Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

"You want to own the message and your narrative."
Strong communication is about more than delivering a message—it’s about building trust over time. As Zoom’s Chief Marketing Officer, Kim Storin has helped shape communication at one of the world’s most recognizable brands, balancing empathy, transparency, and consistency in an era of rapid technological change. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Storin joins Matt Abrahams to discuss how leaders can communicate with authenticity, navigate crises with clarity, and build cultures rooted in transparency. They explore the art and science of shaping perception, maintaining connection in hybrid workplaces, and creating messages that solve problems—not just capture attention.

Key Takeaways:
  • Lead with authenticity and transparency. Clear, honest communication builds trust—especially during periods of change or crisis.
  • Own your narrative. Consistent messaging and a clear story shape how others understand your brand, team, or ideas.

Activity:
  • Before your next team update or difficult conversation, ask yourself: "What information can I share that will build trust?" Include one additional point of context or reasoning that helps your audience better understand the decision.

Episode Reference Links:
Connect:

Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (01:37) - Leading Through a Global Crisis
  • (03:36) - Changing Brand Perception
  • (06:50) - Building Culture at Scale
  • (09:00) - Virtual Communication Gains & Losses
  • (11:24) - Creating Meaningful Moments
  • (12:34) - Communicating Through Difficulty
  • (16:03) - The Final Three Questions
  • (21:33) - Conclusion

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Creators and Guests

Host
Matt Abrahams
Lecturer Stanford University Graduate School of Business | Think Fast Talk Smart podcast host
Guest
Kim Storin
Chief Marketing Officer at Zoom

What is Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques?

One of the most essential ingredients to success in business and life is effective communication.

Join Matt Abrahams, best-selling author and Strategic Communication lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business, as he interviews experts to provide actionable insights that help you communicate with clarity, confidence, and impact. From handling impromptu questions to crafting compelling messages, Matt explores practical strategies for real-world communication challenges.

Whether you’re navigating a high-stakes presentation, perfecting your email tone, or speaking off the cuff, Think Fast, Talk Smart equips you with the tools, techniques, and best practices to express yourself effectively in any situation. Enhance your communication skills to elevate your career and build stronger professional relationships.

Tune in every Tuesday for new episodes. Subscribe now to unlock your potential as a thoughtful, impactful communicator. Learn more and sign up for our eNewsletter at fastersmarter.io.

Matt Abrahams: Empathy and transparency
are essential for effective

communication in person or virtually.

My name's Matt Abrahams, and I
teach Strategic Communication at

Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Welcome to Think Fast,
Talk Smart, the podcast.

Today, I look forward to
speaking with Kim Storin.

Kim is Zoom's chief marketing
officer who oversees brand,

marketing, and communication.

She's a seasoned executive with
a background spanning startups

to Fortune 50 companies.

Well, welcome, Kim.

I am excited for our conversation.

Kim Storin: Me too.

Thanks for having me here.

Matt Abrahams: Excellent.

Shall we get started?

Kim Storin: Let's do it.

Matt Abrahams: Excellent.

Well, I have a long
relationship with Zoom.

Back in around 2015 at Stanford's
Business School, I initiated a class

on virtual communication, and the deans
at the time were like, "Oh, go ahead

and teach the class, but, you know,
we're not sure how important that is."

Ironically, it became very important.

And Eric Yuan, your CEO,
was very kind at that time.

We had a different tool in place
at the business school, and I had

learned of Zoom and saw its potential.

And because Eric was affiliated with
the school, he's a graduate of one of

our executive education programs, I
reached out to him, and he was very kind.

And in fact, the very first use of Zoom
at Stanford was as a result of Eric

giving us free access for the class.

And ever since then, he and I have
been close, and Zoom has been something

that's been important on the campus.

So just wanted to give a little bit
of that background, and I'm glad

that he introduced me to you to
have you here today, so thank you.

So let's get started.

Clearly, COVID and the pandemic
had a huge impact on Zoom.

Uh, without exaggeration, I think
it's fair to say that Zoom saved

countless businesses and allowed
for many parts of our everyday

lives to continue and function.

Looking back, what are you and
the company most proud of, and are

there things that you might have
done differently with hindsight?

Kim Storin: You know, I wasn't
here at Zoom at the time.

I've only been here for about a year now.

I did watch what Zoom did, and I really
admired how Zoom took the challenge

head-on and how Eric led with such
empathy for not just customers, because

Zoom was an enterprise business at
that point, but for what the world

was going through at that time.

And, you know, for people, not just
organizations, but also individuals,

families, students that were, were
looking for ways to, to connect, to

learn, to work during that period, right?

You really saw how Zoom became such a
critical part of how we functioned and

how we communicated during that time.

