Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

"The dumbest thing you can be is a know-it-all."
Curiosity isn't about having all the answers—it's about asking better questions. Journalist and podcast host Nayeema Raza believes the strongest communicators balance confidence with openness, using curiosity to better understand people, ideas, and the world around them. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Raza joins Matt Abrahams to explore how to make complex ideas accessible, ask questions that spark meaningful conversations, and communicate with both confidence and humility. From writing punchier questions to embracing uncertainty, she shares practical strategies for becoming a more thoughtful and engaging communicator.

Key Takeaways:
  • Confidence grows through curiosity. The strongest communicators stay open to new ideas, ask thoughtful questions, and leave room to learn rather than assuming they have all the answers.
  • Simple questions create meaningful conversations. Clear, concise questions—and a focus on what matters most—help make complex ideas more accessible and engaging.

Activity:
  • Write better questions. Take an upcoming meeting, interview, or one-on-one and rewrite three of your questions so each is nine words or fewer. Focus on making them clear, direct, and curiosity-driven.

Episode Reference Links:

Connect:

 Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (00:57) - Simplifying Complexity
  • (02:11) - Better Questions
  • (06:03) - Confidence vs. Certainty
  • (07:24) - Interview Nerves
  • (10:14) - Prepare to Improvise
  • (11:02) - Going Independent
  • (13:59) - Curiosity in the Digital Age
  • (16:59) - Staying Relevant
  • (21:01) - The Final Three Questions
  • (25:57) - 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
Nayeema Raza
Journalist | Creator | Podcast Host | Filmmaker

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: Curiosity and chemistry
are critical to successful communication.

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'm excited to
speak with Nayeema Raza.

Nayeema is a journalist,
producer, and creator.

She was the co-host and executive producer
of the hit podcast On with Kara Swisher.

She now hosts her own podcast,
Smart Girl, Dumb Questions.

Her work has appeared in The New
York Times and New York Magazine, and

she's produced documentary films that
bridge complex geopolitical issues

with accessible human narratives.

Nayeema, thank you for being
here, and welcome to the

Spotify Studios in New York.

It's awesome to be with you and
continue the conversations we've had

on the phone and on email, in person.

Nayeema Raza: Thank you
so much for having me.

I love your show, and I'm so
thrilled to be part of it.

Matt Abrahams: Excellent.

Shall we get started?

Nayeema Raza: Yes, let's jump in.

Matt Abrahams: So if you look
at your career from management

consultant to journalist to
podcast, uh, you've changed a lot.

Nayeema Raza: Yes, and you
missed documentary filmmaking.

Matt Abrahams: I did.

I did.

That's true.

That's true, and now TED speaker.

Nayeema Raza: Yes, and for
people listening, I'm not old.

I just want you to know
that I'm young still.

Matt Abrahams: That's right.

You're very young and very hip.

Uh, in all of those roles actually, you've
had to synthesize complex information

and make it accessible to people.

What kind of tools and frameworks
do you use to help make that

content easily understood?

Nayeema Raza: So much of it
has to do with how I grew up.

I grew up in Indonesia and Sudan.

I'm Pakistani, born in DC.

My entire life I've been
what's called, the technical

term, is a third culture kid.

Um, in environments where I didn't
necessarily always speak the language,

didn't always, and so I learned to speak
body language and read what was happening,

and I think sometimes we get caught up
in the details of a moment, but when I'm

making a film or a podcast or telling
a story or making a slide, I think part

of the gift of how I grew up is being
able to focus on that big picture and

think about what the message is that's
coming across, both as I'm receiving

it and as I'm kind of projecting it.

Matt Abrahams: One of the things
I have found so useful in the way

you communicate and break things
down is you make it relevant.

So you connect it to the people who are
listening, which I think really helps.

Do you do that consciously, or is
that just something that happens?

Nayeema Raza: I think that it's,
it's something that I've become

conscious of and I do increasingly.

So I think that, that my kind of
superpower as a communicator is

the ability to bring some levity
to topics of gravity and to bring

some gravity to topics of levity.

And what I mean by that is, you know,
if you're talking about the world

today, politics, war, et cetera,
oh my God, it can be such a bummer.

And you just want to have a little
bit of sense that the world continues,

that ,we and so I think infusing some
comedy into that and some levity into

that while, you know, not discounting
the, the gravity of the situation.

