Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Why the best leaders treat uncertainty as a chance to learn, not a failure to avoid.
Most companies are built to grow. Far fewer are built to stay true to their purpose as they do.
Eric Ries is an entrepreneur, creator of the Lean Startup movement, and author of Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great. For Ries, innovation starts with a simple reality: nobody can predict the future. “If you're going to do something fundamentally new,” he says, “how are we supposed to forecast” what success will look like? Instead of relying on certainty, leaders should focus on learning. “If you cannot fail, you cannot learn.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Ries and host Matt Abrahams explore how leaders can communicate through uncertainty, turn setbacks into valuable insights, and build cultures rooted in trust. From the power of the build-measure-learn feedback loop to the importance of making “deposits” in a company’s culture bank, Ries shares practical strategies for creating organizations that innovate, adapt, and stay true to their values as they grow.
To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.
Episode Reference Links:
Eric Ries
Eric’s Book: Incorruptible
Ep.56 Lean Messaging: How Simple Messages Really Stick
Ep.54 Leadership and Ethics: How to Communicate Your Core Values  

Connect:
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Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

 Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction

(02:21) - Lean Startup Fundamentals

(04:03) - Business Plans vs. Reality

(06:31) - Learning from Failure

(08:11) - Why Companies Go Bad

(10:49) - The Culture Bank

(13:51) - The Final Three Questions

(21:17) - Conclusion

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Do you really win the negotiation if it means losing the relationship?
You might think that successful negotiation means getting what you want here and now. But Stan Christensen says this short-sighted view is selling many negotiators short.
Christensen is a professional negotiator, host of the All Things Negotiation podcast, and instructor of one of Stanford's most popular courses on the subject. His core insight: most negotiations happen with people you’ll see again — which means success isn’t about claiming victory, it’s about building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. “Most people think of negotiation statically,” he says. “It's you and I. There's a fixed pie. We're trying to get more for ourself and less for the other party. In reality, 95% of negotiations are gonna be with people you see again, so I define success as contributing to the value of the long-term relationship.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Christensen and host Matt Abrahams explore what it takes to negotiate well — from the power of listening and asking questions to managing emotions and communicating for collaboration. Whether you're negotiating a business deal or just deciding where to go to dinner, Christensen shows why every negotiation is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship.
Episode Reference Links:
Stan Christensen
All Things Negotiation Podcast
Ep.15 The Art of Negotiation: How to Get More of What You Want
Ep.204 Tough Talks: Turn Tension Into Trust 

Connect:
Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

 Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction

(02:11) - What Is Negotiation?

(02:50) - Negotiating Every Day

(03:52) - The Power of Listening

(05:25) - Asking Better Questions

(07:26) - Handling Emotions

(08:24) - Authentic Emotion

(09:22) - Body Language Matters

(10:13) - Collaboration in Negotiation

(11:51) - Framing Conversations

(13:16) - Setting the Agenda

(14:38) - Co-Creating Structure

(16:14) - A Common Negotiation Mistake

(16:53) - Why Start a Podcast

(17:57) - Learning from Guests

(18:54) - The Final Three Questions

(25:27) - Conclusion

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Thank you to our sponsors.  These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.
Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.com
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

What it takes to lead as a communicator and communicate as a leader.
Leadership isn’t just about making decisions — it’s about how you communicate them. As Matt Abrahams puts it, “Communication is operationalized leadership.”
At a recent Me2We event, in connection with Stanford GSB's Executive Education LEAD program, Abrahams held a live discussion with four of the podcast’s most popular guests: Celine Teoh, facilitator of the GSB’s famous Interpersonal Dynamics course; Huggy Rao, organizational behavior professor and co-author of The Friction Project; legendary Stanford basketball coach Tara VanDerveer; and Dave Dodson, lecturer and author of The Manager's Handbook.
In this special live episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the panel shares frameworks and lessons for leading and communicating more effectively. From Teoh’s five A’s for inviting dissent to Rao’s warning against “jargon monoxide,” from VanDerveer’s relationship-first approach to Dodson’s case for leading like a teacher, this conversation explores what it takes to communicate as a leader — and lead as a communicator.
Episode Reference Links:
Celine Teoh
Tara VanDerveer
Huggy Rao
Huggy’s Book: The Friction Project
David Dodson
David’s Book: The Manager’s Handbook
Ep.194 Live Lessons in Levity and Leadership: Me2We 2025 Part 1 

Connect:
Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

 Chapters:

The hidden habits behind calm, confident communicators.
What does it really take to become a more confident communicator? In this special collaboration between Think Fast, Talk Smart and Headspace, host Matt Abrahams shares practical, mindful strategies for speaking with clarity, managing anxiety, listening more deeply, and connecting more authentically with others.
Across five short lessons, Matt outlines how to calm speaking nerves, become a better listener, structure your ideas clearly, engage any audience, and strengthen your presence — whether you’re leading a meeting, giving a presentation, or navigating everyday conversations.
Whether you’re speaking to a crowd or having a one-on-one conversation, these tools can help you communicate with more confidence, calm, and connection.
Episode Reference Links:
Headspace 

Connect:
Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction

(02:14) - Speaking Anxiety

(07:20) - Mindful Communication

(12:29) - Clarity & Structure

(16:06) - Creating Engagement

(22:48) - Building Presence

(27:50) - Conclusion

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Thank you to our sponsors.  These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.
Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.com
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

What keeps us from being more social? Nick Epley calls it a “mind-reading mistake.”
We all think about what others think, particularly what they think about us. The problem, says Nick Epley, is that we’re almost always wrong.
Epley is a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and author of A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection. What keeps people from engaging authentically, connecting deeply, and enjoying a meaningful social life? It comes down to an error of social cognition, “A mind-reading mistake,” Epley says. “If I don't think you want to talk to me, I won't try. And I'll never find out that I'm wrong about that.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Epley and host Matt Abrahams explore why we hold ourselves back from meaningful conversation, and what happens when we don’t. From taking an interest in others to sharing more freely about ourselves, Epley shares strategies for being a little more social — and making your life considerably better as a result.
To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.
Episode Reference Links:
Nick Epley
Nick’s Book: A Little More Social
Ep.133 From Good to Super: How Supercommunicators Unlock the Language of Connection

Connect:
Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

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Thank you to our sponsors.  These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.

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Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction

(01:31) - Problems with Body Language

(04:15) - Perspective Getting

(07:14) - Asking Better Questions

(08:41) - Moving Beyond Small Talk

(10:13) - Why We Hold Back

(11:33) - Advice For Introverts

(15:17) - A Little More Social

(18:34) - The Final Three Questions

(24:45) - Conclusion