324. Rethinks: Defining Where We Want AI To Take Us

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Matt Abrahams: AI is changing how
we work, think, and communicate.

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As these tools become more
capable, knowing how to use them

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effectively matters more than ever.

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I'm Matt Abrahams, and I teach
Strategic Communication at Stanford

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Graduate School of Business.

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Welcome to this Rethinks episode of
Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast.

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We're opening up the vault to
revisit my conversation with

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Stanford Professor Russ Altman.

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Listen in as we explore how AI can help
us communicate more clearly, sharpen

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our thinking, and solve problems
more effectively, while reminding

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us why human judgment, curiosity,
and connection remain essential.

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Connection and the ability to explain
where we are and where we need to go is

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critical for success in communication.

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My name is Matt Abrahams, and I
teach Strategic Communication at

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Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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Welcome to Think Fast,
Talk Smart, the podcast.

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Today I'm excited to
speak with Russ Altman.

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Russ is a professor of bioengineering
at Stanford University.

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His primary research interests are in
the application of AI and data science

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to problems relevant to medicine.

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Russ is also the host of
Stanford Engineering's The

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Future of Everything podcast.

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Welcome, Russ.

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I'm a big fan of your podcast and really
enjoyed the opportunity we had earlier

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today where I was a guest on your show.

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Russ Altman: Thanks so much.

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Thanks for having me.

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I share enthusiasm for this
podcast, and it's kind of a thrill.

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I think it might be my first podcast as
a guest, and it couldn't be a better one.

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Matt Abrahams: Oh, well,
thank you, and I'm excited for

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the, what we're about to do.

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You ready to get started?

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Russ Altman: Yes.

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Matt Abrahams: Excellent.

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Each of your podcast episode
titles starts with The Future Of.

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So let me start by asking you for your
thoughts on the future of communication,

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especially how AI plays out in it.

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Russ Altman: So first of all, I'm
glad you mentioned that I had you on

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my podcast because the answer is you
told me the future of communication.

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But I actually thought
about it before we chatted.

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I'm an AI enthusiast.

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I use AI in my research.

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I'm part of the Human-Centered
AI Institute at Stanford.

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AI in general has exposed lots of
things that were hidden in our society.

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So a lot of people hear about bias and
unfairness, and that is a problem with AI.

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On the other hand, it was a problem
before, and in some ways we need

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to give AI credit for exposing the
unfairness and giving us something

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that we can work on to try to improve.

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And the reason I mention this
is I think for communication, in

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some ways it's the same answer.

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If you're worried that a ChatGPT type
tool can replace you, I think you need

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to think about why am I communicating?

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What am I trying to say?

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Am I being authentic?

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Do I have a message?

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Because really, if those things are
true, it shouldn't be a problem.

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It should actually just help you
amplify and improve your message.

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So I think that we're at a time now
where people have to ask hard questions

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about why they're communicating
and how they communicate, and I

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think that the AI is bringing these
issues to the fore that were kind

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of insidiously in the background.

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So you can see I'm an AI optimist,
and I think this will help.

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Matt Abrahams: I also think AI can
bring a lot of value to communication.

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And, and I really like your
response that the thing to worry

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about is, do I have a clear goal?

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Do I know what, uh, is important to say?

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And how can I craft it
in a way to be helpful?

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And I think AI can be an assistant in it.

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For example, I have many
non-native speaking students.

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AI's a wonderful tool to help them
learn some of the vernacular and learn

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other options for ways of saying things.

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Russ Altman: It is interesting how good
it is when you say, "Please explain this

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at the level of an eighth grader or at
the level of a high school student."

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And I think that's something we all can
get better at because understanding who

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your audience is and then making sure
you're delivering at the right level is

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always a challenge, and that seems to
be one thing that it's kind of good at.

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Matt Abrahams: Absolutely, and you
can actually use it to flag jargon and

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terms that others might not understand.

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You mentioned that you happen
to use it in your communication.

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Do you mind sharing some
of the ways you use it?