One of, I think, the, uh, best
ways that I've learned to condense

information is in the business of
headline writing which is a very

fraught enterprise these these days.

But you want to write a headline
when you're writing at The New

York Times or elsewhere, and we
have a lot of conversation about

what the headline should be.

You want it to grab people's
attention, but you want it

to be faithful to the story.

You, I don't think, want it
to be polarizing, but you do

want it to be provocative.

And so I think as I started doing a
lot of headline writing, I decided that

the best questions I've ever been asked
in my life are nine words or less.

Matt Abrahams: Interesting.

Nayeema Raza: And I think that's the same,
because if you think about conversation

or you have, someone's cutting through,
like right now and blah, blah, blah,

you're hearing this, then I say, "How
do we solve that?" That's what you hear.

That's what we digest.

So I think there's something about
this punchy, direct question that can

really help cut through the noise.

Sometimes you're asking that to somebody
'cause you're interviewing them.

Sometimes you're asking that to
yourself to get yourself to be a

better communicator and understander
and interpreter of what's going on.

Matt Abrahams: I really like this
idea of thinking about your important

communication as a headline.

Now, most of us aren't writing
headlines for news outlets.

But we do write emails with subject lines.

We do name our meetings.

We do put titles on slides, and that
advice, I think, applies there as well.

And if, and keeping, I'm gonna try
the nine-word rule and see if, if we

can, if that applies in the work I do,
but I, I absolutely like that idea.

Nayeema Raza: I think it's
particularly useful for questions.

Particularly useful for questions.

Matt Abrahams: Yes.

It's thinking about the emotion as
well as the content and breaking it

down, and those are all, I think, the
right ingredients for helping make

complex information more accessible.

And, and I appreciate that you
do that and continue to do that.

We'll be right back to
finish our conversation.

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And now, back to our conversation.

A lot of your roles have been roles as
translator in some ways, translating

technical information, uh, translating
for the audience for, for a performer,

and you've, you've been in the position
often of being a translator for Gen Z and

millennials, for folks of my generation.

Do you, do you like that role?

Do you have certain things
you bring to that role?

Nayeema Raza: I mean, I think
every type of communication is

a moment of translation as well.

I mean, I think now that I'm in
the host seat and kind of star

of my own show I still think of
myself as being the advocate.

Even the title, Smart Girl, Dumb
Questions, it's around the kind

of confidence to be curious.

And I, I think about that a lot, Matt,
with your work, because you write a

lot about confidence and the ability
to communicate from that position.

But I think we have conflated
confidence and certainty a little bit.

Matt Abrahams: Ah.

Tell me more about that.

Nayeema Raza: You wanna be confident
enough that there is some space left in

your opinion to consider how other people
think to consider new information, and to

digest that and, and kind of update your
own worldview with that new information.

Not so confident in your opinion that
you cannot hear anything else, that you

shut down the kind of first, and so I, I
think, you know, I, like I said in the TED

Talk I just gave, it's like the dumbest
thing you can be an, is a know-it-all,

and I have seen that play out.

Matt Abrahams: You make a really
useful distinction there between

confidence we have in our ability
to communicate and confidence in

the things we are communicating.

And I absolutely agree that that
confidence in what we're saying,

there needs to be some room
for creativity, for openness.

Because if we're, if we're sure
of ourselves so much that we don't

bring in other opinions, you know,
then we are being, as you said,

dumb and being a know-it-all.

So, uh, I'm, I'm curious, you certainly
are confident in your opinions and ideas.

Do you still get nervous
when you interview people

and when you're interacting?

And if so, how do you manage that?

Nayeema Raza: No, I, of course I do.

Do you?

Matt Abrahams: Of course.

Yeah.

Nayeema Raza: Yes.

I mean, I think it's, you're nervous
because anytime you film or make

something, and I learned this as a
documentary filmmaker when I was doing

this, this, uh, film on the band Sublime
at Tribeca in 2019, like when you're in

the edit room and you're, and you're,
you ask the editor, "Well, why don't

we have that?" And it's like, "Well,
because you didn't get it while you were

producing the…" So it's that scarcity
of time when you're in conversation

with someone that puts the pressure on.

It's not who they are.

