Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Words have impact. But when it comes to enchanting audiences and captivating with communication, Jonah Berger, PhD ’07, says some words are more potent than others.

Berger is a Wharton School professor and an internationally bestselling author. His most recent book, Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way, identifies language we can use to communicate more effectively in all sorts of personal and professional contexts. “Subtle shifts in language can have a huge impact on everything from convincing clients and holding attention to connecting with loved ones in our lives,” Berger says.

Magic words allow us to change minds, engage audiences, and drive action. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Berger and host Matt Abrahams discuss how we can leverage their power in our own communication.

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If we want healthier companies, schools, and teams associate professor of organizational behavior Adina Sterling says investing in the health of marginalized groups “can have enormous spillover effects for everyone.”

Sterling is an organizational theorist and economic sociologist whose research explores how human relationships affect organizations and markets. As she says, “The outcomes that individuals, groups, and organizations experience have to do with the social networks that they have.”

In her class and lab, Equity by Design, Sterling explores the structural and cultural drivers of workplace inequality. In this episode of Think Fast Talk Smart, she and Matt Abrahams discuss how organizations can leverage social networks, DE&I efforts, and better communication to create better outcomes for individuals and the collective.

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To celebrate our 75th episode, we hosted a live "Ask Me Anything" event with Matt. In this global gathering, listeners called in with questions ranging from making a first impression and giving negative feedback to presenting virtually and the worst communication advice Matt's ever received. In addition to audience questions, Matt also shares a short lecture to outline his top three guiding principles when it comes to being a confidence speaker and leader. 

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• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

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

In this "Quick Thinks" episode, host Matt Abrahams interviews ChatGPT, an AI natural language processing chatbot, about its purpose, sources of information, ethical considerations, and the importance of human communication skills.

To produce this episode, Matt typed his questions to ask ChatGPT, then recorded them in the studio. Producers then used Descript Overdub to "read" ChatGPT's responses.

• The purpose of ChatGPT is to provide informative and accurate responses to questions in natural language.
• ChatGPT uses vast amounts of text data from the internet to generate responses based on patterns it has seen in the data.
• It is important to critically evaluate ChatGPT's responses and not rely on them as the sole source of information.
• The ultimate responsibility for ensuring academic integrity and ethical behavior lies with the individuals using ChatGPT.
• Effective communication skills are still essential, even with the existence of ChatGPT, as it cannot replace the human interaction and emotional intelligence that comes with face-to-face communication.

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• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

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

Join Matt Abrahams, a lecturer of strategic communication at Stanford GSB, as he sits down with experts from across campus to discuss public speaking anxiety, speaking off the cuff, nailing a Q&A, and more.

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Want to change someone’s mind? First, explains Robert Cialdini, you have to change their framing.

For Cialdini, the Regent's Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, persuasion begins before we even deliver our pitch or presentation. Through what he calls “Pre-suasion,” communicators can prime audiences to receive messages in a specific way, simply by drawing their attention in specific directions. 

“It involves focusing people on—putting them in mind of—those motivators before they encounter [them] in the communicator’s message,” Cialdini says, “bringing people’s focus of attention onto something that is nested in the message…before that message is delivered, so they have been readied for the concept.”

In this episode, Matt Abrahams and Cialdini talk about the motivating power of FOMO, getting better advice from others, and how your next wine purchase could be influenced by what music is playing in the shop.

Episode Reference Links:

• Robert's books: Influence and Pre-Suasion

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• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

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

Do love and money mix? Labor economist and Stanford Graduate School of Business professor emerita Myra Strober says absolutely. 

“Separating money and love is not a good idea. I have had 40 years to think about this, and, in my class at the GSB on work and family, each semester I realize how important it is to intertwine love and money."

In this episode, Matt Abrahams sits down with Strober and social innovation leader Abby Davisson to discuss the thorny topics of work, money, career, and love. In their new book, Money and Love: An Intelligent Roadmap for Life’s Biggest Decisions, the coauthors provide a framework for communicating in and around tough decisions with those we love. These may include caring for aging relatives, expanding your family, changing careers or moving.

“If you are in a relationship, maybe you have kids or other people living in your household, the first thing you need to realize is that your career decisions are going to affect the whole ecosystem,” Davisson says. “It’s very important not just to clarify what you want, but to anticipate and think about the impact on those around you.”

Connect:

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• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Episode Reference Links: 

• Myra Strober: Breaking Barriers at Stanford GSB
• Achieving Balance In Work and Life, video with Myra Strober
• Myra Strober: How the Workplace Works — or Doesn't — for Families
• An Economist’s Take on Why Parental Leave Matters
• How Companies Can Solve the Pay Equity Problem
• Strober and Davisson on Forbes

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

In one of our most popular episodes, professor of Marketing Baba Shiv shares his research on how emotions affect decision making. Knowing this, and applying techniques to help guide our audience through information and emotion, can help us make our messages stick. In this best-of episode we've included extra audio from Matt Abrahams's conversation with Shiv from November of 2020 that touches on how to best approach writing emails.

Connect:

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• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

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

As a communication expert, Alison Wood Brooks spends a lot of time talking about talking. But, as she says, listening is just as important.

“My course is called TALK,” says Wood Brooks, who is the O'Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration and Hellman Faculty Fellow at Harvard Business School. “The great irony is that it should really be called LISTEN. It’s hard to be a good listener yet so very important.”

In the latest episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Wood Brooks covers conversation strategies for active listening, turning anxiety into excitement, and knowing when it’s time to change the subject.

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

When it comes to negotiating and managing conflict, Professor Michele Gelfand says it’s time to get creative.

Everybody has wants and needs. So what do we do when our priorities compete with those of other people? According to Gelfand, a professor of organizational behavior, negotiations and conflict management are exercises in creative problem-solving, ones where we look for ways to not only get what we want, but for those on the other side of the table to get what they want too. “The best negotiators tend to be the most creative,” says Gelfand.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Gelfand joins Matt Abrahams to discuss how creative communication can help us find solutions where everybody wins.

Connect:

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• 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.

Strawberry.me. Get 50% off your first coaching session today at Strawberry.me/smart

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