Practical communication strategies you can use immediately at work and beyond.

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 Think Fast, Talk Smart, host Matt Abrahams answers listener questions from the Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community on some of the most challenging workplace communication scenarios. From practical techniques for inserting your ideas into fast-paced meetings to strategies for managing emotions and delivering feedback upward, Matt shares actionable advice to help you communicate with greater confidence, clarity, and impact.

Episode Reference Links:

• Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community

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
• (01:57) - Speaking Up in Meetings
• (04:37) - Listening Through Emotion
• (07:53) - Giving Feedback Upward
• (13:10) - Conclusion

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Why the best leaders treat uncertainty as a chance to learn, not a failure to avoid.

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 a simple reality: nobody can predict the future. “If you're going to do something fundamentally new,” he says, “how are we supposed to forecast” what success will look like? Instead of relying on certainty, leaders should focus on learning. “If you cannot fail, you cannot learn.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Ries and host Matt Abrahams explore how leaders can communicate through uncertainty, turn setbacks into valuable insights, and build cultures rooted in trust. From the power of the build-measure-learn feedback loop to the importance of making “deposits” in a company’s culture bank, Ries shares practical strategies for creating organizations that innovate, adapt, and stay true to their values as they grow.

To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.

Episode Reference Links:

• Eric Ries
• Eric’s Book: Incorruptible
• Ep.56 Lean Messaging: How Simple Messages Really Stick
• Ep.54 Leadership and Ethics: How to Communicate Your Core Values

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
• (02:21) - Lean Startup Fundamentals
• (04:03) - Business Plans vs. Reality
• (06:31) - Learning from Failure
• (08:11) - Why Companies Go Bad
• (10:49) - The Culture Bank
• (13:51) - The Final Three Questions
• (21:51) - Conclusion

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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.

Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.com

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

Do you really win the negotiation if it means losing the relationship?

You might think that successful negotiation means getting what you want here and now. But Stan Christensen says this short-sighted view is selling many negotiators short.

Christensen is a professional negotiator, host of the All Things Negotiation podcast, and instructor of one of Stanford's most popular courses on the subject. His core insight: most negotiations happen with people you’ll see again — which means success isn’t about claiming victory, it’s about building long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. “Most people think of negotiation statically,” he says. “It's you and I. There's a fixed pie. We're trying to get more for ourself and less for the other party. In reality, 95% of negotiations are gonna be with people you see again, so I define success as contributing to the value of the long-term relationship.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Christensen and host Matt Abrahams explore what it takes to negotiate well — from the power of listening and asking questions to managing emotions and communicating for collaboration. Whether you're negotiating a business deal or just deciding where to go to dinner, Christensen shows why every negotiation is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship.

Episode Reference Links:

• Stan Christensen
• All Things Negotiation Podcast
• Ep.15 The Art of Negotiation: How to Get More of What You Want
• Ep.204 Tough Talks: Turn Tension Into Trust

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
• (02:11) - What Is Negotiation?
• (02:50) - Negotiating Every Day
• (03:52) - The Power of Listening
• (05:25) - Asking Better Questions
• (07:26) - Handling Emotions
• (08:24) - Authentic Emotion
• (09:22) - Body Language Matters
• (10:13) - Collaboration in Negotiation
• (11:51) - Framing Conversations
• (13:16) - Setting the Agenda
• (14:38) - Co-Creating Structure
• (16:14) - A Common Negotiation Mistake
• (16:53) - Why Start a Podcast
• (17:57) - Learning from Guests
• (18:54) - The Final Three Questions
• (26:01) - Conclusion

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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.

Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.com

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