WEBVTT 00:00:02.904 --> 00:00:06.214 Matt Abrahams: Managing emotions, yours and your audience's, is hard 00:00:06.214 --> 00:00:09.754 enough, but it's even harder when you're under pressure to respond. 00:00:10.214 --> 00:00:11.314 I'm Matt Abrahams. 00:00:11.404 --> 00:00:14.783 I teach Strategic Communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. 00:00:15.054 --> 00:00:20.134 Welcome to this Quick Thinks episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. 00:00:20.683 --> 00:00:22.374 Today's episode is a special one. 00:00:22.914 --> 00:00:26.913 We're taking you inside a recent live Learning Community Ask 00:00:26.913 --> 00:00:28.543 Matt Anything that I hosted. 00:00:28.923 --> 00:00:32.383 Take a listen as I answer real-world communication challenges. 00:00:32.673 --> 00:00:36.223 We discuss how to manage cognitive load when you're under stress, the 00:00:36.223 --> 00:00:40.033 power of breathwork for regulating your nervous system, and practical 00:00:40.033 --> 00:00:44.373 strategies for running meetings that stay on track and keep people engaged. 00:00:44.583 --> 00:00:49.463 Enjoy this Quick Thinks episode packed with engagement, education, and actionable 00:00:49.504 --> 00:00:51.684 advice you can start using today. 00:00:52.598 --> 00:00:53.897 Well, hello everybody. 00:00:53.928 --> 00:00:57.438 I am thrilled to be here with you, and hopefully there are a few things I can 00:00:57.438 --> 00:00:59.138 share with you that might be of use. 00:00:59.518 --> 00:01:03.318 So I'm open to any questions you have about communication that you 00:01:03.328 --> 00:01:04.768 think I might have some insight on. 00:01:04.938 --> 00:01:06.248 Would anybody like to start? 00:01:06.598 --> 00:01:07.497 Natalie, please. 00:01:07.748 --> 00:01:08.018 Learning Community Member 1: Yeah. 00:01:08.018 --> 00:01:09.887 So English is not my first language. 00:01:10.087 --> 00:01:14.217 I think by now I speak pretty decent English, but my original mother language 00:01:14.218 --> 00:01:17.407 is Portuguese, and I moved to US recently. 00:01:17.687 --> 00:01:21.238 And one thing I'm struggling with sometimes when I have high-stakes 00:01:21.308 --> 00:01:25.127 conversations, I feel the quality of my English decreases a lot. 00:01:25.337 --> 00:01:31.548 So I wonder if you have any advice on how to modulate that and make my English sound 00:01:31.707 --> 00:01:33.877 the same quality that it has, not worse. 00:01:34.367 --> 00:01:35.288 Matt Abrahams: Thank you for the question. 00:01:35.288 --> 00:01:36.888 I think the experience is very common. 00:01:36.907 --> 00:01:41.288 And while I think it's accentuated for people who are speaking in a language 00:01:41.288 --> 00:01:45.098 that's not their native language, I think this is true of everybody, all 00:01:45.098 --> 00:01:51.037 people, that when we feel stress or emotion, like we're really passionate 00:01:51.038 --> 00:01:55.188 about something, that we might not articulate our thoughts as well. 00:01:55.467 --> 00:01:58.367 And this really has to do with cognitive load. 00:01:58.377 --> 00:02:00.277 Your brain is like a computer. 00:02:00.517 --> 00:02:04.127 You know, when you have your laptop or your phone and you have lots of windows or 00:02:04.127 --> 00:02:09.357 apps open, each one of those is performing less well because the others are open. 00:02:09.627 --> 00:02:13.238 And the same thing happens with our brains, that when I get nervous, when 00:02:13.238 --> 00:02:17.407 I get excited, highly emotional, when I'm worried that I might not be using 00:02:17.407 --> 00:02:22.727 the right words, that in and of itself, those emotions take some of our precious 00:02:22.757 --> 00:02:27.657 cognitive load bandwidth that we have, and it makes it harder for us to accomplish 00:02:27.738 --> 00:02:29.007 what we're trying to accomplish. 