But what's interesting is because
of how Eric and the leadership

team were so empathetic, put that
freemium model in place right off

the bat, helped turn on every school,
every company, every individual.

And so as a result of that,
we became a household name.

We became a verb, right?

We're the Kleenex of software.

And we have nearly 100% brand awareness.

But as the business has grown, that
brand awareness has actually made it

harder for us to shift perception.

So we've expanded into areas much
further than just video conferencing,

yet because of the ubiquity of the brand,
we've still been pigeonholed in a way.

And people don't recognize the breadth
and depth of our product portfolio and

the problems that we solve for customers.

And so that, you know, ubiquity,
that becoming a verb during COVID,

really makes it challenging as a
marketing and communications leader.

Matt Abrahams: Yeah, I, I can imagine.

It's like an actor who gets
typecasted as a specific role.

And one of the things that I think is
impressive about Zoom and many other

companies during times of difficulty
and tragedy, leading with empathy

and doing what's right, even if it's
may or may not benefit the business

right away, I, I think is important.

I think Zoom did that very well.

So talk to me a little bit about how do
you try to change perceptions and expand

people's very pigeonholed view of you
all, but, uh, this happens in a lot of

industries and a lot of businesses, where
people see you as one thing, and in our

communication we need to expand that.

Are there certain things that you do
or are trying to help expand that view?

Kim Storin: Absolutely.

And, you know, I would say it's
two-pronged, if you will, right?

There is one aspect that is more
scientific and one that's more of the art.

And so when you think about the scientific
elements, people now are spending 50 or

80%, I should say, of their buying journey
where they don't wanna talk to a brand.

They wanna do the research on their own.

Buyers are now starting their buying
cycle on a large language model.

So those two dynamics mean that
we have to be really scientific

of how are we marketing ourselves?

How are we ensuring that we are
strategically positioning ourselves?

That's the scientific part, right?

All of the elements of, like, how are
you showing up in that funnel when

people don't wanna be talking to you,
they wanna be learning about you.

The second piece is more of the art,
which is much more oriented around that

brand-to-demand connection and ensuring
that you're showing up at all the right

places where your customers care, that
you're putting content out there that

answers their pain points, that helps
them progress through that preference

formation journey, that we're leveraging
in-person events and are experiential, and

we have the right marketing mix overall.

So that's a little bit
more of the art side.

And ultimately, it takes the
combination of both the science and

the art in order to, to change that
perception, and it really starts

with anchoring on a narrative.

And consistency drives
preference at the end of the day.

So even as you're balancing art
and science, like, you have to

be constantly coming back to that
core narrative that really defines

the company and that North Star.

Matt Abrahams: Well, you're
certainly singing my tune when it

comes to storytelling narrative.

Super important.

And we focus a lot of that in the classes
I teach on Strategic Communication.

And consistency is critical.

The idea of transitioning from
awareness to preference building,

that's really fundamental.

And in large part, as you
mentioned, a result of how AI

is impacting how people buy.

And then the brand and demand and being
just where people are and making sure they

understand the pain point that you solve.

These are lessons that all of us
can take in the businesses we run.

But it's an evolved form
of marketing, right?

This is a very different world for sure.

Zoom has scaled rapidly.

You're in charge of both
external and internal comms.

How do you maintain a cohesive
company culture with a rapidly

expanding organization, both
domestically and internationally?

How do you keep that culture alive?

Kim Storin: We believe that culture
starts at the top, and we take it very

seriously, and it is something that
Eric and our executive staff think

about and talk about all the time.

We also have a very flat organization,
and that helps ensure that communications

are consistent, that there's not
layers and layers to drive that

message through the organization.

And ultimately, we really do reward
speed, curiosity, learning, and care.

And those cultural attributes are the
core of how we act, the decisions that

we make, and how we treat each other
and how we treat our communities.

And we really take that seriously.

So we are driving those conversations
with managers on a regular basis.

We bring those messages to a biweekly
town hall meeting with all employees,

which I've never in my career seen
such a drive and commitment to

transparent communications in that way.

People are used to seeing a
quarterly all-hands meeting, not a

every other week all-hands meeting.

And so I think it's really a testament
to our executive team's core commitment

to our culture and our values and
to transparent communications.

Matt Abrahams: So it sounds to
me several things there that

all of us could benefit from.

One, having a clear distillation
of what your values are, speed,

learning, care, and those serve as
that guiding light, and then providing

opportunity to be transparent.

And the frequency of, in your
case, all-hands meetings.

And then having a flatter
organizational structure that

then focuses on communication
and consistency helps as well.

And those are really important
ingredients, I think, to helping

a culture flourish and take root
in the midst of rapid growth.

So thank you.

Tools like Zoom have made
much of our communication more

transactional and scheduled.

This can absolutely drive
efficiency, but it can work against

serendipity and spontaneity.