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Russ Altman: My favorite story, if I
may, was I had written a grant proposal,

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and I ran the one-page summary of the
grant through the, uh, large language

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model, and I said, "Please summarize the
strengths and weaknesses of this summary

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of my research that I'm about to submit
to the National Institutes of Health for,

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for research dollars." And it came back,
and it had a few, you know, pretty good

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positives and negatives, but my favorite
negative is it said, "You seem to be

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leaning on prior accomplishments too
heavily." And it was absolutely right.

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So I've used it as like,
as a pre-human screen.

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Before I go to my colleagues even,
even my trusted colleagues, let's

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just see what the LLM has to say.

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Maybe I'll fix it up and then give it to
my buddy down the hall to take a look.

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Matt Abrahams: Did it recommend
you need to see some therapy about

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some narcissism or no, no, no?

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It didn't.

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Russ Altman: That goes without statement.

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But if, if I had asked, I'm sure
it would've added to the chorus.

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Matt Abrahams: I want to pull this
thread a little farther about grants.

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You have been incredibly successful at
raising money for the projects that you

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do through the grants that you apply for.

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Many of our listeners have to write
proposals asking for funding from their

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bosses or from external organizations.

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What guidance do you have when it
comes to drafting proposals and grants?

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Russ Altman: Yes.

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I am passionate about this.

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In general, the first thing you have to
do is understand the mission of the person

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or institution to whom you are making
a request because if you don't hit that

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mission on directly, it's end of the game.

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Given that, you need to have a big
problem that you're, that you wanna

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be part of the solution of, and
then a focused problem that you are

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actually gonna provide the solution to.

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You have to show that that
sub-problem is not solved.

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Then you have to make the case that
there's an opportunity that you and

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maybe others, but certainly you have.

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And then you have to boil it down
to three to five action items,

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followed by a summary of the state
of the world when you're done.

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And I believe that that formula
can be used from everything from

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a grant to a federal funding
agency to a marriage proposal.

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And I've tried it in all different
settings, and it really is the

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fundamental structure of any proposal.

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Matt Abrahams: When, when we turn off the
microphones, I wanna hear the future state

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that you used to propose to your wife.

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Russ Altman: Happiness.

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No, it's an easy one.

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"Honey, you will be happier
then than you are now."

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Matt Abrahams: Excellent.

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So it, the key takeaway from what you
just said, I think, is, it, not only

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do you have to know your audience and
what's important for them, and that's

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critical, regardless of if it's a
proposal or a pitch or a presentation.

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But this notion of where we are to
where we're going to, from to to, is so

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important in pitches, in presentations,
and it sounds like in types of proposals.

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Russ Altman: Absolutely.

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Matt Abrahams: And I like this notion
of saying, "Hey, there's this larger

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problem, and I'm gonna focus on this
subset, and my unique value or my team's

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unique value is what's gonna help us solve
it. Here's the specific things, and then

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here's what the world's gonna look like."

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Russ Altman: Thank you
for listening, Matt.

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Matt Abrahams: What you did there is
something I'd also like to ask you about.

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Your work in the academic world is
incredibly complex, is incredibly

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detailed, and yet you're so good
at explaining and making that

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complex information accessible.

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What are your thoughts on how to do that?

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I know you do it strategically.

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I know from the conversation you and I
had earlier you like using the whiteboard.

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What are the things you think about when
you take complex information to make it

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more accessible to people who just don't
know as much, without dumbing it down?

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Russ Altman: I think that
you know this very well.

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Stories are what people remember.

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Stories are what people like.

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It's a, it's actually frustrating
'cause part of my work is

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statistics, and statistics is really
much more robust than a story.

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We always say you might have one good
anecdote, and that doesn't replace lots

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of actual data, but I'm afraid that
sometimes, a lot of times, a good story

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does stand in for a lot of data because
it's so compelling to the human mind.

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So we're always looking for stories.

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Analogy is a key part of both stopping
the conversation and letting people catch

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up, but also saying, "Okay, wait a minute.

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Let me rephrase what you just said,
but let me map it onto an everyday

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situation like going shopping.

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So you're telling me that the internet
and the way it works is like a very

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complicated mail system," or whatever.

