Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

​​ What makes a great conversation?

“Many of us dread small talk,” says Harvard Business School professor and author Alison Wood Brooks. Yet she believes these everyday exchanges are the gateway to deeper connection and opportunity. An expert in the science of conversation, Wood Brooks, teaches a popular course titled Talk and has spent years researching what makes a great conversation. "Big things often start with small talk," she notes. "It’s not about avoiding it; it’s about knowing how to use it to uncover something meaningful."
In this LinkedIn Live episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Wood Brooks joins host Matt Abrahams to share a practical framework for mastering small talk and making it enjoyable, even for those who loathe it. Drawing from her "topic pyramid" approach, Wood Brooks breaks down how to elevate a conversation from mundane chitchat to something memorable. “Think of it as a treasure hunt,” she suggests. “Small talk is where you start looking for golden nuggets that can lead to deeper engagement.”

Episode Reference Links:

• Alison Wood Brooks 
• Alison's Book: Talk
• Ep.73 Listen Up: Why It’s Better to Be Interested than Interesting 
• Ep.89 Listen, Listen, Listen: How to Build Deep Connections 

Connect:

• Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• 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
• (02:05) - What Makes a Good Conversation?
• (04:24) - The Topic Pyramid
• (07:05) - Preparation for Small Talk
• (09:21) - Remembering Conversation Details
• (10:59) - Asking Too Many Questions
• (12:52) - Conversation Goals and Contexts
• (16:46) - Virtual vs In-Person Conversations
• (18:35) - The Importance of Listening
• (22:29) - Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
• (23:47) - Conclusion

Introducing our new Premium membership, designed to enhance communication and career skills with expanded content and tools. Enjoy early access to live events, AMAs (Ask Matt Anything), eQuips—Essential Quick Insight Playlists—Extended Deep Thinks episodes, and the AI Chat Matt tool.

The focus is on building a global community where members can connect, share insights, and receive feedback. A portion of membership fees will support charities dedicated to developing communication skills worldwide.
Register before November 21st to receive a 25% discount and join the exclusive Founders Club.

Connect:

• Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
• Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
• Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Make your message memorable.

“Immediately forgettable” — that’s how Matthew Dicks describes most of the business communication that he encounters. If you want to be remembered, he says, it’s time to tell stories.

A veteran elementary school teacher, storytelling coach, and best-selling author, Dicks knows how the right narrative can transform mundane messages into stories that stick. In his book, Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling, he explores how to capture and hold an audience’s attention, which is particularly critical for business leaders. "When we tell a story about a product or service, the people we work with, our company, we become memorable and interesting and entertaining in a way that doesn't happen very often in business," he says.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Dicks and host Matt Abrahams discuss practical techniques for crafting compelling narratives, from setting a scene to creating suspense. “Don’t build a building. Don’t buy a machine,” he says. Becoming a better storyteller is one of the most effective ways to level up. “It’s a crazy thing for businesses,” he says.

Episode Reference Links:

• Matthew Dicks
• Matthew’s Book: Storyworthy 
• Ep.50 Telling Good Stories: How to Use the Elements of Narrative to Keep Listeners Engaged
• Ep.47 Quick Thinks: How to Use Storytelling to Be a Better Founder  

Connect:

• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• 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
• (01:44) - Why Storytelling Matters in Business
• (03:20) - The Essence of a Good Story
• (05:21) - Become a Better Storyteller
• (07:01) - Using Suspense in Stories
• (09:07) - Suspense in Business Communication
• (11:09) - Structuring Stories Like Scenes
• (13:18) - Relating Stories to Life
• (15:45) - Homework for Life
• (18:25) - Storytelling Delivery
• (19:32) - The Final Three Questions
• (23:37) - Conclusion

Beyond the Big Screen.

Every business meeting, product launch, or marketing communication has something in common with your favorite movie: they all succeed or fail based on their ability to make you feel something. Just ask Jeff Small, CEO of Amblin Partners.

"Good stories win," says Small, who leads one of the world's most renowned independent film and television companies alongside Steven Spielberg. As both a business leader and storytelling expert, Small knows that successful communication is built on person-to-person connection through the power of story. "Whatever walk of life you're in, you have to be able to tell a story to connect with people, to get across the message that you're trying to get across."

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Small joins host Matt Abrahams to share insights from his experience at the intersection of creativity and commerce, unpacking how effective storytelling can transform your communication, whether leading teams through industry disruption, resolving conflicts at work and at home, or creating films to inspire audiences for generations to come.

Episode Reference Links:

• Jeff Small
• Ep.153 Listen Up, Leaders: A Record-Setting Coach’s Guide to Communication
• Ep.35 Leading From The Hot Seat: How To Communicate Under Pressure

Connect:

• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• 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
• (02:08) - What Makes a Good Story?
• (03:01) - Bringing Emotion into Communication
• (03:37) - Storytelling Across Professions
• (05:41) - Crafting an Effective Story
• (07:27) - Uniqueness in Storytelling
• (08:30) - Balancing Creativity and Business
• (09:59) - Managing Conflict with Connection
• (11:48) - Screen Time and Family
• (13:28) - Navigating Industry Change
• (15:48) - The Final Three Questions
• (22:13) - Conclusion

Why practice is the key to success.

If there’s anyone who knows about performing under pressure, it’s former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck. Whether playing in front of thousands or presenting to ten, his key to success is practice.

