Matt Abrahams (@thinkfasttalksmart)

Should AI help you write your most important messages? Frish Brandt says it can be a good partner, and that we’re all pioneers at the edge of this territory. The catch: a meaningful letter isn’t just generated. You have to bring it into existence yourself. How do you use AI when you write? Tell us…

Are you listening, or just waiting for your turn to talk? Frish Brandt, who co-teaches Lasting Letters and the Art of Deep Listening at Stanford School of Medicine, says real listening means silencing the chatter in your head. You’re not thinking about what you’ll say next. You’re holding what the…

It’s an exercise and an exorcism. Frish Brandt recommends writing cathartic letters, angry and raw, that you never send and destroy right away. Getting it out of your head clears room for empathy, both for yourself and for the other person. Have you ever written something you never sent? Did it…

Most of us think the useful feedback is the critical kind. @aduckworth says praise matters too, because people often don’t know what they’re doing that works. What’s the best feedback you’ve ever gotten? Let us know in the comments! Full episode at the link in bio. #CommunicationSkills…

Your audience didn’t stop listening. Your mic stopped hearing you. With a lavalier mic, one head turn can put you out of range. Unless someone is adjusting the soundboard, your voice gets quieter every time you look away. The fix: keep your head in the same position relative to the mic, and turn…

What if sleep wasn’t the end of today but the beginning of tomorrow? That reframe from Dr. Cheri Mah is one of several tools in our Quick Thinks: Sleep episode, along with a calming mantra from Nir Eyal and a word game that helps quiet a busy mind. Listen to the full episode at the link in bio…

Do you lose sleep worrying about losing sleep? You’re not alone. Our Quick Thinks: Sleep episode covers a simple bedtime routine for calming that worry: journal what’s on your mind, write down a few things you’re grateful for, and bring your attention to how your body feels on the bed. What helps…

Most of us think the useful feedback is the critical kind. @aduckworth says positive feedback matters too, because people often don’t know what they’re doing that works. Practice builds a mental picture of what great speaking looks like, and feedback, positive and negative, is what sharpens it…

Want to feel more passionate about your long-term goals? Don’t wait for a calling to show up. Start with what grabs your attention. @aduckworth explains why passion comes from both interest and importance, and why perseverance has more to do with daily dedication than dramatic comebacks. Listen to…

Before your next meeting, ask yourself one question: who do I want to be in this room? Our sense of self develops through how others respond to us, so you can shape it on purpose. Decide the version of yourself you want to show up as, confident, curious, whatever fits, then invite the people…

Three signs you might be in a broken hierarchy, according to Nir Halevy: you deserve the promotion but it goes to the boss's nephew, decisions get made with no explanation, and people are treated with rudeness instead of respect. Distributive, procedural, and interactional injustice. Recognizing…

What if you promoted people for kindness, not just results? Nir Halevy shares that healthy hierarchies are built on common values, and that leaders can create a virtuocracy alongside a meritocracy. That means rewarding the people who listen actively, support others, and mentor, not only those who…

People remember stories, not bullet points. In an interview for a detail-heavy role, instead of saying "I am conscientious," you could say you notice faces in the clouds and typos in your friends' texts, and that same eye will save the company real money. It lets them see you as a person and as…

Great communication is not a talent you are born with. It is a skill you can build. In his conversation on the Finding Mastery podcast, Matt Abrahams breaks down his three keys to communicating with more clarity and confidence, in any moment that matters. Watch to the end for all three, then tell…

Most meetings fizzle out instead of finishing. Matt Abrahams has a better close: wrap with gratitude, restate the goal, and spell out the call to action so everyone leaves with clarity. Then keep the conversation alive with shared notes and a quick follow-up. Small habits, big difference in how…

Meetings are not the only way to communicate. Matt Abrahams suggests asking what is the best way to convey this information. Sometimes it is convening a team to discuss or decide. But updates? There are plenty of creative ways to share those without pulling everyone together. Protect your…

If speaking in front of people terrifies you, you are in good company. @adamgrantpsych could not even deliver a coherent sentence when his anxiety took over. What changed things was not talent, it was reps. He put himself through exposure therapy, practicing again and again until the fear lost its…

Want more useful input? Stop asking for feedback and start asking for advice. @adamgrantpsych tells us that feedback is overrated and advice is underrated when it comes to learning. The reason: feedback is backward-looking, it tells you what you did wrong yesterday. Advice is forward-looking, it…

Want to connect with someone? First figure out how. @adamgrantpsych shares that there are three wavelengths: allies who share a mission, pals who share interests, and companions who share genuine care. Companionship is the most intimate, though not always the strongest. The move is matching your…

Nervous before a big moment? Do not reach for your phone, take a walk. Oliver Aust says movement beats checking emails, which only gets your blood racing. It is the first step in his BMW framework: body, mind, words. Calm the body, reframe the nerves as excitement, and prepare your key points with…

The most memorable communication is not the most polished. It is the most human. Astro Teller shares that when you are honest, specific, and real, even stories about getting things wrong become exciting and meaningful, because people can see themselves in them. Emotion is the connection, and these…

We spend most of our lives learning, so why do we make failure so shameful? Astro Teller shares hat being wrong is the exact moment learning happens, and emotionally avoiding it means avoiding growth. Tighten your learning loops by making failure okay. It is not the enemy of progress; it is the…

Want to feel more connected to the people in your life? Send a voice note. Rachel Greenwald calls it one of the most underutilized features on our phones. It is more personal than a text, less intrusive than a call, and hearing someone's actual voice creates real emotional connection, all on your…

The best people do not just make a good impression. They bring out a better version of you. Matchmaker Rachel Greenwald shares the single question she uses to tell a great connection from a bad one: what side of you did they bring out? It is a brilliant lens for dates, yes, but also for…

Here is why your best ideas get killed too early: you critique while you create. @daniellubetzky says the creative phase has one rule, no rules. Push out idea after idea, write down everything, and introduce zero filters. Take a break, then let the critic in to ask the hard questions. Separating…

Ever wished you could just ask Matt Abrahams your toughest communication question? Here is your chance. Join Matt and @masterclass for a free live Ask Matt Anything, built around his Strategic Communication certificate program. October 14 at 8:30 a.m. PT. Reserve your spot at…

Our instinct in conflict is to respond right away and get tense. Matt Abrahams says the response should actually come last. In our recent episode with @lorraineklee he walks through his CLEAR framework: check yourself, listen, explore, acknowledge, then respond. And remember, acknowledging what…

The updated Think Faster, Talk Smarter is here, and it is packed with new material. Matt Abrahams shares the features he added to help you communicate when it matters most, from navigating spontaneous conflict to proving your humanness when AI can polish anything. If you want to speak with more…

Here is the tricky dance of building a brand: listen to the market without chasing every opinion. @daniellubetzky shares that if the market says pivot and you refuse to listen, you can fail, but if you change for every single person, you lose yourself entirely. The answer is guardrails: know what…

Total certitude does not build trust. Curiosity does. @daniellubetzky, who has watched hundreds of pitches on Shark Tank, tells Matt Abrahams that the entrepreneurs who admit when they do not have a perfect answer are the ones he leans in to trust. Acknowledging a gap shows introspection and a…