Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

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 speaki...

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-rea...

How can we approach aging with more joy, empathy, and meaningful connection?

We often talk about lifespan, or how long we live, but Kerry Burnight believes the more important question is how fully we live along the way.

Burnight is a gerontologist, former professor of geriatric medicine, and author of Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life's Second Half. Drawing from decades of experience working with older adults, she discusses why adopting a “growth aging mindset” can change the way we think about getting older, and why autonomy matters just as much as safe...

A full life isn’t about the quantity of time, but the quality.

Our lifespan might describe how long we live, but it doesn’t say anything about how well we live. For that, Kerry Burnight says, we need a different measure: joyspan.

Burnight is a gerontologist, former professor of geriatric medicine, and author of Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life's Second Half. In her decades working with older adults, she noticed a gap: “I would have a lot of people who lived long lives and were in pretty darn good physical health...

The Tiger Sisters share the keys to collaborative communication.

Good marketing communication doesn’t just go one way. As the Tiger Sisters know, building a brand is about bringing your audience into the conversation.

Cherie and Jean Luo are sisters, tech and finance experts, and co-hosts of the Tiger Sisters Podcast, a show about money, power, and love. Their approach to content creation mirrors how they think about communication: know your audience, stay curious, and embrace feedback. “We often think about our community as the co-producers of our episodes,” Cherie says. “Each episode we put out is l...

If you want to do your best, you’d better get your rest.

The quality of your sleep fundamentally affects the quality of your communication. Communicating well, Dr. Cheri Mah says, starts with being well-rested.

“Sleep impacts nearly every aspect of how you function,” says Mah, a sleep physician, adjunct lecturer at Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, and internationally recognized expert on sleep and human performance. In her research and work, particularly with elite athletes and professional sports teams, she explores the link between getting rest and doing our best. “If you are getting quality sleep, you can...

Confidence, clarity, and speaking when it matters.

Confident communication isn’t about being the loudest in the room. For Susie Wolff, it’s about displaying assurance before you even open your mouth.

Wolff is a former professional race car driver, managing director of F1 Academy, and author of Driven. Throughout her career in one of the world's most male-dominated industries, she’s learned that confidence starts within. “If you want others to believe in you, you need to at least have confidence in your own abilities,” she says. By letting her capabilities speak for themselves, Wolff felt...

The secret to better communication isn’t adding more—it’s knowing what to leave out.
Communication isn’t clearer when you say more — it’s clearer when you say less. As David Epstein puts it, we’re wired to keep adding, even when “the better solution is often what you take away.” The challenge isn’t having ideas; it’s choosing which one actually matters.

Epstein is an author and investigative journalist known for his New York Times bestseller Range. In his latest book, Inside the Box, he explores how constraints can sharpen creativity and elevate thinking, a th...

What stops you from speaking up when it matters most?

This week on Think Fast Talk Smart, we’re featuring a special episode from TED Business. Healthcare leader Sarah Crawford-Bohl offers a practical, compassionate framework to have difficult conversations with clarity and heart — and shows how it can lead to stronger teams and real impact.

TED Business is a podcast from TED that offers you a new idea and perspective for any business conundrum — whether you want to learn how to land that promotion, set smart goals, undo injustice at work, or unlock...

Understanding the accent you didn’t know you had.

Whether communicating in our mother tongue or practicing a new language, we all speak with an accent. But that’s not all, says Valerie Fridland — we hear with an accent as well.

Fridland is a professor of sociolinguistics at the University of Nevada, Reno, and author of Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents. According to her, we don’t just sound a certain way, we hear a certain way too, affecting how we understand others. “We’re hearing with an accent — a bias shaped...

Simple strategies to think faster, stay authentic, and communicate with confidence. 

How do you stay genuine without sounding rehearsed? What helps when your thoughts are moving faster than your words? And how can you handle high-pressure moments with more ease?

Strong communication isn’t about having the right lines ready—it’s about being present enough to respond with clarity. In the moment, it’s easy to rush, overthink, or lose your structure. But with the right tools, you can slow down, connect, and communicate with intention.

In this Ask Matt Anything episode o...

If you can make conversation, you can make your own luck.

Good communication isn’t passive. And good luck, says Tina Seelig, is the same. There’s “what the world gives us,” and then there’s “how we respond to it.”

Seelig is executive director of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program at Stanford University and author of What I Wish I Knew About Luck. For her, good fortune doesn’t find us, we find it. “Opportunities for lucky things to happen are ubiquitous. But they're invisible and most people don't see them,” she says. In the same way that commun...

Great communication isn’t about saying more—it’s about making what you say matter.

If we want to communicate more effectively, we need to treat communication less like a habit—and more like a series of intentional choices. In this special feed drop, we’re featuring a conversation from the ⁠Masters of Scale⁠ podcast, where host ⁠Jeff Berman⁠ sits down with Stanford lecturer and ⁠Think Fast, Talk Smart ⁠host Matt Abrahams to explore what it really takes to communicate with intention.

