Matt Abrahams: Think Faster, Talk Smarter

Becoming a better communicator is one of the best ways to level up your career. Being able to think on your feet and communicate ideas effectively is critical, no matter what role you have right now, or where you’d like to be in the coming years. Our guest today, Matt Abrahams, is just the guide you need to help you improve your communication skills. Matt is a leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach. He lectures at Stanford’s Graduate School of business where he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting.  Last year Matt wrote the book Think Faster, Talk Smarter, which aims to teach you how to speak successfully when you’re put on the spot. We talk with Matt about how to become a better presenter, how improv can help your speaking skills, and the winning formula for an impromptu toast. Bio Matt Abrahams is a leading communication expert with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach. He lectures in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he teaches strategic communication and virtual presenting. Recognized with Stanford GSB’s Alumni Teaching Award, Matt's influence extends beyond the classroom as a sought-after keynote speaker and consultant. Matt has guided presenters for IPO road shows, Nobel Prize, TED, and World Economic Forum presentations, and consults for the United Nations’ Secretary General’s Strategic Planning and Communication Office. His popular podcast, Think Fast, Talk Smart, has garnered millions of views, and his books, Think Faster, Talk Smarter and Speaking Up without Freaking Out, provide practical techniques to help individuals communicate confidently and manage speaking anxiety. *** Premium Episodes on Design Better This is a premium episode on Design Better. We release two premium episodes per month, along with two free episodes for everyone. Premium subscribers also get access to our monthly AMAs with former guests, ad-free episodes, discounts and early access to workshops, access to our (small but growing!) library of books and participation in book giveaways, and our new enhanced newsletter The Brief that compiles salient insights, quotes, readings, and creative processes uncovered in the show.  Upgrade to paid *** Visiting the links below is one of the best ways to support our show: Zeplin: Few things frustrate designers quite as much as seeing the UI they’ve meticulously designed, botched when built out. But Zeplin can help you make every design-to-dev handoff efficient and accurate so you nail every release on time and on budget. Design Better listeners can get their first month of the Basic Plan free. Just go to zeplin.io and use code DESIGNBETTER to get your first month of the Basic Plan free. Methodical Coffee: Roasted, blended, brewed, served and perfected by verified coffee nerds 🤓. We have our very own Design Better roast at Methodical, grab some here to fuel your creativity: https://methodicalcoffee.com/products/design-better-coffee