Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques Podcast

How to turn curiosity, clarity, and AI into your most powerful job search tools.

Job search isnt just about landing your next roleits about understanding who you are and how you want to show up in the world. According to Andrew Seaman, Senior Managing Editor for Jobs and Career Development at LinkedIn, that process begins with curiosity, not certainty. People assume they need to apply to dozens of jobs with a perfect rsum, he explains. But the best applications are rooted in self-awareness and strategynot spray-and-pray.

Instead of rushing to the next opportunity, Seaman encourages job seekers to slow down, ask better questions, and prioritize conversations over checklists. From informational interviews to profile updates, clarity is keyknowing what you want and telling a story that shows why youre the right fit.
With tools like LinkedIns Job Match and natural-language job search, candidates can now assess how they align with a roleand where they can grow. Its not just about being qualified, Seaman says. Its about showing the value you bring.
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Seaman joins host Matt Abrahams for our Catalyze Your Career miniseries to share how to job search with intention. Using Matts Four Is frameworkidentifying, investigating, initiating contact, and interviewingthey explore how strategic storytelling, thoughtful networking, and AI tools can help you stand out in a crowded market.

Episode Reference Links:

• Andrew Seaman
• Ep.184 Fit or Quit? Find the Job That is Right For YouCatalyze Your Career
• Ep.187 Experimenting, Failing, and Finding Your Job Fit - Catalyze Your Career
• Ep.151 Get Hired: How the Right Communication Can Advance Your Career

Connect:

• Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
• Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
• 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
• (02:05) - Whats Changing in Job Search
• (03:49) - Identifying Roles with Curiosity
• (06:49) - Investigating Companies & Roles
• (08:13) - Initiating Contact Effectively
• (11:29) - Crafting a Strong Narrative
• (12:41) - How Job Match Can Help
• (16:01) - Strategic vs. Shotgun Approach
• (21:00) - Best Career Advice Received
• (21:56) - Career Regrets & Lessons
• (23:25) - Conclusion

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This episode is sponsored by LinkedIn. Dare to discover whats next. Explore your job potential at LinkedIn.
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Amidst constant change, clear communication is the key to navigating uncertainty.

How do you communicate with others when youre confused yourself? For Rob Siegel, leadership isnt about avoiding uncertainty, its about embracing the clarity that ambiguity can bring.

"What if ambiguity is the new normal?" asks Siegel, a venture investor and lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business. From rapidly evolving AI to ratcheting geopolitical tensions, every day brings a crisis du jour, he says. I may like it, I may not like it. That doesn't really matter, but I've gotta get my team through it."

In his latest book, The Systems Leader: Mastering the Cross Pressures That Make or Break Today's Companies, Siegel explores how leaders today are living in dualities, caught between managing existing processes and adapting to emerging disruptions. The sooner we get comfortable with [change] in the sense of I don't have to like it, but I can deal with it, then [we can] lead our teams and give them the calm to know they can get through this.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Siegel and host Matt Abrahams explore how to communicate effectively amidst constant change. From preparation strategies for spontaneous speaking to building trust through candid conversations, Siegel offers practical tips for communicating with clarity when nothing is certain but change.

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

Episode Reference Links:

• Robert Siegel
• Robs Book: The Systems Leader
• Ep.35 Leading From The Hot Seat: How To Communicate Under Pressure
• Ep.37 Be Better: How Communication Catalyzes Business Transformation

Connect:

• Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
• Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
• 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
• (01:49) - Adapting Leadership for Uncertainty
• (03:18) - Systems Leadership and Cross Pressures
• (04:40) - Communication and Context
• (05:26) - Framing Complex Ideas
• (06:21) - Innovation vs. Execution
• (08:11) - Leading Through Ambiguity
• (09:33) - Short-Term vs. Long-Term Focus
• (12:44) - Balancing Strength and Empathy
• (15:26) - Leadership with Humanity
• (16:42) - Engaging Students Effectively
• (20:00) - The Final Three Questions
• (23:41) - Conclusion

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How victim, villain, and helpless stories sabotage our most important conversations.

The hardest conversations aren’t just about what you say to the other person. According to Joseph Grenny, critical conversations begin with the stories that you tell yourself.

As a leading expert on business performance and communication, and a New York Times bestselling co-author of Crucial Conversations, Grenny explains that navigating high-stakes communication starts by examining the internal narratives we bring into these situations. “You and I use three consistent types of stories in these moments that don't serve us well,” he says: Victim stories (emphasizing our innocence), villain stories (demonizing the other person), and helpless stories (justifying our poor responses). "Those three kinds of stories are what amp up our emotions and justify us in our unhealthy responses," he says.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Grenny joins Matt Abrahams to share practical strategies for mastering difficult conversations through what he calls "TLC" — truth, love, and competence. From recognizing your motives during conflict to accepting your role in creating it, he offers tools for staying focused on what you really want rather than getting hijacked by short-term emotional impulses.