00:02:29.297 --> 00:02:35.297 So first and best way to handle this is to reduce the cognitive 00:02:35.297 --> 00:02:36.618 load that the emotion has. 00:02:36.628 --> 00:02:41.367 So if you are somebody who gets nervous when you're advocating in a 00:02:41.367 --> 00:02:46.797 high-stake situation, managing the anxiety will reduce the cognitive load. 00:02:47.077 --> 00:02:51.617 If you're somebody who's really passionate and excited about something, taking the 00:02:51.617 --> 00:02:57.787 opportunity to recognize that emotion and put it to the side perhaps so in the 00:02:57.787 --> 00:03:00.418 moment you can be focused, that can help. 00:03:00.737 --> 00:03:04.307 So it's really about emotional regulation to help. 00:03:04.358 --> 00:03:07.508 Now, that sounds easy, like, "Oh, okay, great. I'll just manage my 00:03:07.508 --> 00:03:09.777 emotions." It's very hard to do, right? 00:03:09.797 --> 00:03:13.217 Especially if it's based on anxiety or concern over grammar 00:03:13.218 --> 00:03:14.607 and vocabulary, et cetera. 00:03:14.957 --> 00:03:16.017 So it takes practice. 00:03:16.108 --> 00:03:16.937 It takes practice. 00:03:16.968 --> 00:03:18.537 And simulation is important. 00:03:18.837 --> 00:03:22.297 So one way to practice is to simulate these high-stake situations. 00:03:22.528 --> 00:03:28.472 If you can stress test yourself in situations that are similar, 00:03:28.682 --> 00:03:30.022 then you are better prepared. 00:03:30.022 --> 00:03:33.292 So managing the anxiety, and you know I do a lot of work on anxiety 00:03:33.292 --> 00:03:36.632 management, lots of podcast episodes on it, lots of writing about it. 00:03:37.021 --> 00:03:41.502 And then also finding situations where you put yourself in that stressful situation 00:03:41.721 --> 00:03:45.372 so you become more accustomed to it, that will free up more cognitive bandwidth. 00:03:45.372 --> 00:03:49.441 So I hope there's something there, Natalie, that sounds useful to you, but 00:03:49.472 --> 00:03:53.491 it's really about the cognitive load, and anything we can do to reduce the 00:03:53.501 --> 00:03:58.251 cognitive load of the circumstance will help you articulate your thoughts better. 00:03:58.562 --> 00:03:59.081 Thank you. 00:03:59.481 --> 00:04:01.251 Arun, I'm curious if you have a question. 00:04:01.521 --> 00:04:02.742 Learning Community Member 2: I do have a question, Matt. 00:04:02.851 --> 00:04:05.421 We live in an uncertain economic times. 00:04:05.751 --> 00:04:08.441 We, a lot of companies are restructuring. 00:04:08.601 --> 00:04:15.791 So us leaders, we are in a very high-stake situation where we have to talk to our 00:04:15.832 --> 00:04:20.412 teams, our followers, and oftentimes what we see is that there's a lot of 00:04:20.492 --> 00:04:23.092 anxiety and nervousness in the audience. 00:04:23.452 --> 00:04:26.402 When you're talking to, let's say, ten people or fifty people or 00:04:26.411 --> 00:04:29.561 five hundred people, there is that general sense of anxiety, and it 00:04:29.562 --> 00:04:32.972 gets compounded, especially when you're on a Zoom or something. 00:04:33.231 --> 00:04:40.251 My question is: How do one approach something like this and put the anxiety 00:04:40.261 --> 00:04:46.661 and the level of angst that people have at rest and communicate what needs to 00:04:46.672 --> 00:04:48.772 be communicated in a thoughtful way? 00:04:49.230 --> 00:04:52.870 Matt Abrahams: It is true that times are turbulent and things are changing, and 00:04:52.870 --> 00:04:54.850 that can be very unsettling for people. 00:04:54.850 --> 00:04:58.160 And often that brings anxiety and concern. 00:04:58.500 --> 00:05:04.690 And as leaders, as people in positions of power, it's important to recognize that. 00:05:04.810 --> 00:05:07.890 And it's important to recognize that the messages you have 00:05:07.890 --> 00:05:09.340 are important to get across. 00:05:09.369 --> 00:05:13.639 But if people are in a state of fear and concern, they might not 00:05:13.640 --> 00:05:15.000 hear it or hear it the way you want. 00:05:15.029 --> 00:05:19.739 So it's important for you to be empathetic and to recognize that. 00:05:19.739 --> 00:05:22.269 And the work you do in advance to expect it. 00:05:22.649 --> 00:05:25.919 So before I ever walk into that room, log into that Zoom, I'm 00:05:25.960 --> 00:05:27.859 thinking about my audience. 