I actually don't, I actually, I think
I give more reverence on my show

when I interview two 11-year-olds
or two doormen than when I interview

Neil deGrasse Tyson or Mark Cuban.

But I get nervous about how little
time there is and whether I can

do everything that I wanna do.

That's what.

Matt Abrahams: I, I feel that same way
when, especially in this capacity, is

people are gifting you their time and
I wanna, I, I get nervous that I'm

not going to make it a good experience
for them or get as much out of it.

Nayeema Raza: But I try, I think it's,
uh, you're doing an amazing, amazing job.

I feel very much like this is
worthwhile use of time and hope everyone

listening and watching does too.

I, I think, um- people
really wanna be understood.

Part of the gift that we have as
hosts is helping understand people.

Sometimes people don't necessarily
fully understand themselves, and you're

kind of unpacking and translating that.

But I, I think if you enter in
the conversation in good faith and

you're really trying to understand
someone, then the conversation is

often, if not always, a success.

Matt Abrahams: And it, it's that approach
that I think can help calm some of those

nerves, knowing that I'm here to really
listen, to allow the person to be heard.

It, when you get out of yourself and
realize you're in service of other

people it can really reduce that anxiety.

Nayeema Raza: By the way, every time I
stop recording, I'm always like, "That

was terrible." Doesn't matter what I do.

Do you have that, or do you have
more confidence on the other end?

Matt Abrahams: Interesting.

I, I do have that, I don't
think that was terrible.

I think, "That could've been better."

Nayeema Raza: Yes.

That's, that's actually what I should say.

I don't think it was terrible.

Matt Abrahams: Yeah.

It's like, I'm just, "Oh, that, that, that
could've been better." And, and not on

the guest part, but it's usually my part.

It's like, "I could've done this," or,
"I should've done that." Yeah, I, uh,

I have a friend who talks about how we
shouldn't should all over ourselves.

And, and I, I unfortunately still do.

Nayeema Raza: It's just your
ability to be in the moment is,

is just difficult for all of us.

Matt Abrahams: No, absolutely.

But when you can get in that present
moment when you can be in service

of others, I think the, the anxiety
abates, the confidence builds.

Nayeema Raza: But that's where I
think preparation and the right

amount of preparation is so
important because I have found that

I'm, I do really well with improv.

I host, uh, a debate sometimes

at the Comedy Cellar in New York
City for Open to Debate on NPR.

And I love that environment because
when you have, you know, an intellectual

threesome, uh, with two people on stage
fighting with each other or sparring

with each other and you're moderating,
you never know what's gonna happen.

Matt Abrahams: I like the idea of an
intellectual throuple, but okay, yes.

Nayeema Raza: Exactly,
intellectual throuple.

So I think I like to be prepared
enough that I have a map, and then

absolutely prepared to throw it away.

And I find when I'm overprepared and I
have a script, it really doesn't serve.

If, if it's like 30 questions,
it doesn't serve me.

If it's 10, it's perfect.

Matt Abrahams: Right.

Absolutely.

I, uh, the, a lot of the work I've
done around spontaneous speaking

is preparing to be spontaneous.

There's a whole bunch of stuff we
can do, as you're talking about.

And there's that sweet spot where
it's just enough to give you the

confidence and the directionality,
but not so much that it's scripted.

And, and finding that, everybody has
to find their own sweet spot for that.

But once you do, it really helps.

You left your roles at The New York Times
and Vox, which are two traditional media

examples, uh, to strike out on your own.

Uh, I'm curious to get your thoughts
as a creator, uh, in what's different,

uh, doing the work you do as an
individual creator wor- versus working

for a more traditional media outlet?

Nayeema Raza: Yeah.

A lot more risk, a lot more reward.

That's the simple, uh, headline of it.

Matt Abrahams: And a lot of work.

Nayeema Raza: A lot of work.

I think the hardest thing has been
you care so much about your own thing.

I cared so much about
other people's things.

I cared about Sway at The New York Times.

I cared about On with Kara Swisher,
and I, and I cared about Mixed Signals,

which I co-hosted at Semafor with
Ben Smith, um, my former colleague

from The New York Times as well.

But it's a gift to be able to put
all that care into something that you

want to build and you think deserves
to be in the world, and then the

challenge becomes finding other people
who care about it as much as you do.

