Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

163. Is Your Audience Ignoring You? How Authenticity Creates Connection


Listen Later

How acceptance and authenticity can transform all of our interactions.

What’s the key to experiencing deeper connection in our communication? According to Alan Alda, it starts with acceptance — of others and ourselves.

"Connecting, communicating, and clarity," Alda explains, "they're all based on hearing what the other person is really saying; letting the person be real; accepting them.” As an acclaimed actor, writer, director, and author of If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?, Alda has spent much of his career exploring how acceptance enables us to be our authentic selves, leading to better communication and truer connection. “There’s nothing more engaging than the real you,” he says.

Also the founder of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, Alda strives to help scientists and health professionals communicate more effectively with the public. “Science can't do its work unless it gets funded. And it can't get funded if people don't understand what the scientists are trying to do,” he says.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Alda and host Matt Abrahams discuss how acceptance and authenticity can transform all of our interactions, from complicated science conversations to everyday communication.

Episode Reference Links:

  • Alan Alda
  • Alan’s Book: If I Understood You, Would I have This Look on My Face? 
  • Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science 
  • Ep.82 It’s Not About You: Why Effective Communicators Put Others First 
  • Ep.114 Communication Means Paying Attention: The Four Pillars of Active Listening 


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
  • (02:01) - Motivation for Communication
  • (04:01) - Avoiding Communication Pitfalls
  • (06:17) - The Role of Clarity and Vividness
  • (07:24) - Reflection in Communication
  • (08:14) - Connection in Conversations
  • (09:29) - Reframing Communication Anxiety
  • (11:09) - Asking Meaningful Questions
  • (12:04) - Matt’s Communication Journey
  • (13:51) - The Art of Storytelling
  • (16:18) - The Final Three Questions
  • (18:25) - Conclusion
  •  

       ********
    Get $50 off coaching today at Strawberry.me/smart
    Become a Faster Smarter Supporter by joining TFTS Premium.

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication TechniquesBy Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart

    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7

    4.7

    644 ratings


    More shows like Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

    View all
    HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

    HBR IdeaCast

    237 Listeners

    TED Talks Daily by TED

    TED Talks Daily

    11,418 Listeners

    The McKinsey Podcast by McKinsey & Company

    The McKinsey Podcast

    381 Listeners

    TED Business by TED

    TED Business

    1,134 Listeners

    All Ears English Podcast by Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan

    All Ears English Podcast

    2,277 Listeners

    The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving by FirmsConsulting.com & StrategyTraining.com

    The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

    111 Listeners

    Cold Call by HBR Presents / Brian Kenny

    Cold Call

    189 Listeners

    Women at Work by Harvard Business Review

    Women at Work

    1,371 Listeners

    After Hours by TED Audio Collective / Youngme Moon, Mihir Desai, & Felix Oberholzer-Gee

    After Hours

    1,258 Listeners

    HBS Managing the Future of Work by Harvard Business School

    HBS Managing the Future of Work

    107 Listeners

    How to Be a Better Human by TED

    How to Be a Better Human

    1,389 Listeners

    Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

    Coaching Real Leaders

    591 Listeners

    The So What from BCG by Boston Consulting Group BCG

    The So What from BCG

    219 Listeners

    HBR On Strategy by Harvard Business Review

    HBR On Strategy

    79 Listeners

    HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

    HBR On Leadership

    131 Listeners