00:05:27.890 --> 00:05:29.980 You've heard me say that lots and lots before. 00:05:29.980 --> 00:05:32.730 And on the podcast, it's the number one bit of advice people 00:05:32.730 --> 00:05:34.470 share is know your audience. 00:05:34.629 --> 00:05:37.549 And part of that is understanding their likely emotional state. 00:05:37.599 --> 00:05:40.599 And you can figure that out by just your own empathy. 00:05:40.599 --> 00:05:42.659 How would I feel if I'm in that position? 00:05:42.840 --> 00:05:43.929 By asking people. 00:05:43.929 --> 00:05:45.439 There are lots of ways to determine that. 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:49.599 So you shouldn't be surprised by it if you do your preparation right. 00:05:49.609 --> 00:05:52.939 Now, I know in spontaneous situations where things just happen, you might 00:05:52.949 --> 00:05:54.290 have to deal with it in the moment. 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:58.859 I believe the best way to handle it is to recognize it and to start by naming it. 00:05:58.889 --> 00:06:02.639 You know, if people are sitting there in fear and concern, it's important to 00:06:02.639 --> 00:06:07.029 say, "There are a lot of things changing, and they're changing in ways that are 00:06:07.029 --> 00:06:12.290 unpredictable and ambiguous. And today I want to share how we're addressing it and 00:06:12.290 --> 00:06:16.239 some of the things that we're doing. And I want to fully appreciate and honor the 00:06:16.239 --> 00:06:20.959 fact that some of us, myself included, can be very concerned at this time." 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:24.699 So naming it can be very helpful to recognize. 00:06:24.899 --> 00:06:29.910 And making yourself available to have conversations about it. 00:06:29.919 --> 00:06:33.829 So you might say, "And after I'm done speaking or in the next week or so, I very 00:06:33.829 --> 00:06:37.779 much would like to hear from all of you to better understand your concerns." So it's 00:06:37.789 --> 00:06:41.369 acknowledging it, and then it's providing an avenue to have a discussion about it. 00:06:41.369 --> 00:06:43.889 I think that's first and foremost most important. 00:06:44.230 --> 00:06:46.639 Doing the homework in advance to understand it. 00:06:46.869 --> 00:06:48.709 Maybe setting expectations. 00:06:48.739 --> 00:06:53.370 I am a huge fan of setting expectations in advance of communication, if possible. 00:06:53.814 --> 00:06:57.864 A meeting invite, a conversation with people before the presentation or meeting 00:06:58.144 --> 00:07:01.314 to help people understand what you're doing and the fact that you recognize 00:07:01.314 --> 00:07:03.134 that this is fraught with concern. 00:07:03.504 --> 00:07:05.623 And then at the end, check in with people. 00:07:05.623 --> 00:07:09.844 At the end, come back and say, "I hope the things that I've shared give some 00:07:09.854 --> 00:07:14.414 insight and input that is helpful as you experience the, these things, uh, 00:07:14.424 --> 00:07:19.613 as concerning." So making sure to really acknowledge that even though you've 00:07:19.614 --> 00:07:22.694 just said something that hopefully helps with some of that anxiety, 00:07:23.024 --> 00:07:25.894 that it still might exist and what you're doing to follow up with it. 00:07:26.213 --> 00:07:30.574 This is going to help you and your audience to connect and to 00:07:30.574 --> 00:07:32.574 really digest the information. 00:07:32.853 --> 00:07:37.824 It is hard for many people to live in ambiguity and anxiety, and to help them 00:07:37.824 --> 00:07:40.743 understand that it's normal and natural and that you appreciate it, I think 00:07:40.754 --> 00:07:42.293 gets you a long way towards your goal. 00:07:42.573 --> 00:07:43.673 Thank you for that question. 