Most of us default to what feels natural—long-winded openings, generic pitches, or focusing on what we want...

Work is changing, not ending—what it takes to stay relevant in an AI-driven world.

Careers aren’t ladders anymore — they’re climbing walls. As Aneesh Raman puts it, “work is changing, not ending,” and success today depends on how well you can navigate change and explain your path along the way.

Raman is the Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn and a former presidential speechwriter for Barack Obama. His work focuses on the future of work and how individuals can adapt in an AI-driven world. In his book Open to Work, he argues th...

How to turn latent motivation into fuel for change.

If you want to be a changemaker, you’ll have to convince others to join your cause. But according to Dan Heath, persuading your audience isn’t about creating new motivation — it’s about leveraging the motivation that’s already there.

“The most important fuel for any change effort is motivation,” says Heath, the number-one New York Times bestselling author of Reset: How to Change What's Not Working. Instead of struggling to persuade people to want what you want, Heath suggests findi...

Whatever your message, the manner in which you deliver it is just as important.

You found the right words. You picked the right time to say them. You even tailored them to your audience. Why did your message fall flat? “It's your tone,” says Jefferson Fisher.

Fisher is a trial attorney, New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and one of the most-followed experts in communication today. From handling high-stakes communication in the courtroom to navigating everyday conversations, he says successful messaging isn’t just about what you say, but how you sa...

Real change isn’t about knowing what to do — it’s about actually doing it, one small choice at a time.

Change doesn’t come from one big breakthrough. It comes from the small choices we make over and over — often in moments we barely notice.

Eric Zimmer, behavior coach, host of The One You Feed podcast, and author of How A Little Becomes A Lot, says the real challenge isn’t figuring out what to do — it’s closing the gap between knowing and doing. “We all have areas where we know exactly what would...

The goals we set often lead us away from the meaning we ultimately seek.

Meaning in life isn’t a concrete point we can route toward. That’s why we need what Arthur Brooks calls “proxy goals” — and much better ones than we typically choose.

Brooks, a professor at Harvard Business School and author of The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness, says that meaning can't be pursued directly, but rather through proxy goals — markers that lead us to what we're really seeking. “The big, complex, meaning-filled things in life, you can...

Why mastering unspoken workplace communication is essential to long-term career success.

Succeeding at work doesn’t just depend on how hard you work or how smart you are. According to Erin McGoff, it often comes down to whether you understand the “secret language” everyone else seems to be speaking.

McGoff is a career creator, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and author of The Secret Language of Work: Hyper Helpful Scripts for Every Situation. Known for her wildly popular AdviceWithErin platform, she helps millions of professionals phrase things more effectively — without sounding stiff or robotic...

How to communicate for deeper connection—and greater happiness.

Happiness isn’t just a feeling—it’s something you can actively shape through how you think, connect, and communicate.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside and co-author of How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most, defines happiness as two key components: “being happy in your life and being happy with your life.” And while many people separate happiness from meaning or purpose, she explains that “they almost always go together.”...

Memorable communication isn’t about saying more—it’s making the right idea stick. 

No matter how compelling a presentation feels in the moment, most of what you say won’t last in your audience’s memory. The key isn’t trying to make people remember everything — it’s ensuring they remember what matters most.

Carmen Simon is a cognitive neuroscientist, author, and expert on how the brain pays attention and forms memories. Her research explores how communication can move beyond passive listening and become an experience the brain actually holds onto. “The way we...

People are forgetful. Here’s how to make your messages more memorable.

After any presentation, your audience will forget about 90% of what you said. That’s okay, says Carmen Simon — just make sure they remember the right 10%.

Simon is a cognitive neuroscientist, speaker, author, and expert on how the brain processes and retains information. Her research reveals a humbling truth: “We forget our lives almost as quickly as we live them,” she says. But instead of fighting our forgetfulness, Simon believes we can work with it — by getting intentional about what we want people to remember...

The secret to building habits that stick.

Whether you want to read more books or exercise more regularly, BJ Fogg has good news. “Habits are easier to form than most people think,” he says, “If you do it in the right way.”

As the founder and director of Stanford's Behavior Design Lab, Fogg has devoted much of his career to researching human psychology, motivation, and behavior. According to him, habit formation isn’t a product of simply doing something over and over again. “It's not a function of repetition,” he says, “it's...

Why beliefs can either cap our potential or push us toward possibility.

What you believe about yourself could be holding you back. Fortunately, Nir Eyal says beliefs aren’t truths — and you can choose new ones.

Eyal is a former lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Stanford d.school, a celebrated author, and a renowned expert on human behavior and potential. His latest book, Beyond Belief, reveals how limiting beliefs — like “I’m a bad communicator” — quietly shape what we see, feel, and do. “A belief doesn't have to be true” to limit our poten...

Practical insights to help you communicate with more intention in everyday moments.

