Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Why your best life isn’t about having the right answers, but about asking the right questions.

Finding meaning and purpose in life isn’t about having all the answers. For Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, it’s about having the courage and curiosity to constantly engage with the questions.
As designers, Burnett and Evans have careers spanning everything from academia to companies like Apple, Electronic Arts, and Hasbro. But beyond fashioning better products and user experiences, they’ve also put their expertise toward the transcendent, writing several books about designing and living lives filled with meaning and purpose.
“Compasses say North, not Seattle,” says Evans, highlighting how many mistakenly think of purpose as a single destination. “We're all a dynamic, flowing, constantly changing thing. So how could a changing thing have one static right answer?” Instead, he and Burnett maintain that meaning is more about “going the right direction, not [finding] the right destination.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Burnett and Evans join host Matt Abrahams to explore their strategies for leading a purposeful life. Rather than “rehearsing [an] answer,” their method involves “living [a] question” — embracing curiosity and designing a life through dialogue with ourselves and with others.
To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.
Episode Reference Links:
Bill Burnett
Dave Evans
Bill and Dave’s Book: How to Live a Meaningful Life
Ep.181 Why Happiness is a Direction, Not a Destination: Communication, Happiness & Wellbeing
Ep.138 Speak Your Truth: Why Authenticity Leads to Better Communication  

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

(01:02) - Meaning & Purpose as a Direction

(01:42) - Coherence & Living in Alignment

(02:23) - Design Thinking for Life Decisions

(03:56) - Prototyping Conversations

(05:29) - Odyssey Plans: Three Possible Futures

(07:33) - The Four Elements of Meaning

(09:22) - Wonder Glasses: Shifting Perspective

(10:48) - Transactional vs. Flow World

(12:36) - How to Build a Formative Community

(13:59) - The Practice-to-Production Trap

(15:07) - The Final Three Questions

(18:35) - Conclusion

How “spaciousness” helps teams move beyond busywork — and build the conditions for honest conversation.
“We’re just so busy right now” is one of the most common reasons cultures don’t change — and it’s exactly what Megan Reitz set out to understand. In her research, she describes two modes of attention at work: doing mode, where focus narrows to tasks, control, and quick progress, and spacious mode, where attention expands, insight emerges, and real connection becomes possible.
Reitz is a leadership researcher whose work explores how people speak up, listen well, and create environments where others can be heard — because, as she puts it, “how you show up affects the voices of the people around you.” When teams are anxious or rushed, attention tightens and listening gets shallow; when there’s more safety and space, people can pause, widen their perspective, and make better choices together.
In this Quick Thinks episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Reitz and host Matt Abrahams discuss why organizations get stuck in doing mode and what it takes to build spacious agility. They share practical ways to name spaciousness, strengthen psychological safety, introduce healthy dissonance (even through assigned roles like devil’s advocate), and respond in ways that keep people speaking up — not shutting down.
Episode Reference Links:
Megan Reitz
Megan’s Book: Speak Out, Listen Up
Ep.132 Lean Into Failure: How to Make Mistakes That Work
Ep.148 Conviction and Compassion: How to Have Hard Conversations 

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

(02:10) - Doing Mode vs. Spacious Mode

(02:13) - Building Agility Between Modes

(12:56) - Creating Psychological Safety

(19:14) - 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.
This episode is brought to you by Babbel. Think Fast Talk Smart listeners can get started on your language learning journey today- visit Babbel.com/Thinkfast and get up to 55% off your Babbel subscription.
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

Why it’s critical to say what needs to be said — and listen when others do the same.

Speak out, listen up — these are Megan Reitz’s core pillars of workplace communication. According to her, healthy organizations are only possible when everyone can say what they think, and they know they’ll be heard.
Reitz is an academic and author whose work focuses on creating workplaces where all voices are heard and valued. Her latest book, Speak Out, Listen Up, explores the power dynamics that shape our communication at work and beyond. “Conversational habits define organizational success and our capacity to flourish,” she says. “Ethical conduct depends on what we're able to say and what we aren't, and whether we're heard or not. Innovation depends on our capacity to speak up, challenge, and disrupt, and whether that is heard or not. And of course, our engagement and our ability to perform depends on a feeling that our opinion is valued and that we're respected.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Reitz and host Matt Abrahams discuss how to create workplaces where every voice is heard. From her T.R.U.T.H. framework (trust, risk, understanding, titles, and how-to) to the pitfalls of communicational power dynamics, Reitz’s insights reveal why healthy organizations are only possible when we all speak out and listen up.
Episode Reference Links:
Megan Reitz
Megan’s Book: Speak Out, Listen Up
Ep.132 Lean Into Failure: How to Make Mistakes That Work
Ep.148 Conviction and Compassion: How to Have Hard Conversations 

