Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

People are forgetful. Here’s how to make your messages more memorable.

After any presentation, your audience will forget about 90% of what you said. That’s okay, says Carmen Simon — just make sure they remember the right 10%.
Simon is a cognitive neuroscientist, speaker, author, and expert on how the brain processes and retains information. Her research reveals a humbling truth: “We forget our lives almost as quickly as we live them,” she says. But instead of fighting our forgetfulness, Simon believes we can work with it — by getting intentional about what we want people to remember. “So many people aspire at attention and memory, but very few really know what they want to be memorable for,” she says. “Ask the question: what is my 10% message?”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Simon and host Matt Abrahams discuss how to distill your communication for maximum memorability. Whether you're pitching an idea or presenting to a team, Simon’s practical techniques will help you ensure your 10% message is the one your audience takes away.
Episode Reference Links:
Carmen Simon
Carmen’s Book: Impossible to Ignore
Ep.39 Brains Love Stories: How Leveraging Neuroscience Can Capture People's Emotions 

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

(02:51) - Attention vs. Memory

(05:27) - Novelty & Surprise

(06:48) - Why Attention Isn’t Enough

(08:16) - The Power of Priming

(09:49) - Priming in Business Communication

(10:33) - Why Audiences Forget

(13:44) - Smart Repetition

(15:20) - The Final Three Questions

(22:11) - 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.

This episode is sponsored by Grammarly. Let Grammarly take the busywork off your plate so you can focus on high-impact work. Download Grammarly for free today
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

The secret to building habits that stick.

Whether you want to read more books or exercise more regularly, BJ Fogg has good news. “Habits are easier to form than most people think,” he says, “If you do it in the right way.”

As the founder and director of Stanford's Behavior Design Lab, Fogg has devoted much of his career to researching human psychology, motivation, and behavior. According to him, habit formation isn’t a product of simply doing something over and over again. “It's not a function of repetition,” he says, “it's a function of emotion.”

As Fogg discusses with host Matt Abrahams in this Rethinks episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, bringing our behavior in line with our goals is easier than we think — we just have to know the emotional levers to pull.

Episode Reference Links:
BJ Fogg 
Fogg's Book: Tiny Habits

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

(03:04) - The Information-Action Fallacy

(04:47) - The Behavior Model: Motivation, Ability, Prompt

(06:27) - Designing a Reading Habit

(08:05) - What Is a Habit?

(11:14) - Making Paraphrasing a Habit

(13:51) - Specificity vs. Repetition

(16:10) - Choosing Habits You Enjoy

(17:08) - The Final Three Questions

(22:25) - 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.
This episode is brought to you by Babbel. Think Fast Talk Smart listeners can get started on your language learning journey today- visit Babbel.com/Thinkfast and get up to 55% off your Babbel subscription.
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

Why beliefs can either cap our potential or push us toward possibility.

What you believe about yourself could be holding you back. Fortunately, Nir Eyal says beliefs aren’t truths — and you can choose new ones.
Eyal is a former lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Stanford d.school, a celebrated author, and a renowned expert on human behavior and potential. His latest book, Beyond Belief, reveals how limiting beliefs — like “I’m a bad communicator” — quietly shape what we see, feel, and do. “A belief doesn't have to be true” to limit our potential, he says. But the same holds in reverse: a belief doesn't have to be true to expand who and what we can become. “Beliefs are tools, not truths. It just has to be useful.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Eyal and host Matt Abrahams explore how to identify the beliefs that hold us back — and how to replace them with ones that propel us forward. From keeping a belief journal to practicing perspective-shifting “turnarounds,” Eyal offers practical tips for rewriting the stories we tell ourselves and becoming the people we want to be.
To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.
Episode Reference Links:
Nir Eyal
Nir’s Book: Beyond Belief
104. How to Change: Building Better Habits and Behaviors (And Getting Out of Your Own Way)
115. Rethinks: How We Set and Achieve Goals  

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

(02:57) - The Power of Attention

(04:42) - The Hook Model & Surprise

(07:07) - Structure vs. Novelty

(09:02) - Identity & Limiting Beliefs

(12:04) - Beliefs Vs. Facts

(15:29) - The Four-Question Test

(21:30) - The Final Three Questions

(24:41) - 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.

This episode is sponsored by Grammarly. Let Grammarly take the busywork off your plate so you can focus on high-impact work. Download Grammarly for free today
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

Practical insights to help you communicate with more intention in everyday moments.

What’s the difference between reacting and responding? How do you move from memorizing your words to truly conversing in the moment? And how do you keep growing as a communicator in everyday moments?
Communication isn’t about having the perfect script. It’s about staying present enough to respond with intention. In fast-moving conversations, emotions rise, thoughts race, and structure can disappear. Yet it’s in the pause — the breath before we speak — that clarity begins.
In this Ask Matt Anything episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Matt Abrahams shares highlights from a recent live AMA inside the Think Fast, Talk Smart Learning Community. Listener questions open the door to practical strategies for navigating emotional conversations, relying on structure rather than memorization, and building communication habits that actually stick. Because becoming a better communicator isn’t about getting it perfect — it’s about making small, intentional choices every day.
Episode Reference Links:
Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community  

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

(02:52) - From Reacting to Responding

(04:46) - Memorization vs. Spontaneous Speaking

(09:56) - Growing Vocabulary

(13:55) - Asking for Better Feedback

(17:48) - Value of the Learning Community

(22:11) - 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.

This episode is sponsored by Grammarly. Let Grammarly take the busywork off your plate so you can focus on high-impact work. Download Grammarly for free today
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

How to communicate who you are online.

You may not think of yourself as a content creator, but in the creator economy, Angèle Christin says we all have to learn how to communicate who we are online.
Christin is an associate professor of communications at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. According to her, “we are all content creators now.” We may not all be influencers or podcast hosts, but “We are all putting content out there and creating a public persona,” says Christin. In the digital age, “that plays an increasingly important role in hiring, promotions, and of course, getting laid off.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Christin and host Matt Abrahams explore how to navigate the creator economy — whether as a full-time influencer or a professional managing your online presence. From building on your area of expertise to understanding the trade-offs between short-term hype and long-term trust, Christin explains what it takes to show up online without losing yourself in the algorithm.
Episode Reference Links:
Angèle Christin
Ep.225 Speaking Fluent Internet: How Algorithms Are Changing the Way We Speak

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

(02:42) - Why Metrics Reward Drama

(06:09) - Building A Professional Online Presence

(10:26) - What Makes A Good Story?

(14:15) - The Reality Of Creator Work

(18:43) - The Final Three Question

(21:53) - 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.

This episode is sponsored by Grammarly. Let Grammarly take the busywork off your plate so you can focus on high-impact work. Download Grammarly for free today
Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.