Um, I have a great team, so I have
found that in people like Desta,

my producer, uh, Melissa, Johnny
Simon, who engineers our content.

I mean, I, I found people who
really care, uh, about it.

So much so that sometimes I'll be
like, "Can we get this out early?"

And they're like, "It's not gonna be
as good." And I appreciate that they,

Matt Abrahams: Yeah, that feedback.

Nayeema Raza: That
feedback loop or, you know.

Um, but I think, okay, this is a very
hard question for me because I also

worry about a world in which we're
all just broadcasting and projecting,

and everyone has their own channels.

And everyone has to be a
creator, and everyone, and

that's what we're being told now.

It's like, well, what does eight
billion channels look like, and

who the heck is left to watch?

No wonder everything matters but
only in the first second, you know?

Um, so I think about it a lot.

I think I only did this show because
I felt I had something to say or,

or a, not even something to say.

I felt I had a tone that I
didn't find in the world.

Matt Abrahams: Oh, interesting.

Nayeema Raza: I, I felt that I found
people who were very angry, who were

very certain, who were very unplugged,
disinterested, but I wasn't finding

that intersection of, okay, I wanna
be informed and, about the world and

thoughtful about not the day-to-day
news, but these big ideas, capitalism,

hyperindependence, individualization,
the shifting world order.

And I wanna talk about it in ways
that really impact my own life, and

I wanna do it with a sense of comedy.

And the best thing I could find
was comedians who would do this.

But you know, I think there is a, a
missing middle of can you be much more

entertaining than legacy media, much
more factual than the average kind of

podcast bro or chick, and, you know,
more useful than yesterday's news?

Matt Abrahams: The, the purpose-driven
approach is, stands out in, in what you

just said, is, is it's not just about
getting information out, it's having

a purpose behind that information.

I have worked very hard on thinking
about the purpose of this show, and

you've clearly thought about yours.

And I think part of the advice I would
give to anybody who starts down this

path of being a creator is really
know your purpose, really figure

out what's motivating you 'cause
it's hard work, and that purpose can

really get you through some of that.

I want to give you an opportunity to talk
about your TED Talk that just came out.

It was, it's, it's very
brief, but very effective.

Talk to us about the, the idea of
being curious in the modern age.

Nayeema Raza: One, it was such
a honor and privilege to be

invited to give a TED Talk.

I wasn't expecting it.

I'd done something at the Comedy
Cellar, and, um, some of the

editors at TED and Ignite were
there and asked me to do this talk.

I wanted to give a voice to two
11-year-olds I'd interviewed on my show.

And I had asked them, "How does life
on screens feel different to real

life?" Because I keep seeing kids,
I don't have kids yet, but I see

kids at airports, et cetera, just on
FaceTime not speaking to each other.

Have you seen this?

Matt Abrahams: Yes.

Nayeema Raza: Yeah.

So I asked them why that happens and
how that feels different to real life.

And Sophie, then 11, now 12, says
"You know, it just feels so much

more together when you're with them
on FaceTime." That blew my mind.

And I said, "What do you mean?

Like, even more than real life?"
And Sophie responds, "Yeah,

because when you're on FaceTime,
you're doing stuff together.

You're playing together.

You're doing homework together.

You're doing Roblox together.

But nowadays when you're in real
life, everyone's just on their phone."

Matt Abrahams: Right.

Nayeema Raza: And I thought that
was such an insight that our ability

to be present in a physical world
has been completely distracted by

these devices, and our ability to
be present on them, because they're

full screen experiences, is gone up.

And that just made me think a lot
about what else we are disconnected

from, our own curiosities.

Because we don't sit and wonder.

We just ask the question and then
know the answer, and then project

that answer out in conversation.

And so that's really where the
talk started from, and, and it

kind of takes a personal turn
of how I learned those lessons.

But it was a gift to be able to share
a little bit about how you, um, think

and the world works, and also to be
able to share those kids' perspectives,

which really caused a gasp in the room.

Matt Abrahams: Right.

And when I, when I watched the talk and
heard it, and I'd actually seen your

interview with them, uh, it, it really is.

You, you shake your head and go, "What?
Wait, hold on." But in that moment,

it makes you curious, and, and you do
a really nice job in the talk of not

only advocating for the curiosities
that you do, but the way in which

you deliver it makes us curious.