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And so can you listen to what
the expert is saying and see an

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analogy to an everyday life thing?

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And you're checking your understanding,
but on the chance that you're

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right, you're also helping the
entire listenership or readership

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understand what was just said.

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So that's important.

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Related to that, you always have
an antenna up for jargon, and

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you, I'm sure you do this too.

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You have to be willing to stop the
conversation cold and say, "Oh, you just

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said NIH. That's the National Institutes
of Health. They fund research in America."

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And so part of what I'm doing always is
a little antenna listening for words that

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need to be defined or abbreviations that
might not be commonly, uh, understood.

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So I think analogy, stories,
and then adjusting the level.

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So sometimes when you're talking
with someone, you just have to

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send them signals in real time
that we are talking at a level that

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requires a PhD, and I'm going for
high school, college students here.

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And then it's practice.

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And one of the great thing I love
both about this podcast and about

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your book is you don't say that you
either got it or you don't got it.

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All of this can be practiced and learned.

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Matt Abrahams: Absolutely.

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That's a big point I like to try
to make, and you are helping all

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of us learn this Something that I
think can also be helpful, and I'd

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love to get your input on this, is
there's work you can do in advance.

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So you can actually stockpile
some stories or think about some

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potential analogies that might work.

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It doesn't all have to
happen in the moment.

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You can pull them in.

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And at the same time, some pre-work you
can do is you can prepare the audience.

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So in a meeting invite, for example,
you could say, "And we're gonna be

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talking about concepts like this,"
so people come in primed, which

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I think makes your job easier.

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What are your thoughts
on that kind of pre-work?

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Russ Altman: I totally agree.

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I had one more point written down,
and I just had decided that I

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had talked too long a second ago.

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But I said anticipate the tough spots
and validate that they're tough.

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So say to the audience, "This guy's
talking about quantum physics. This is

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hard stuff. Here's how we're gonna try
to manage through it together." So I just

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wanna say that you're absolutely right.

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I think the key idea of prep for an
interview or for creating a document

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or, or any kind of communication is
anticipating the tough moments, the

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tough concepts, and saying, "Okay, I'm
gonna try to fly with this analogy. I

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think this'll work. I think it'll make
it more accessible, more relatable."

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And that's part of doing your homework.

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And before I talk to you, before I talk
to anybody, I spend the night before

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basically Google stalking you, looking at
what have you said, what have you done.

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Part of it is so I can have emergency
topics to talk about if it turns out

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that you're, you know, reticent to speak.

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That wasn't a problem.

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However, the other thing was, what
might he say that might be surprising or

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troubling, and how am I gonna manage that?

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And then you go in with this
confidence that kinda whatever comes

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down the pike, we're ready for it.

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And you may use 'em or you may not
use 'em, but having them just has

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you, this sense of preparedness.

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Matt Abrahams: Right.

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And that helps you be confident
and more present because you're not

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reaching ahead thinking what's coming.

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You do a good job of preparing to ask
the questions you ask on your podcast.

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That preparation in advance, although
I don't know that I'm recommending

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everybody cyberstalk people.

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But I do think it's important
to do your homework.

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What advice do you have for asking
questions that can really help focus and

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guide communication and conversations?

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Russ Altman: Specificity
in the question is key.

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Uh, specificity rules in
the world, in my opinion.

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People wanna hear stories that are
specific, not general, and you, they

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wanna hear questions that are specific.

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But then my second tip helps take up
a little bit of pressure off 'cause I

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think the follow-up question is arguably
more important than the initial question

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'cause the initial question gets the
listeners and the guests, if we're talking

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about a podcast into a certain space.

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And there might be some hemming
and hawing as they gather their

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thoughts, but then they say something.

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Now they're warmed up, and their
audience is warmed up, and now you

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can come up with a follow-up question
that might be the meaty question.

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And I've heard people who are very
good who do, who interviews, you

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know, Letterman, Johnny Carson.

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If you watch, their follow-ups
were always very good.

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Matt Abrahams: In addition to being
specific and, and being open to asking

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follow-up questions, the use of questions
isn't just for people who do interviewing.