00:07:43.713 --> 00:07:44.964 Nasser, you have a question. 00:07:45.364 --> 00:07:45.993 Learning Community Member 3: Good morning, Matt. 00:07:46.083 --> 00:07:51.973 So I'm sure like many, I'm in a position to lead a lot of meetings, sometimes 00:07:52.303 --> 00:07:55.783 fun meetings, sometimes introductory project meetings, sometimes project 00:07:55.783 --> 00:07:57.364 updates are not going so well. 00:07:57.423 --> 00:08:00.304 And for the most part, I think we all do a reasonably good job, 00:08:00.323 --> 00:08:03.743 but I've always struggled with repetitiveness of starting meetings. 00:08:03.744 --> 00:08:06.924 You know, you come in there with the basics of, "Thank you for joining. I'm 00:08:06.963 --> 00:08:08.243 glad to be here," et cetera, et cetera. 00:08:08.244 --> 00:08:11.203 But I'd love to hear from a communication sciences perspective, 00:08:11.204 --> 00:08:15.453 your view, and maybe even examples of what you use to engage audiences. 00:08:15.604 --> 00:08:19.874 If I lead a team meeting or even board meetings, what are some great icebreakers 00:08:19.874 --> 00:08:22.083 to really get people fully tuned in? 00:08:22.213 --> 00:08:25.774 And then as the meeting progresses, we have a tendency to deviate 00:08:25.783 --> 00:08:28.964 from what the core subject or the topic we were presenting, right? 00:08:28.964 --> 00:08:32.623 So what's your advice for getting that meeting back on track and staying 00:08:32.623 --> 00:08:34.213 focused without alienating people? 00:08:34.494 --> 00:08:37.223 Matt Abrahams: So two really important questions there, and questions that 00:08:37.223 --> 00:08:41.423 I think a lot of us struggle with in meetings, and that is, how do we 00:08:41.423 --> 00:08:45.394 engage and get things moving forward in a way that's not repetitive or 00:08:45.394 --> 00:08:49.194 actually working against ourselves, and then how do we stay on track? 00:08:49.443 --> 00:08:53.643 I believe that there's a lot of work that can be done in advance of 00:08:53.653 --> 00:08:55.363 the meeting actually taking place. 00:08:55.564 --> 00:08:59.993 I think the most underutilized expectation setting tool is the calendar invite. 00:09:00.406 --> 00:09:02.656 And I think there's a lot you can do in the calendar invite 00:09:02.656 --> 00:09:05.626 to set people's expectations and to engage them before you start. 00:09:05.826 --> 00:09:09.465 Just thinking about how you title the meeting. 00:09:09.516 --> 00:09:10.436 What is it called? 00:09:10.436 --> 00:09:12.946 Many of us just do blah, blah, blah meeting. 00:09:13.276 --> 00:09:15.096 That's not very engaging or interesting. 00:09:15.106 --> 00:09:19.245 Is there a way I can name the meeting that encourages people to 00:09:19.305 --> 00:09:21.496 perhaps get excited or focused on it? 00:09:21.716 --> 00:09:24.675 So maybe thinking about the action or the main action that 00:09:24.675 --> 00:09:26.335 you'll be doing in the meeting. 00:09:26.335 --> 00:09:30.036 So can you put a verb, an action, in the title of your meeting? 00:09:30.225 --> 00:09:35.716 What I like to do is I like to pose a question or a challenge in all of my 00:09:35.726 --> 00:09:41.335 calendar invites, and I start our meetings with that challenge or with that question. 00:09:41.605 --> 00:09:45.965 So when people come to the meeting, they know that's how we're starting. 00:09:46.186 --> 00:09:49.505 Most people don't like coming to meetings, and so we're going to 00:09:49.535 --> 00:09:52.555 start this meeting by reviewing the previous meeting you didn't like. 00:09:52.585 --> 00:09:53.846 That makes no sense to me. 00:09:54.136 --> 00:09:57.156 So starting with some kind of action, some kind of question and 00:09:57.156 --> 00:09:58.985 engagement can be really helpful. 00:09:59.346 --> 00:10:01.886 Using icebreakers is a great way to start. 00:10:01.925 --> 00:10:03.205 There are lots of tools. 