"There's a romantic notion that you rise to the occasion," says Luck, a Stanford graduate and four-time Pro Bowl selection. "But I think you settle to the level of your training. We practiced those high-pressure situations all the time.” From calling critical game-winning plays to navigating communication off the field, our performance in high-stakes situations, Luck maintains, is determined by our level of preparation.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Luck and host Matt Abrahams explore how deliberate practice can help us hone our performance across all domains of our lives.  From managing high-pressure situations to building psychological safety in homes and workplaces, Luck shares insights gained from both sides of the field — as a player and now as a coach.

Episode Reference Links:

• Andrew Luck
• Ep.153 Listen Up, Leaders: A Record-Setting Coach’s Guide to Communication 

Connect:

• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• 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
• (02:04) - Communication in High-Stress Situations
• (04:14) - Staying Calm Under Pressure
• (06:44) - Earning Leadership Through Respect
• (08:07) - Overcoming Conflict Aversion
• (09:14) - Decision to Retire from the NFL
• (11:21) - Returning to Education
• (12:59) - Life Lessons Through Coaching
• (15:20) - The Final Three Questions
• (18:28) - Conclusion

Create more meaningful communication by defining your audience.
 
Before you even think about communicating a message, defining a brand, or developing a strategy, Seth Godin says you have to ask these questions: “Who’s it for? What’s it for? And what’s the change [you] seek to make?”

As a best-selling author, entrepreneur, and marketing expert, Godin understands that effective communication rests on purpose and intent. “Branding is not logoing,” he says, but a “promise” that an individual or company makes about who they are and what others can expect of them. By intentionally defining who we are and who our audience is, Godin argues we can create more meaningful connections and drive real change.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Godin and host Matt Abrahams explore how we can be more deliberate in our communication, using storytelling, clarity of messaging, and defining the impact we want to make on our audience and the world.

Episode Reference Links:

• Seth Godin
• Seth’s Books: This Is Strategy / This Is Marketing
• Ep.64 Best of: Techniques for Managing Your Reputation
• Ep.118 Maximizing your Personal Brand: Communicating Who You Are to Help Get What You Want 

Connect:

• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• 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
• (01:46) - Defining Branding and Marketing
• (03:27) - The Role of Status in Podcast Growth
• (05:36) - Storytelling as a Powerful Tool
• (07:16) - The Smallest Viable Audience
• (08:49) - Clarity in Messaging
• (11:06) - Strategy Defined
• (14:29) - Developing Effective Strategies
• (17:05) - The Final Three Questions
• (21:12) - Conclusion

The inner workings of social influence and persuasion.

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 Cialdini
• Robert's books: Influence / Pre-Suasion
• Ep.11 The Science of Influence: How to Persuade Others And Hold Their Attention
• Ep.142 Power and Persuasion: Live Insights from Stanford Experts 
• Original Episode: Ep.76 Change My Mind: Using “Pre-suasion” to Influence Others 

Connect:

• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• 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
• (02:51) - Persuasion and Pre-suasion
• (06:12) - Priming and Framing in Pre-suasion
• (08:53) - Understanding Scarcity
• (11:43) - The Unity Principle
• (14:59) - Social Proof and Influence
• (20:19) - The Role of Language in Persuasion
• (23:18) - The Final Three Questions
• (27:44) - Conclusion

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:

• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• 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
• (01:54) - Motivation for Communication
• (03:54) - Avoiding Communication Pitfalls
• (06:10) - The Role of Clarity and Vividness
• (07:17) - Reflection in Communication
• (08:07) - Connection in Conversations
• (09:22) - Reframing Communication Anxiety
• (11:02) - Asking Meaningful Questions
• (11:57) - Matt’s Communication Journey
• (13:44) - The Art of Storytelling
• (16:11) - The Final Three Questions
• (18:18) - Conclusion

Being present in the moment and staying open to whatever unfolds.

We all want to lead lives and careers full of joy and fulfillment. Maggie Baird certainly has, and the key, she says, is to stay open to new possibilities and “let your passion lead.”

Baird is an accomplished actress, improv teacher at the Groundlings Theater, mother to music sensations Billie Eilish and Phineas, and founder of Support and Feed, a nonprofit addressing food equity and the climate crisis. Through it all, she has embodied the improv principle of "Yes, and..." — being present in the moment and staying open to whatever unfolds. “I have done many things,” she says, “but I never approached any of them as a career change. They all came out of new interests and new experiences.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Baird joins host Matt Abrahams to explore the critical role of communication in developing a career, and how improv principles can help us engage, as Baird says, “From a place of open-heartedness, appreciation, [and] collaboration.”

Episode Reference Links:

• Support And Feed
• Ep.118 Maximizing your Personal Brand: Communicating Who You Are to Help Get What You Want
• Ep.1 Speaking Without a Net: How to Master Impromptu Communication
• Ep.9 Quick Think: How Being Present-Oriented Improves Communication 

Connect:

• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• 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
• (01:48) - Career Transitions
• (02:40) - Teaching and Confidence Through Improv
• (04:58) - Improv as a Communication Tool
• (06:40) - Structure and Freedom in Improv
• (08:32) - Teaching with Empathy
• (11:29) - Advocacy in the Music Industry
• (14:13) - Collaboration and Positive Change
• (17:02) - The Final Three Questions
• (18:41) - Conclusion