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You can be very effective in a
meeting, in giving feedback through

00:12:13.563 --> 00:12:16.083
asking focus-specific questions.

00:12:16.083 --> 00:12:20.113
And in some ways, I think people receive
that in a more open way than if I

00:12:20.123 --> 00:12:21.583
give you some declarative statement.

00:12:21.633 --> 00:12:23.113
Russ Altman: I think
you're absolutely right.

00:12:23.333 --> 00:12:28.093
I notice that my PhD students, the
last thing that they get good at

00:12:28.163 --> 00:12:31.703
before they're ready to launch and
graduate is answering questions after

00:12:31.703 --> 00:12:36.133
a seminar, because they come to it
thinking that questions are an attack.

00:12:36.863 --> 00:12:38.533
And so they get defensive.

00:12:38.663 --> 00:12:41.123
Their answers are almost off-putting.

00:12:41.383 --> 00:12:45.123
And so there's a mentorship that you
do to say, "You need to consider every

00:12:45.123 --> 00:12:47.773
question as a little gift." It's a gift.

00:12:47.793 --> 00:12:52.913
It shows I listened to what you just said,
I've processed it, and now I actually

00:12:52.913 --> 00:12:54.543
want to have a conversation with you.

00:12:54.723 --> 00:12:56.753
That, like, it doesn't
get any better than that.

00:12:56.813 --> 00:12:59.513
So yes, questions, uh, can be powerful.

00:12:59.673 --> 00:13:00.813
They can say thank you.

00:13:00.923 --> 00:13:02.203
They can say I heard you.

00:13:02.453 --> 00:13:04.543
And they can say, "And I have a
little bit of an opinion here,"

00:13:04.633 --> 00:13:07.563
without even saying it as "I have
a little bit of an opinion here."

00:13:07.673 --> 00:13:10.573
Matt Abrahams: Seeing questions as
opportunities rather than threats and

00:13:10.573 --> 00:13:14.943
challenges is a fundamental mindset
shift, and I love that you spend time

00:13:15.143 --> 00:13:17.223
with your students helping them get there.

00:13:17.223 --> 00:13:18.313
Because it's instinctual.

00:13:18.313 --> 00:13:20.403
When somebody comes up with
a question, we get defensive.

00:13:20.853 --> 00:13:23.513
But if we can see it as an
opportunity to connect, to learn, to

00:13:23.543 --> 00:13:25.113
collaborate, I think is wonderful.

00:13:25.123 --> 00:13:27.743
Russ Altman: My best friend is a sports
writer, but really more importantly,

00:13:27.743 --> 00:13:32.503
he's a journalist, and he's famous
for making his points with these very

00:13:32.543 --> 00:13:37.173
understated, beautiful questions where he
doesn't even have to follow up and tell

00:13:37.173 --> 00:13:40.843
you what he really thinks because it's
obvious from his question what a great

00:13:40.843 --> 00:13:42.643
journalist he is because of this skill.

00:13:43.103 --> 00:13:45.093
Matt Abrahams: We had a whole
episode with Deborah Schiffrin

00:13:45.103 --> 00:13:46.723
on how to ask good questions.

00:13:47.003 --> 00:13:48.073
She said to pause.

00:13:48.403 --> 00:13:51.633
So after you ask the question, pause,
and after the person answers, pause

00:13:51.633 --> 00:13:53.303
even longer 'cause more comes out.

00:13:53.843 --> 00:13:57.633
I'd love to move to another
area where you are an expert.

00:13:57.633 --> 00:14:02.353
You work on highly complex topics, but
you also work in highly complex teams.

00:14:02.383 --> 00:14:07.013
What best practices do you use to foster
creativity and collaboration while

00:14:07.013 --> 00:14:12.133
trying to avoid destructive conflict and
repetitive actions and wastes of time?

00:14:12.293 --> 00:14:15.223
Russ Altman: It has become clear that
team science is the most effective

00:14:15.223 --> 00:14:17.083
and is the most exciting in many ways.