What are your thoughts on what is gained
and lost in this virtual modality?

Kim Storin: So I agree.

I think the water cooler moments and those
happen stance, those happen chance moments

that are like IRL are so critical to
professional development and work agility.

And so I think ultimately we
are giving that up a little bit.

But on the other hand, what we've
done is enable communication and

collaboration with the world and
across your organization and across

your customers and your partners at a
scale that was previously unattainable.

And so I think the ubiquity of Zoom has
really opened up the world, both how

you communicate within your organization
and how you communicate outside your

organization in a way that just wasn't,
we, we would never have been able to see

this at scale without the technology.

So I think what's really critical
is that we do both, right?

There's value in those in real life
moments, in those water cooler moments.

We all have the stories of where
something happened as a result and,

you know, drove our professional
development, our career growth.

That was just a happen chance moment.

And so we want to ensure that we're like
still enabling those moments, but there

is so much beneficial from the virtual
standpoint and just the global mindset,

being able to talk and communicate and
collaborate with your peers in your,

with your team in India while you sit in
San Jose, like that's a huge opportunity

for global communications at scale.

So I think it is ultimately finding
that balance and ensuring that the

technology is ultimately helping where
it can, driving context, ensuring

that we've got different ways of
communicating, helping understand,

and taking notes that works for both
the individual and the enterprise.

But ultimately, it's not replacing
those in real life moments.

It's augmenting them.

Matt Abrahams: Are there things
that you do in your own team or in

your own life where you actually
design for that spontaneity?

So for example, do you pull your
team together in real life and,

uh, with a certain frequency?

Are there certain icebreakers
or activities you do?

Kim Storin: We are very committed overall
of bringing people together in person

when needed to drive brainstorming
and ideation and problem-solving.

But I think for the folks that don't
naturally have those opportunities

because they don't sit in a function
like marketing that is public facing

and kind of running those big event
opportunities, I think raising your hand

and talking to your leader about where
are the right places, when is it the

right time to spend a week at headquarters
and have some of those moments?

When is it the right time to bring
your team together for an offsite?

And when the opportunity outweighs
the cost Leaders are receptive to

that, but you as an individual in an
organization also have to be raising

your hand and sharing those ideas with
your leader so that those happenstance

and in real-life moments can happen.

Matt Abrahams: Excellent.

I like that you lean into the role and job
responsibility opportunities to be in real

life and weigh the pros and cons and costs
of when it makes sense to bring people

in, either based on the task that's being
done or the need of the group at the time.

I'd like to get your suggestions
for how we can handle challenging

external communication issues
that business leaders might face.

For example, you have to announce a
layoff, or what happened with Zoom.

Zoom required that all employees
come back to the office, which

had a moment in the media.

How do you advise people to think about
their communication when the view in

the public might be negative towards it?

What advice do you give as somebody
who has vast experience in marketing

to help in those situations?

Kim Storin: So I actually
started my career in crisis

communications, funny enough.

So I think about this a lot, and
also great that I started in crisis

communications because my first
week on the job here at Zoom, we

faced a crisis, which was an outage
that impacted the Zoom platform.

And ultimately, what I believe is best
practice is transparency and clarity.

And again, going back to our
DNA, speed of that response.

And so I think ultimately understanding
the crisis, have full frame of

the crisis is really important.

So going slow to go fast, because if you
start moving fast with limited information

or not understanding the repercussions
of the crisis at hand, you can end up

having to backtrack, which makes it even
worse, calls more attention than if you

had taken a beat and made sure that you
had the full view of what's happening.

So I always say, like, go slow to go fast
when it comes to a crisis, but you have

to act with a sense of urgency and be
able to pull the right voices together.

In many ways, it is the voice of our
partners, the voice of analysts, the voice

of media that people look to in a crisis.

Like, what are these third parties
saying about the crisis, not

just what the company is saying?

And so in that moment of going
slow to go fast, in that moment

of really understanding the issue,
also mapping out who are the

voices, who are the stakeholders
that can help you tell your story.

And that becomes really critical
because it is core for you to own the

message and your narrative, but you
also want to shape the market narrative.

And so I always like to start with that
stakeholder map as well and understanding

who can help me tell this story.

Were there other partners that
are involved in the crisis?

Are there other partners that
have a stake in the ground?

Anyone shaping that narrative
that we need to be working with to

collectively shape that narrative.

And then lastly, like I try to be as
transparent as possible because again,

we live in an age where people can spot
fakeness and inauthenticity so fast.

And again, you want to watch
out for making the reputation

worse, and your reputation and
your brand are the most valuable

assets that you have as a company.

And so being able to be very
transparent and clear, especially

if customers were impacted, is kind
of the third piece of what I would

say is kind of crisis comms 101.