And it's a nice example, and I encourage
everybody to, to watch and listen

to it, of how delivery reinforces
the message in a very positive way.

Nayeema Raza: 'Cause it's playful.

Matt Abrahams: Because it's playful, and
it's curious, and it, we see ourselves in

many of the things that you mention, but
we don't feel bad about ourselves for it.

We say, "Oh, okay, that's who I
am, but I can do this other thing."

So it's empowering in a way, and I
think a lot of that is not just the

wordplay, but how you deliver it.

And, and making content accessible in that
way, not just making sure we understand

it, but making us feel okay about it,
I, I thought it was really well done.

You, you're a great question asker.

Nayeema Raza: I'm gonna
ask you a question.

Matt Abrahams: Ask me a question.

Nayeema Raza: Oh my gosh.

Matt Abrahams: I may or may
not answer it, but go ahead.

Nayeema Raza: Let me ask you.

Okay.

I feel as a millennial, life
is being co-opted by Gen Z now.

We love them, and Gen Alpha increasingly.

And I'm curious how you think
about staying relevant as you age.

Matt Abrahams: Yeah.

So I think a lot about aging and
relevance, uh, as I'm getting older

and, and as I'm seeing the impact
I can have and what it means.

I think it's all about, to your
point, curiosity and listening.

I, I have an amazing job.

I get to work with mid-20 folks who are
going to just change the world in amazing

ways, and that helps me feel excited.

It helps me feel relevant.

And a lot of what I do is listen, I'm
curious, and ask questions, and those

help me feel like I'm adding value.

When, when I get the opportunity to,
to work with my students or, or younger

people and, and really listen, synthesize,
and ask questions, that really brings

joy to me and hopefully relevance.

Nayeema Raza: Do you feel
like we're losing wisdom?

Matt Abrahams: I think wisdom is changing.

I think, uh, the, the fact that so
much information is now available

that the, wisdom and access to
information are very connected, but

lived experience, intuition, gut
feeling, that's not captured in an

LLM, and I, I fear that people are,
are just not curious or seeking wisdom.

They're just seeking information.

So are we losing it?

No, I still think it's there.

I just don't think, I fear that
people aren't searching for it.

Nayeema Raza: That is one of
the things I, I worry about.

In our culture, I think we're
very interested in what's new,

what's fresh, what's cool.

And I think that, look, I, I don't think,
I'm not advocating for a gerontocracy.

I think that, you know, people who
are, you know, boomers and beyond

probably don't need to be kind of
controlling Capitol Hill anymore.

But I do think that there's a wisdom
of that experience that is not being

translated as much in our current
world, and I sometimes worry about that.

Matt Abrahams: Yeah.

I, you know, to me, wisdom, there is,
wisdom is associated with experience,

so the older you are, the, in
theory, the more wisdom you have.

But I have met very wise
younger people as well.

Nayeema Raza: Yes.

Of course.

Matt Abrahams: And so we, we, I,
I think just this notion of being

open, being curious, listening
makes you available to wisdom.

Uh, and, and some of the most
insightful things I've learned,

like you did, uh, from 11-year-olds.

I mean, what insight, what wisdom
there in that conversation.

So, well, thank you for
asking me a question.

Nayeema Raza: Thank you.

Yeah.

Hope that was okay.

Matt Abrahams: Uh, you know, there,
there is no right, there is no wrong.

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And now back to our conversation

Um, so before we end, I'd
like to ask three questions.

One I make up just for you, and
then the other two I've been asking

everybody as long as the show's been on.

Are, are you willing to do that?

Nayeema Raza: Yes, of course.

Matt Abrahams: Excellent.

Nayeema Raza: Does that
count as a question?

Matt Abrahams: That,
that's a, that's a warmup.

That's a warmup.

Nayeema Raza: Don't use
one of your three on that.

Matt Abrahams: Okay, I won't.

No, it's not like wishes with a genie.

Um, so, uh, to get very serious,
by coincidence, the day we are

recording, uh, is the anniversary
of your father's passing.

Uh, you wrote a very touching
and personal article in The New

York Times about your father.

Uh, what is one lesson you wish
people would take away from your,

your father's life and his wisdom?