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

(02:17) - The TRUTH Framework

(05:28) - Status, Titles, and Voice

(09:17) - Power Traps For Leaders

(14:02) - Mindful Leadership = Habit Change

(18:31) - The Final Three Questions

(25:43) - 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.
This episode is brought to you by Babbel. Think Fast Talk Smart listeners can get started on your language learning journey today- visit Babbel.com/Thinkfast and get up to 55% off your Babbel subscription.
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

Why it’s not about being born a great communicator, but becoming one.

The greatest communicators aren’t always great from the start. As Lerone Martin knows, even the great Martin Luther King Jr. had to practice before he could persuade.
Martin is the Martin Luther King Jr. Centennial Professor at Stanford, and as director of the King Research and Education Institute, he has spent years studying how King developed his brilliant communication that continues to captivate audiences to this day. “This is a skill that Martin developed over years,” Martin says. “There are stories of him practicing in the mirror... And I think it speaks to us about how we can develop this skill over time.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Martin and host Matt Abrahams unpack the techniques behind King's legendary speeches, from the musicality of his voice to his use of repetition and narrative structure. Whether you’re preparing a speech or building conversation skills, Martin highlights King’s example to show that great communication isn’t always born — it’s built.
To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.
Episode Reference Links:
Lerone Martin
Ep.192 Quick Thinks: How to Supersize Your Stories 

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

(02:09) - Why MLK Was So Compelling

(03:36) - MLK’s Early Speaking Struggles

(05:08) - How MLK Practiced and Improved

(06:03) - Favorite MLK Speech

(07:17) - “I Have A Dream” and Prepared Spontaneity

(09:22) - MLK’s Core Techniques

(12:20) - Repetition, Rhythm, and Momentum

(14:49) - Conviction vs. Performative Messaging

(18:21) - The Final Three Questions

(22:56) - 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.
This episode is brought to you by Babbel. Think Fast Talk Smart listeners can get started on your language learning journey today- visit Babbel.com/Thinkfast and get up to 55% off your Babbel subscription.
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

Why being kind is the best investment.

Can kindness be a company’s competitive advantage? Bonnie Hayden Cheng says yes — and she’s got a business metric to prove it: return on kindness.
Cheng is a professor of management at City University of Hong Kong who researches how workplace behaviors affect interpersonal dynamics and well-being. In her book, The Return on Kindness, she explores how organizations that foster a culture of kindness see a measurable ROK — one marked by a more committed, more productive, and less expensive workforce. “Organizations that have this kind of culture around acts of civic virtue, helping, or showing support for people, those end up having employees that want to stay, are less likely to call in sick, are more committed, their performance goes up,” she says. “There's also benefits for the company in terms of higher productivity and efficiency, and even lower costs.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Cheng and host Matt Abrahams explore how to build cultures of kindness — from Cheng’s RISE framework for kind leadership to why candor and compassion go hand-in-hand. Whether you're leading a team or simply trying to show up better for your colleagues, Cheng offers a compelling case for measuring what really matters: the return on kindness.
Episode Reference Links:
Bonnie Hayden Cheng
Bonnie’s Book: The Return on Kindness
Ep.93 All the Feels: The Personal and Professional Power of Emotional Awareness
Ep.132 Lean Into Failure: How to Make Mistakes That Work

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

(00:50) - What Is Kind Leadership?

(02:52) - The RISE Framework

(05:27) - Everyone Can Be a Leader

(06:46) - Kindness vs. Niceness

(09:15) - Kindness and Candor

(10:47) - Communicating Kindness

(12:46) - The Power of Tone and Pause

(15:03) - Building a Culture of Kindness

(17:15) - Protecting Kindness in Organizations

(18:33) - The Final Three Questions

(21:14) - Conclusion