What’s the difference between reacting and responding? How do you move from memorizing your words to truly conversing in the moment? And how do you keep growing as a communicator in everyday moments?

Communication isn’t about having the perfect script. It’s about staying present enough to respond with intention. In fast-moving conversations, emotions rise, thoughts race, and structure can disappear. Yet it’s in the pause — the breath before we speak — that clarity begins.

In this Ask Mat...

How to communicate who you are online.

You may not think of yourself as a content creator, but in the creator economy, Angèle Christin says we all have to learn how to communicate who we are online.

Christin is an associate professor of communications at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. According to her, “we are all content creators now.” We may not all be influencers or podcast hosts, but “We are all putting content out there and creating a public persona,” says Christin. In the di...

Why being true to yourself enables you to show up better for others.

From the way you communicate, to the way you build your life and career, Graham Weaver, MBA ’99, says it’s about “giving yourself permission to fully be yourself. You can never go wrong when you’re saying your truth.”

Weaver is a lecturer in management, a GSB alum, and the founder and a partner of Alpine Investors. He stresses the importance of direct communication, highlighting how avoiding it can lead to wasted time, energy, and even financial...

How to turn down the chatter of negative self-talk.

If you want to have better conversations with others, Ethan Kross says you first have to quiet down the chatter in your own head.

A professor, researcher, and author, Kross defines chatter as a “negative thought loop” that hijacks our attention and undermines our ability to perform. “We have a limited capacity to focus our attention,” he says. “Attentional resources are a limited commodity, and chatter acts like a sponge that consumes that capacity. It leaves very little leftover that allows us to do the things tha...

How to turn complexity into connection through clear communication.

Communication in high-stakes moments isn’t about saying more — it’s about connecting better. For Jonathan Berek and Phil Polakoff, the most effective communicators don’t rely on jargon or performance. They rely on empathy, listening, and stories that resonate.

Both longtime Stanford Medicine leaders, Berek and Polakoff have spent their careers translating complex, emotional, and often urgent health issues for patients, colleagues, and the public. And they’ve learned that the message only lands when it’s delivered at the right level, with the right intent...

Why curiosity is the best way to start a conversation.

No matter how wide political, cultural, and generational divides seem to grow, Fareed Zakaria is convinced: communication has the power to connect.

Zakaria is the host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS, a Washington Post columnist, and author of Age of Revolutions, a book about the seismic societal shifts that define modern history. In his decades of translating complex geopolitical issues for broad audiences, he’s found the key to navigating change and conflict. “The most important thing is being genuinely curious,” he says...

Why clarity and authenticity matter more than ever in modern communication.

Clear communication in the age of likes, LLMs, and constant noise isn’t about talking more. For Nick Thompson, it’s about being unmistakably clear and unmistakably yourself.

Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and former editor-in-chief of Wired, has spent his career shaping stories that hold attention. “Clear beats clever,” he says, stressing that authenticity and specificity are what make messages land. “If you can get across what you're really trying to say— if you can say it honestly, specifically, and ideally briefly—that's good. A...

How to tap the full power of your voice.

Being present in communication isn’t just mental. It’s about the physical energy you bring into a space — particularly, says Patsy Rodenburg, the presence of your voice.

“The physical presence of the human being is the most important thing we have,” says Rodenburg. As a world-renowned expert in voice, speech, and presentation, she has helped everyone from stage actors to prime ministers hone their speaking and awaken the power and presence of their voice. “The vast majority of people are born with amazing voices, and somewher...

How to design meetings with purpose so they actually move work forward.

Meetings are a necessary part of work. But for many people, they’re also a major source of frustration. According to Rebecca Hinds, meetings don’t have to feel like a drain—better meetings start when we stop treating them as a default and start designing them with intention.

Hinds is the author of Your Best Meeting Ever: Seven Principles for Designing Meetings That Get Things Done, and a future-of-work expert who founded the Work Innovation Lab at Asana and the Work AI Ins...

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 l...

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 b...

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 organ...

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...

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 cu...

The keys to communicating clarity, not confusion.

What separates communicators who clarify from those who confuse? The ability to “Simplify complexity,” says Adam Bryant. “I don't think you can be an effective leader if you can't do that.”

Bryant is a senior managing director at the ExCo Group and former New York Times journalist who interviewed over 500 CEOs for his renowned Corner Office column. Through those conversations, he identified a pattern: the best communicators turn complexity into clarity. For Bryant, that means checking your own expertise, considering not whether something makes sense to you, but whether...

How to have more open conversations about money.

Talking about money is taboo for many people. But according to Wendy De La Rosa, financial well-being only starts when we break the silence around finance.

De La Rosa is a professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a co-founder of the Common Cents Lab, an initiative aiming to increase financial well-being for low- to moderate-income people. For many, she says, shame keeps us silent about money. “Shame is paralyzing, and more than any other negative emotion, [it] leads us to i...