Matt Abrahams: So thinking about the
stakeholder map is really important.

Who are the constituents
that are involved?

It's, uh, beyond just the
company and the customers.

Slowing down to understand fully the
situation and then creating messages

that are transparent and understandable
and clear, really important.

And thank you for sharing that because all
of us in our work, be it in our personal

work or in the work of the company,
are going to have times where we have

to communicate challenging information
outside the walls of the organization.

Kim, this has been really
enlightening and insightful.

Thank you.

Before we end, I like to ask everybody
three questions, one I create just for you

and two I've been asking for a long time.

Are you up for that?

Kim Storin: Let's do it.

Matt Abrahams: So I know you believe
strongly in philanthropy, and

you focus on many causes in this
area, especially women's issues.

Can you share why you feel so strongly
that we all should think about giving

back and focusing on philanthropy?

Kim Storin: Absolutely.

So I started community work and
volunteering back when I was in fourth

grade, and my mom played a huge role
in, in helping to, to shape this in me.

I do believe that service is a virtue,
and it is the responsibility of each

of us to do unto others as we would
have done unto ourselves, right?

That was the thing I learned
from my mom, was really the

importance of that golden rule.

I'm now really focused on community-led
solutions to local challenges, and

it's why I've become such a huge
supporter of community foundations.

You know, we have such a loneliness
epidemic, and what I love about

the community foundation is that
it truly is about community.

Not just about philanthropy, but also
coming together as a community to solve

the problems in the community, and it
makes us feel more connected to, to our

local organizations, to others that have
similar things that they care about.

Matt Abrahams: I love that you have a
long history of philanthropy and that

it's beyond just doing what's good
and, and in many cases right, but it's

about building a sense of community.

And that amplification can
really make a difference.

Question number two, who is a
communicator that you admire and why?

Kim Storin: So my mind goes to,
and it's probably 'cause I've been

hanging out a little bit too much
with my nieces, but Taylor Swift is

just somebody that I think does such
an amazing job of communications.

And I think ultimately, I call
her this, like, audience architect

because she has such a sophisticated
view with the role that the audience

plays in how she communicates.

And she does a lot of direct to audience
communication, and she disintermediates

the media a lot, which I think is
a valuable lesson for all of us.

Not that, like, we all have the ability
to pull off what Taylor's name grants

her in the, in the market, but she does
turn fans into distribution channels

and more importantly, into defenders
with such a passion and standing up

for you when you're not in the room.

And so I think there's a
lot we can learn there.

Matt Abrahams: I love that
you picked Taylor Swift.

I think she's a great example for
many of the reasons you articulated.

This idea of audience architecture and
really thinking about your audience

and how to convert fans into defenders
is a really interesting idea for all

of us to think about and to watch
how she does it, and she's just so

dynamic and with so much energy.

I appreciate that.

Final question for you, Kim.

What are the first three ingredients that
go into a successful communication recipe?

Kim Storin: So I think we've
talked about all of these

things, but I'll just reiterate.

So I think number one is authenticity,
especially in this world of AI

slop, authenticity is going to rule.

Gen Z is telling us over
and over and over again that

authentic communications matters.

Taylor Swift is telling us over and over
again, authentic communication matters.

I think the second one is transparency.

We talked about that when we talked
about crisis communications, and

I think transparency, whether
it's internal communications or

external, goes a really long way.

I think spin has less value right now
than authenticity and transparency.

And then lastly, solutions oriented, and
I say that because I think so many of the

times we think it's about the words that
we're using, and really what it is, it's

the solution that we're communicating.

When you have a crisis or message
that you're trying to bring to the

masses, you want them to understand
that you understand the problem and

you're bringing them a solution.

And ultimately, we're
not just navel-gazing.

And so I think that third piece of the
recipe has to be solutions orientation

Matt Abrahams: I really like your
three, and everybody listening knows

I like when things are memorable.

So authenticity, transparency, relevancy.

If you have those three ingredients,
you're going to have very successful

communication and very connected
communication, which is really important.

Kim, this has been really a great
conversation and very insightful.

Many of the things that you
shared are things that people

will or have confronted, and
some of your best practices can

really help us make a difference.

Thank you for your time and
thank you for your insights.

Kim Storin: Thank you.

And always remember, what
would Taylor Swift do?

Matt Abrahams: Definitely
shake it up, that's for sure.

Kim Storin: Amazing.

Matt Abrahams: Thank you for joining
us for another episode of Think

Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast.

To learn more about managing internal
and external communication, please

listen to episode 82 with Nancy Duarte.

This episode was produced by Katherine
Reed, Ryan Campos, and me, Matt Abrahams.

Our music is from Floyd Wonder.

With special thanks to
Podium Podcast Company.

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