00:14:17.113 --> 00:14:21.673
You must understand and acknowledge
the rewards and motivations of

00:14:21.673 --> 00:14:25.503
your collaborators because they're
unlikely to be identical to your own.

00:14:25.733 --> 00:14:31.293
And if you leave that unstated or, worse,
not understood, it's just a recipe for

00:14:31.293 --> 00:14:34.233
a lot of wasted energy and wasted words.

00:14:34.263 --> 00:14:38.243
And that leads to number two, which is
you have to build the relationship, the

00:14:38.243 --> 00:14:43.843
human relationship separate from the
scientific or business collaboration.

00:14:43.913 --> 00:14:46.893
But that time, which is kind of a pain
in the neck 'cause it means you have

00:14:46.893 --> 00:14:49.073
to have lunch with them, and maybe you
don't want to have lunch, maybe you want

00:14:49.073 --> 00:14:51.743
to just take five minutes to shove food
down your throat because you're busy.

00:14:52.023 --> 00:14:55.353
But the time to build that
relationship pays off in spades.

00:14:55.363 --> 00:14:56.973
So those two things come first.

00:14:57.443 --> 00:15:01.523
Then you have to, I think diversity
in teamwork has become, there's now

00:15:01.683 --> 00:15:06.013
literal evidence that if everybody
looks and sounds like you and has

00:15:06.013 --> 00:15:09.673
the same training and the same
perspective and the same goals, that

00:15:09.673 --> 00:15:11.223
is not the recipe for the best team.

00:15:11.223 --> 00:15:14.813
So you have to take a hard look
at who you've invited to the room.

00:15:15.063 --> 00:15:18.553
And if you're really brave and
courageous, you will say, "This is a

00:15:18.553 --> 00:15:21.863
good group, but this is not the right
group for this project, and we either

00:15:21.863 --> 00:15:25.623
need to add to it or I need to make
some substitutions." And then it's

00:15:25.643 --> 00:15:27.713
about, uh, roles and responsibilities.

00:15:27.743 --> 00:15:31.873
And with the relationship in place and
with an understanding of the reward

00:15:31.873 --> 00:15:37.063
systems and with a diversity, now you
can say, finally, "Okay, here's what

00:15:37.063 --> 00:15:41.093
we're trying to do. How are we gonna
break this down, and how are we gonna

00:15:41.093 --> 00:15:44.143
do roles and responsibilities so that
people feel like they're part of a team

00:15:44.143 --> 00:15:48.303
that is functioning?" And then having
mechanisms for both formal and informal

00:15:48.303 --> 00:15:50.573
communication in place and understood.

00:15:51.083 --> 00:15:52.483
Matt Abrahams: A lot of
richness in that answer.

00:15:52.483 --> 00:15:53.123
Russ Altman: Yeah, sorry.

00:15:53.133 --> 00:15:53.613
Matt Abrahams: No.

00:15:53.643 --> 00:15:54.193
No, no.

00:15:54.193 --> 00:15:55.653
It's all, it's all good.

00:15:55.943 --> 00:15:59.843
The fact that you first have to get
alignment on goals and expectations is

00:15:59.843 --> 00:16:03.793
critical, forming those relationships that
which then allow much of what you've said.

00:16:04.223 --> 00:16:07.803
And I will just put an exclamation
point on this notion of diversity.

00:16:07.803 --> 00:16:11.853
Diversity of opinions and experience and
goals is what brings around the richness,

00:16:12.173 --> 00:16:16.183
but also requires that you have to
define the roles, responsibilities, and

00:16:16.183 --> 00:16:19.603
ways of communicating because if people
have those differences, they bring that

00:16:19.603 --> 00:16:21.103
different way of communicating, too.

00:16:21.493 --> 00:16:25.503
I wanna drill down on one aspect that I
was very specific in the question I asked.

00:16:25.503 --> 00:16:28.443
I said avoiding destructive conflict.

00:16:29.043 --> 00:16:32.913
I know in the work you do that encouraging
some disagreement and conflict is

00:16:32.913 --> 00:16:34.743
actually helpful to achieving the goals.

00:16:35.143 --> 00:16:36.973
How do you thread that needle?