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

Episode Reference Links:

• Joseph Grenny
• Joseph’s Book: Crucial Conversations  
• Ep.105 Radical Candor: The Communication Shift That Can Transform Your Career
• Ep.148 Conviction and Compassion: How to Have Hard Conversations  

Connect:

• Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
• Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
• 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) - Influence & Why It Matters
• (04:10) - Truth & Love: The Foundation of Accountability
• (06:30) - Showing You Care & Respect Others
• (08:14) - Recognizing Motives in High-Stakes Moment
• (14:08) - Managing Emotions in Crucial Conversations
• (20:03) - The Final Three Questions
• (25:19) - Conclusion

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Great strategy starts with a question—and a story worth believing in.

A good strategy isn’t just built—it’s told. For Martin Reeves, chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute and author of The Imagination Machine and Like: The Button That Changed the World, strategy and imagination are both deeply communicative processes, rooted in storytelling, curiosity, and the courage to reframe assumptions.
“A strategy is really just a special kind of story,” Reeves explains. “It begins with the present and aspires to a different future—it’s fiction made actionable.” To bring that fiction to life, leaders must involve their teams in a co-creative journey and use thoughtful questions to shape not just ideas, but belief and action.
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Reeves joins Matt Abrahams to explore how communication fuels strategic thinking, innovation, and organizational reinvention. He outlines his six-step framework for imagination—from embracing anomalies to codifying and continuing ideas—and underscores the role of reframing, deep listening, and even levity in solving complex problems. Together, they unpack how a single “like” button changed our digital behaviors—and what it teaches us about influence and attention today.

Episode Reference Links:

• Martin Reeves 
• Martin’s Books: Like / The Imagination Machine 
• Ep.71 Strategy Success: How to Communicate Your Gameplan

Connect:

• Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
• Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
• 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
• (02:14) - Using Story in Strategy
• (04:55) - Questions as a Communication Technology
• (06:10) - The Six Steps to Harnessing Imagination
• (10:31) - The “7 Cs” of Imagination and Communication
• (12:03) - Reframing as a Creative Tool
• (14:06) - The Like Button: Origin and Evolution
• (16:09) - Brain Chemistry Behind Digital Liking
• (18:07) - The Final Three Questions
• (22:54) - Conclusion

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A live SXSW panel on how employee complaints illuminate the path to organizational innovation.

Wrong question: How can AI revolutionize productivity in my organization?

Right question: What do my employees hate most about their jobs?

For the Portland Trail Blazers, a winning game plan for AI implementation didn’t begin with a tech-first approach — it began with a talk-first one. “The whole concept was to talk about pain points," explains David Long, VP of Digital Innovation, describing the "Lunch and Launch" sessions where employees could openly share frustrations about their daily work. “People really enjoy talking about what they hate about their jobs,” says Christa Stout, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, and as they did, they illuminated opportunities for optimization. “By getting this insight across the whole company, it is already opening our eyes [to how] we can potentially transform the business more broadly,” Stout says.

In this special live episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, recorded at SXSW, host Matt Abrahams leads a panel with Long, Stout, and Stanford colleague Jeremy Utley, exploring how "catharsis catalyzes change.” For any team wanting to implement new technology or rethink workflows, these experts reveal how creating space for complaints can catalyze meaningful innovation throughout an organization.

Episode Reference Links:

• Jeremy Utley
• David Long
• Christa Stout
• Ep.77 Quick Thinks: AI Has Entered The Chat – A "Conversation" with ChatGPT
• Ep.134 How to Chat with Bots: The Secrets to Getting the Information You Need from AI  

Connect:

• Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
• Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
• 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
• (04:37) - The Business Behind Basketball
• (06:08) - Why AI and Why Now?
• (07:16) - Collaborating with the Team
• (08:34) - The Lunch & Launch Method
• (11:06) - Branding AI Initiatives
• (12:24) - David Detractor & Kelly Kindness
• (15:55) - Human Connection through AI
• (16:40) - Auditing for Brand Consistency
• (18:48) - AI in National Parks
• (21:31) - Making AI Personal
• (22:53) - Using AI to Learn AI
• (27:22) - Encouraging AI in the Workplace
• (30:16) - Change Management: Iteration Over Perfection
• (34:02) - Start with Curiosity and Empower Action
• (37:45) - Communication Ingredients
• (39:17) - Conclusion

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This episode is sponsored by LinkedIn. Dare to discover what’s next. Explore your job potential at LinkedIn.
Become a Faster Smarter Supporter by joining TFTS Premium.