A Think Fast Talk Smart Conversation About Successful Communication

Effective Communication is a foundational piece of successful human interaction yet communicating well isn’t always a clear and simple task.

Stanford Graduate School of Business decided to get into podcasting and it thought this topic was a good place to start. Thus, Think Fast Talk Smart was launched.

Matt Abrahams, the host, teaches strategic communication at the school and is also the author of Speaking Up Without Freaking Out.

There is clarity of purpose for Think Fast, Talk Smart.

“The mission is to help people around the world to be more comfortable; confident in their communications, to help them hone the skills they have and develop new ones so that they can advance their careers and improve their current relationships,” Abrahams says.

The episodes have revealed an important pattern.

“There is sometimes unanimity on key points around communication,” Abrahams says, adding, “By far the number one thing people say across almost 70 interviews I’ve done is you really have to understand your audience to be effective.”

As the host, he’s additionally gained valuable insights as to how to communicate himself.

“I’ve learned as an interviewer you really need to tee up questions that allow people to tell stories, not just answers, and that paraphrasing and restating what others say can be really helpful for not just the listener but also the guest,” he says.

“The guests have told me that it really helps them and it invites follow up. It keeps the conversation going.”

Matt Abrahams

His guests have not been the only ones who have appreciated what they have heard and experienced.

“I learn something from all my episodes,” Abrahams says, detailing what has most resonated with him. “I guess what’s surprised me is just how touched people are by improving their communication. How addressing communication, honing it, focusing it can really impact people’s lives in very significant ways, in very different domains. So that’s both rewarding and useful to know.”

Abrahams talks about an episode that he found highly enjoyable and maybe different and fun.

“We did an episode on humor and levity and I think we did a good job of giving best practices and making the conversation interesting. And because we were talking about humor I think we did a good job of being funny.”

One big takeaway for him with the episodes is how we think about communication and thus, conduct it.

“I’ve learned a lot about mindset; the importance of mindset, and (that) you can change your mindset,” Abrahams pointed out.

Publisher’s Note: Speaking Up Without Freaking Out can be found at both Stanford Graduate School of Business and Amazon.

Think Fast Talk Smart at Apple podcasts.

If you’re interested, here’s the episode, with the fascinating guest, expert and communicator, Allison D. Kluger, that drew me — a reputation specialist — deeply into the show:

Communicating Our Multiple Selves: How to Effectively Manage Your Reputation

Highly recommended.