00:16:37.223 --> 00:16:40.233
Russ Altman: Where it comes up in
my life literally every week is

00:16:40.233 --> 00:16:43.343
that all the students and post-docs
in the lab take turns every week

00:16:43.363 --> 00:16:44.663
giving what we call a group meeting.

00:16:44.673 --> 00:16:47.653
It's a, it's a research in progress
talk about how they're going.

00:16:48.123 --> 00:16:49.203
So what's supposed to happen?

00:16:49.203 --> 00:16:51.973
What's supposed to happen is
we're supposed to be supportive.

00:16:52.183 --> 00:16:56.593
We wanted them to feel comfortable, but
they're supposed to be practicing for

00:16:56.593 --> 00:17:00.103
an audience that may be hostile, like
scientific colleagues can be hostile.

00:17:00.393 --> 00:17:03.903
And so I, as the leader of the group,
have to figure out, how do I set

00:17:03.903 --> 00:17:08.393
this up so that they are getting
the hardest questions, scientific,

00:17:08.443 --> 00:17:13.203
technical questions from these people
that they sit with every day, but it

00:17:13.203 --> 00:17:17.373
doesn't lead to a toxic environment,
lack of trust, and people saying, "I

00:17:17.373 --> 00:17:18.383
don't wanna give my group meeting.

00:17:18.383 --> 00:17:22.433
I don't trust this group." So I have to
set it up so that they can present, I

00:17:22.433 --> 00:17:28.223
can ask hard questions, but then we have
a culture of thanking them for their

00:17:28.273 --> 00:17:33.053
talk, acknowledging the hard things that
they've uncovered as hard, thanking them

00:17:33.053 --> 00:17:34.573
for the solutions that they've produced.

00:17:34.593 --> 00:17:38.883
And if, if I see problems, I have
other communication methods in the

00:17:38.883 --> 00:17:43.463
lab to try to identify those and
deal with them outside of that forum.

00:17:43.463 --> 00:17:44.383
But you're absolutely right.

00:17:44.383 --> 00:17:47.803
This is, like, the number one
thing for a team leader to be

00:17:47.813 --> 00:17:53.133
aware of 'cause the rigor/support
tension is there all the time.

00:17:53.523 --> 00:17:54.963
Matt Abrahams: You know, Russ,
one of the things I love about

00:17:54.963 --> 00:17:58.833
hosting this podcast is the ability
to talk with amazing people.

00:17:58.863 --> 00:18:00.073
I always learn something.

00:18:00.263 --> 00:18:04.063
What is something that you've learned
from your many years of hosting The Future

00:18:04.063 --> 00:18:08.223
of Everything that you think might help
the listeners of Think Fast, Talk Smart?

00:18:08.283 --> 00:18:12.723
Russ Altman: The people who I
interview, what they do is the thing

00:18:12.723 --> 00:18:16.103
that they think is the most important
thing they could possibly do.

00:18:16.443 --> 00:18:17.833
So you talk to a civil engineer.

00:18:17.913 --> 00:18:20.963
It's not that this is one little
interesting problem in civil engineering.

00:18:21.133 --> 00:18:24.473
This is the most interesting problem
in civil engineering to this person,

00:18:24.623 --> 00:18:27.983
and indeed, it's the most important
thing they can think of doing.

00:18:28.263 --> 00:18:31.223
And so the passion that scientists
and engineers, 'cause that's what

00:18:31.223 --> 00:18:35.623
we focus on, but the passion of
scientists and engineers in approaching

00:18:35.623 --> 00:18:38.763
their work probably shouldn't
have surprised me, but it did.

00:18:38.763 --> 00:18:42.083
And I learned that you need to
get to people's passion to really

00:18:42.083 --> 00:18:43.183
understand what makes them tick.

00:18:43.203 --> 00:18:45.723
Matt Abrahams: That's important for all of
us to do with the people we work with and

00:18:45.723 --> 00:18:49.053
the people we socialize with, is provide
them avenues to explain their passion.

00:18:49.887 --> 00:18:52.607
Well, I know you listen to the
podcast, so you know that before we

00:18:52.607 --> 00:18:54.927
end, I like to ask three questions.