00:10:03.215 --> 00:10:06.845 You know, if it's a recurring meeting where people know each other, maybe 00:10:06.845 --> 00:10:11.896 a simple check-in just to see where people are emotionally or stress-wise. 00:10:11.896 --> 00:10:13.935 You know, people use a stoplight. 00:10:13.935 --> 00:10:15.086 Are you red, green, yellow? 00:10:15.086 --> 00:10:16.966 Sometimes people use a weather forecast. 00:10:17.016 --> 00:10:17.805 Are you cloudy? 00:10:17.805 --> 00:10:18.476 Are you sunny? 00:10:18.775 --> 00:10:22.225 There are other icebreakers if you don't know groups well or people well 00:10:22.226 --> 00:10:25.195 to get people to know each other, get them interacting with each other. 00:10:25.455 --> 00:10:29.145 One of my favorites that I use in all of my classes is an activity where I 00:10:29.385 --> 00:10:32.755 ask people to find things they have in common and then share those things. 00:10:32.915 --> 00:10:33.985 It gets people talking. 00:10:33.995 --> 00:10:34.925 It gets them discussing. 00:10:34.935 --> 00:10:35.905 It's low stakes. 00:10:35.915 --> 00:10:39.465 So how you set expectations up front and how you start really matters. 00:10:39.485 --> 00:10:43.236 I like starting with engagement before I get to repeating or 00:10:43.236 --> 00:10:44.665 recounting what happened before. 00:10:44.995 --> 00:10:47.755 Now, in terms of how to stay on track, part of what I include in 00:10:47.755 --> 00:10:49.445 my meeting invites is an agenda. 00:10:49.445 --> 00:10:50.565 Agendas are important. 00:10:50.906 --> 00:10:55.405 They are a structure for the meeting, and I make it very clear at the beginning 00:10:55.406 --> 00:10:56.975 of the meetings that we have an agenda. 00:10:56.976 --> 00:10:58.965 There's time allocated to different aspects. 00:10:59.285 --> 00:11:01.985 And if we need to deviate from that, we all have to agree. 00:11:02.296 --> 00:11:06.705 So if I find that as I'm facilitating the meeting, we have drift in some direction, 00:11:06.715 --> 00:11:10.475 maybe it's a great direction, maybe it's a tangential direction, I call it out. 00:11:10.495 --> 00:11:13.775 I say, "Just want to remind everybody, we've got these items on the agenda. 00:11:13.776 --> 00:11:17.685 Where are we going? Do we want to allocate time to this or not?" So the 00:11:17.685 --> 00:11:21.896 meta-awareness and calling that out as a leader I think is really important. 00:11:22.245 --> 00:11:26.364 Also, if you need to pull people back just because somebody's talking 00:11:26.364 --> 00:11:29.264 too much or they're starting to go on a tangent, this is where 00:11:29.264 --> 00:11:31.204 paraphrasing can be really helpful. 00:11:31.454 --> 00:11:35.373 Take something of value the person has said, name it, and then pull it back. 00:11:35.374 --> 00:11:39.354 So I might say, "Nassar, that point was really important about delivery date, 00:11:39.364 --> 00:11:42.863 and it actually ties to the next item of the agenda, which is our implementation 00:11:42.864 --> 00:11:47.174 plan." So I interrupt you, name something important that you've said, and then 00:11:47.174 --> 00:11:48.974 connect it to what's coming next. 00:11:49.214 --> 00:11:53.284 That's a really useful way for me to keep the meeting moving. 00:11:53.423 --> 00:11:56.313 And then at the end of the meeting, it's really important to come back 00:11:56.343 --> 00:11:58.104 and assess how the meeting went. 00:11:58.343 --> 00:12:01.204 So take thirty seconds, a minute at the end of the meeting, and 00:12:01.204 --> 00:12:04.993 just debrief the quality of the meeting, not rehashing the issues. 00:12:05.244 --> 00:12:09.903 But I might say, "It was really helpful when Kamel paraphrased that point, it 00:12:09.904 --> 00:12:15.044 got us back on track." Or, "When Natalie asked that question when we were sort 00:12:15.044 --> 00:12:18.343 of floundering, that really helped us." And what I'm doing there is I'm 00:12:18.343 --> 00:12:22.744 rewarding the positive behaviors that help the meeting run well, and it's 00:12:22.744 --> 00:12:26.164 sending a signal that I'm trying to make these meetings run really well, 00:12:26.164 --> 00:12:29.984 and I need your help, and I'm noticing what you're doing when you do help me. 00:12:30.503 --> 00:12:32.803 I'd like to take maybe one more question. 