing with constant interruptions, and confronting the power dynamics present in most comm...