00:18:54.937 --> 00:18:57.997
One I create just for you.

00:18:58.167 --> 00:18:58.272
Russ Altman: Oh, my goodness.

00:18:58.272 --> 00:18:58.462
This is so exciting.

00:18:58.592 --> 00:19:01.977
Matt Abrahams: And, and two that are
similar for everybody else I interview.

00:19:01.977 --> 00:19:02.837
Uh, you up for yours?

00:19:02.917 --> 00:19:03.447
Russ Altman: Yeah, absolutely.

00:19:03.487 --> 00:19:03.977
Matt Abrahams: All right.

00:19:04.507 --> 00:19:06.657
You are very future focused.

00:19:06.817 --> 00:19:11.487
So what is one thing about the future
that you're particularly excited about?

00:19:11.797 --> 00:19:14.107
Russ Altman: I am excited
about young people.

00:19:14.237 --> 00:19:18.947
Young people starting to form
their lives and their direction

00:19:18.987 --> 00:19:20.017
gives me hope for the future.

00:19:20.027 --> 00:19:23.177
As you may have come to your
attention, the world is currently

00:19:23.177 --> 00:19:27.767
facing a lot of problems, and it's
very easy to get very negative.

00:19:27.987 --> 00:19:33.627
And if you want to combat that negativity,
be involved in an admissions process or a

00:19:33.627 --> 00:19:37.437
hiring process of young people, like for
their first job or for their next job.

00:19:37.707 --> 00:19:41.607
If you're not inspired, then I think
you need to do some deep introspection.

00:19:41.827 --> 00:19:44.927
Matt Abrahams: Yeah, I love that answer
simply because I have lots of friends

00:19:44.927 --> 00:19:48.457
who are getting curmudgeonly, and they
will say, "These young people, what's

00:19:48.457 --> 00:19:52.417
this world gonna amount to?" And I say,
"It's us that's causing the problems."

00:19:52.497 --> 00:19:56.507
Because if you come in and see my students
or the people I coach, there's a lot of

00:19:56.517 --> 00:19:58.937
hope and there's a lot of excitement,
and I'm, I'm glad you echoed that.

00:19:58.947 --> 00:20:02.957
Question number two, who is a
communicator that you admire and why?

00:20:03.307 --> 00:20:03.937
Russ Altman: My dad.

00:20:04.447 --> 00:20:04.997
Matt Abrahams: Tell me why.

00:20:05.087 --> 00:20:06.097
Russ Altman: He had a great voice.

00:20:06.137 --> 00:20:07.397
He had an FM voice.

00:20:07.737 --> 00:20:11.507
And he did lots of the things
that you discuss all the time.

00:20:11.817 --> 00:20:14.897
When I'm trying to do my best at
communicating, I'm channeling Dad.

00:20:15.407 --> 00:20:17.487
Matt Abrahams: I actually am getting
a little choked up because I feel

00:20:17.487 --> 00:20:19.097
exactly the same way about my father.

00:20:19.437 --> 00:20:21.467
Uh, my father had an
amazing resonant voice.

00:20:21.657 --> 00:20:25.017
And when you said FM voice, my
father actually did a little radio,

00:20:25.027 --> 00:20:26.997
and he was always very structured.

00:20:26.997 --> 00:20:27.697
Get to the point.

00:20:27.727 --> 00:20:28.507
What's the point?

00:20:28.517 --> 00:20:32.297
And it really helped me try to
be more focused and concrete.

00:20:32.427 --> 00:20:33.637
Russ Altman: So be, if I may.

00:20:33.667 --> 00:20:33.947
Matt Abrahams: Yeah.

00:20:33.997 --> 00:20:36.427
Russ Altman: Between the podcast we did
this morning and the one we're doing

00:20:36.427 --> 00:20:39.647
now, I gave a talk and somebody said,
"What's the best piece of advice you

00:20:39.647 --> 00:20:43.617
ever got?" And I said, "It was from
my dad, and it was get to the point."

