How do you speak up when a conversation is moving faster than you can think? What should you do when emotions threaten to derail your listening? And how can you give honest feedback to a boss who doesn’t seem interested in hearing it? In this Ask Matt Anything episode of…
Most of us were taught to be objective. To remove ourselves from our communication. To present from nowhere. Eric Ries says that's exactly the problem. Faux objectivity is hard to believe. What actually builds trust is transparency, being honest about your bias, your experience, and the process behind what you're…
Something goes wrong at work. Your first instinct? Someone planned badly. Someone executed poorly. But Eric Ries says there's a third possibility we almost always forget, the situation itself was too uncertain to forecast. And when we skip that option, we kill the learning before it even starts. Because if…
Most companies are built to grow. Far fewer are built to stay true to their purpose as they do. Eric Ries is an entrepreneur, creator of the Lean Startup movement, and author of Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great. For Ries, innovation starts with…
Unexpected pushback? New information? Instead of defending your position, ask: How did I get to the assumption that just got challenged? That’s the difference between reacting and leading.
Feeling emotionally hijacked? Don’t power through. Pause. Stan Christensen explains why smart negotiators hit the pause button and return when they can think clearly. In conflict, timing is strategy. Full epsiode with Stan Christensen at fastersmarter.io #Leadership #ConflictResolution #ThinkFastTalkSmart
Negotiation isn’t just about what happens at the table. It’s also about how everyone feels afterwards. In episode 294 of the Think Fast Talk Smart podcast, host Matt Abrahams talks to Stan Christensen, a professional negotiator with a different approach to negotiation. Stan has practiced and taught negotiation for his…
Hot take from Me2We 2026: The technology advantage is going away. David Dobson's argument: AI is doing what people do. Disruption is coming; nobody knows exactly how, but it's coming. And when the dust settles, the winners won't be whoever had the best tools. They'll be whoever mastered the fundamentals…
Tomorrow is kind of a big deal! To celebrate 300 episodes of Think Fast Talk Smart: The Podcast, Matt Abrahams is going live and he wants to hear from you. Ask him anything. Win surprise prizes. Walk away with communication tools that actually work. Join us live on LinkedIn or…
Leadership isn’t just about making decisions — it’s about how you communicate them. As Matt Abrahams puts it, “Communication is operationalized leadership.” At a recent Me2We event, in connection with Stanford GSB's Executive Education LEAD program, Abrahams held a live discussion with four of the podcast’s most popular guests: Celine…
The best leadership advice from some of the world's most successful executives? Just two words. Listen more. Celine Teoh asked coaches leading large, thriving organizations what advice they'd give — and every single one said the same thing. Because here's the truth: the more senior you become, the less honest…
This one's for YOU. To celebrate our 300th episode of Think Fast Talk Smart: The Podcast, Matt Abrahams will be hosting a FREE global live event on June 3rd at 8AM and 8PM Pacific, and we want listeners from every corner of the world in the (virtual) room. Bring your…
Often described as a natural sleep performance enhancer, quality sleep can directly impact focus, communication, decision-making, and overall productivity. Dr. Cheri D. Mah, known for her work around sleep shares practical sleep management strategies used by high performers to improve recovery and mental sharpness.
We treat introversion and extroversion like they're written in stone, just the type of person you are. But Nick Epley's research reframes the whole thing: personality isn't about what you like or how you feel, it's about the choices you consistently make. And choices can change. Check out the full…
If you've ever walked out of a conversation wishing you'd said it better, then *this* is the episode that will ensure that it never happens to you ever again. In a special collaboration with Headspace, the world's leading meditation and mindfulness app, Matt Abrahams was invited to create an exclusive…
Sleep plays a major role in performance, focus, and communication, which is why experts like Cheri D. Mah often emphasize better recovery and sleep management strategies for high performers. Known for her work around sleep research and management, Dr. Cheri Mah discusses a practical sleep technique that can improve mental…
You've rehearsed your talking points. You've polished your credentials. But the person across from you isn't leading with: "Is this person competent?" They're asking, "Is this person kind? Can I trust them? Are they for me or against me?" Nick Epley calls this one of the biggest design flaws in…
We spend so much energy reading body language and "putting ourselves in their shoes," but the research says neither actually works. The one thing that does? Just ask. Nick Epley breaks down why the best mind-readers are really just great listeners. Check out the full episode at fastersmarter.io #CommunicationSkills #BehavioralScience…
The instincts we rely on most - body language, perspective-taking, gut feeling - fail us far more often than we realize. In this episode of the Think Fast Talk Smart podcast, host Matt Abrahams sits down with Nicholas Epley to dismantle one of the most pervasive myths in human communication:…
Successful communication is not just about what you say, it’s about how well you adapt your message to the person listening. In this clip from a conversation between Matt Abrahams and Dr. Cheri Mah on The Think Fast Talk Smart Podcast, both of them discuss the 3-ingredient recipe for successful…
You already know you should work on your heart health. Your joy span deserves the same commitment. Kerry Burnight makes it plain: joy span is a practice, not a destination. Small daily acts of giving. Consistent contribution. A sense of purpose that doesn't wait for the right moment. Whether you're…
Independence isn't the goal. Interdependence is. Kerry Burnight challenges one of the beliefs we hold most tightly: that needing help means losing something. But we were never truly independent to begin with. And holding onto that idea as the standard for a good life makes everything harder than it needs…
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…
The biggest threat to aging well isn't your body. It's what you believe about it. Kerry Burnight calls this internalized ageism. Can't find your phone? "I'm losing it." Unflattering angle on camera? "I'm getting old." But expect decline, and you'll experience it. Challenge that narrative, and everything shifts. It's not…