Nayeema Raza: Uh, thank you for
asking and for bringing him up and

helping me remember him on this day.

I'll give you two.

One is from my dad, and one is
from what I've learned from, from

the experience of losing him.

I think the, the lesson I learned
from my dad really was to, uh,

to be present and to not let the
other, may I swear for a second?

Matt Abrahams: You can.

Nayeema Raza: The other
shit get in the way.

He, my dad, was the kind of
guy who never held a grudge.

Literally, somebody would be upset with
him and not wanting to talk to him,

and my dad would call his brother every
Sunday to ask how he's doing, and,

and he would wear you down, you know?

He really didn't believe in holding a
grudge because at the end of the day, he

would say, "Well, what am I gonna do? He's
my brother. He's my friend," you know?

And he had that ability to, in a
world where I think we're often think

we don't, we want to cut people out
of our life because of how they feel

about an opinion politically, how
they feel about something, how they

showed up on that random Tuesday
when we had something important.

He had that ability to really hold
people's slander and, and, um,

and to maintain relationships, uh,
and, and give great forgiveness.

So that's what I've, I've learned.

And how I translate that lesson and think
into my own life is that when you lose

someone, it's often possible to get caught
up in I should have, and as your friend

said, you know, should all over yourself.

Um, and I think that because he lived
that way, I've been able to, uh, release

some of the, you know, oh, I should have,
you know, in the pandemic, why didn't

I go quarantine at my parents' house
instead of going out with friends who,

you know, all of that kind of, of stuff.

And I've learned that you really kind of
have the ability to keep people alive and

to keep having memories and meaning-making
in relationships that are gone.

Matt Abrahams: That's so true.

We, we can keep the memory of people
alive through how we talk about them and

the meaning we make in our own lives.

Thank you for sharing that, and thank
you for being here on a tough day.

Uh, question number two, who's a
communicator you admire and why?

Nayeema Raza: Oh.

You know, I think Kendrick Lamar.

Matt Abrahams: Tell me more about that.

Nayeema Raza: Have people said
Kendrick before on this show?

Matt Abrahams: You are the
first to say Kendrick Lamar.

Nayeema Raza: I think
that he's just so poetic.

His lyrics are really spot on.

They're catchy.

I think this about a lot of, like, kind
of rapper-songwriters, but the ability to

poetically, succinctly, and emotionally
talk about very difficult things, I think

is reflected in, in Kendrick's work.

Um, and if you, if you read it, like, I
mean, he's kind of like Chekhov, you know?

Like, if you read it, you find
it extremely deep and meaningful.

Matt Abrahams: Yeah.

No, absolutely.

And, and a lot of people don't think about
the communicative power of that genre.

And, and I appreciate
you highlighting that.

Final question, what are the first
three ingredients that go into a

successful communication recipe?

Nayeema Raza: I love that.

Um, you know I'm gonna say it's on
brand, but number one, curiosity.

Um, number two, chemistry.

Being able to cultivate, create, and, and,
um, create that chemistry with, through

pauses, through play, through jokes,
through language, all the ways that you

can kind of make sure that communication
is, you know, at least two-way, if not

an intellectual throuple or beyond.

Um, and number three, I'm gonna say a
sense of what's not in the room, a sense

of what's missing, so that you can expand
a conversation, a communication, so that

you can leave a conversation and think
about how to take it beyond this world

and, and just can be more aware, I think.

Matt Abrahams: That last point about
awareness about what's not present

really allows for conversation and
communication to expand and extend,

and I, I think that's really powerful.

And I, I appreciate the notion of
chemistry, connection, building

that, having that as intention
and, and of course, curiosity.

Well, thank you for your time and for,
uh, being so forthright and open and

sharing with us how we can all be better
translators and more curious in our lives.

I appreciate your time.

Nayeema Raza: Thank you so much.

Thank you for having me.

I've, you know, I love your show,
and I love the work that you

do, and I love how global it is.

I just want to say you are reaching
people all over the world who this is

a global challenge, and you are doing
a great job of helping people succeed

in their own languages, in English, and
just in everything they do, so thank you.

Matt Abrahams: Well, thank you.

Best of luck to you as well.

Nayeema Raza: Thanks.

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

Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast.

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

Our music is by Floyd Wonder.

With special thanks to the team
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City and Podium Podcast Company.

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