00:20:43.757 --> 00:20:44.527
Matt Abrahams: Oh, how funny.

00:20:44.997 --> 00:20:48.597
Uh, question number three, what are
the first three ingredients that go

00:20:48.597 --> 00:20:51.047
into a successful communication recipe?

00:20:51.277 --> 00:20:52.747
Russ Altman: You need to
know who you're talking to.

00:20:52.747 --> 00:20:56.697
You need to know the audience, a little
bit about their goals, hopes and dreams.

00:20:57.047 --> 00:20:59.657
Second, you need to think
about what you're specifically

00:20:59.667 --> 00:21:01.027
trying to tell that person.

00:21:01.267 --> 00:21:04.557
And then the third one I'm gonna
go with, make sure you try to

00:21:04.567 --> 00:21:07.157
keep it fun, light and enjoyable.

00:21:07.157 --> 00:21:09.037
Like, life is short.

00:21:09.287 --> 00:21:14.017
And if you can do something with a sense
of joy, why not do it with a sense of joy?

00:21:14.037 --> 00:21:19.129
So Even if it's the most mundane
message, think about, how can I make

00:21:19.129 --> 00:21:22.469
this a positive experience for me and
for the person who's about to listen

00:21:22.469 --> 00:21:24.179
to me and have a conversation with me?

00:21:24.639 --> 00:21:28.769
Matt Abrahams: This notion of connection
and engagement through the energy you

00:21:28.769 --> 00:21:31.089
bring to your topic is really important.

00:21:31.229 --> 00:21:35.119
There are people who study things
that I don't understand and prior

00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:37.689
to hearing them talk about it or
write about it, I didn't care about.

00:21:37.989 --> 00:21:41.529
But their passion and their ability
to connect it to me and make it

00:21:41.529 --> 00:21:43.199
engaging makes a big difference.

00:21:43.199 --> 00:21:43.679
Russ Altman: I agree.

00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:45.389
Matt Abrahams: Russ, thank you so much.

00:21:45.389 --> 00:21:50.059
You did an amazing job of educating us
and keeping it engaging and interesting.

00:21:50.099 --> 00:21:50.929
I appreciate it.

00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:55.179
All of us can learn from you in
terms of how to connect with our

00:21:55.179 --> 00:21:59.479
audiences, manage some of the tricky
situations through questions and in

00:21:59.479 --> 00:22:03.009
structuring our environment so that
we can take the advantage of conflict.

00:22:03.389 --> 00:22:04.529
I appreciate your time.

00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:06.239
Best of luck on the podcast.

00:22:06.339 --> 00:22:06.779
Thank you.

00:22:06.929 --> 00:22:07.649
Russ Altman: Thank you very much.

00:22:07.649 --> 00:22:11.039
I really enjoyed this, and
congratulations on your successes.

00:22:12.869 --> 00:22:14.979
Thank you for joining us
for another episode of Think

00:22:14.979 --> 00:22:16.839
Fast, Talk Smart, The Podcast.

00:22:17.329 --> 00:22:19.359
It was great learning from Russ.

00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:23.489
One of the ideas that really resonated
with me is that AI is most valuable

00:22:23.499 --> 00:22:28.609
when you use it to help complex ideas
become easier for others to understand.

00:22:29.089 --> 00:22:32.589
To learn more, please be sure to dive
into our library of past episodes

00:22:32.589 --> 00:22:34.289
wherever you get your podcasts.

00:22:34.659 --> 00:22:38.429
Our back catalog is full of helpful
communication tips and tools to

00:22:38.429 --> 00:22:40.539
help you be a better communicator.

00:22:41.029 --> 00:22:45.719
This episode was produced by Katherine
Reed, Ryan Campos, and me, Matt Abrahams.

00:22:45.949 --> 00:22:50.179
Our music is from Floyd Wonder with
special thanks to Podium Podcast Company.

00:22:50.479 --> 00:22:53.669
Please find us on YouTube and
wherever you get your podcasts.

00:22:53.739 --> 00:22:58.519
Be sure to check out fastersmarter.io
for deep dive videos, English language

00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:00.839
learning content, and our newsletter.