00:12:32.973 --> 00:12:33.603 Please, Ken. 00:12:33.973 --> 00:12:34.243 Learning Community Member 4: Yeah. 00:12:34.244 --> 00:12:38.444 So actually, what happened after Stanford is, after returning back to Oslo, 00:12:38.494 --> 00:12:42.604 the business situation was much more challenging than I was expecting, and 00:12:42.613 --> 00:12:46.393 it was probably the most challenging months in my professional career. 00:12:46.693 --> 00:12:50.713 So it was really, really tough situation until the end of last year, until I 00:12:50.714 --> 00:12:54.963 got a real good overview on, uh, where we are, what are the challenges, how 00:12:54.963 --> 00:13:00.073 to move forward, and communicated actually to a team and wrote a thank 00:13:00.073 --> 00:13:03.784 you for your commitment despite the difficult situation and so on. 00:13:04.003 --> 00:13:07.683 But I also wanted to convey a clear message actually, that 00:13:07.783 --> 00:13:10.473 the entire team needs to change. 00:13:10.933 --> 00:13:13.054 We need to adapt to the new circumstances. 00:13:13.054 --> 00:13:18.003 We need to accelerate, maybe also processes, the way of working, et cetera. 00:13:18.283 --> 00:13:21.023 It's not like only waiting for management to fix. 00:13:21.373 --> 00:13:26.763 It needs to be every single one who needs to somehow adapt and to do the change. 00:13:27.310 --> 00:13:32.079 So for me, the key point is I would like now to follow up on this and to 00:13:32.079 --> 00:13:38.189 try to communicate in a way that I can actually, how to say, catch everyone. 00:13:38.529 --> 00:13:43.660 Still, I, I feel that some people got it already, but I don't want 00:13:43.669 --> 00:13:47.800 to do it in a threatening way, you know, that people are afraid and 00:13:47.829 --> 00:13:49.829 this anxiety, et cetera, et cetera. 00:13:50.019 --> 00:13:52.879 So I want to catch the people, and this is kind of the challenge 00:13:52.900 --> 00:13:54.239 for the communication I have. 00:13:54.589 --> 00:13:54.909 Matt Abrahams: Right. 00:13:54.929 --> 00:13:55.729 So thank you, Ken. 00:13:55.729 --> 00:13:57.420 I appreciate you giving us context. 00:13:57.420 --> 00:14:03.309 So essentially, how do I motivate change that is significant in a way 00:14:03.310 --> 00:14:06.379 that doesn't invoke anxiety and concern? 00:14:06.529 --> 00:14:07.509 And that's very hard. 00:14:07.749 --> 00:14:08.759 I have a few thoughts. 00:14:09.139 --> 00:14:13.079 First, I really think you should lean into the mission, vision, values 00:14:13.079 --> 00:14:14.659 that you have in the organization. 00:14:15.019 --> 00:14:19.289 In theory, everybody in your firm, in your company believes in and 00:14:19.290 --> 00:14:21.189 supports those mission, vision, values. 00:14:21.479 --> 00:14:25.829 So if you can lean into them and really share what you are advocating for, the 00:14:25.839 --> 00:14:33.029 changes you are encouraging people to take on, connect to and really relate to the 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:35.039 mission, vision, values that you have. 00:14:35.259 --> 00:14:38.979 What we know from lots of research in social science is if you can tap 00:14:38.979 --> 00:14:43.599 into what currently motivates people, they are much more likely to be open 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:47.159 to what it is you're saying because you're showing what you're asking for is 00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:49.139 consistent with what they've already done. 00:14:49.579 --> 00:14:53.369 So is there a way to make that message clear that the mission, 00:14:53.369 --> 00:14:57.179 vision, values have not changed, but the activities we need to do 00:14:57.310 --> 00:14:59.589 in support of them have to change? 00:15:00.174 --> 00:15:03.384 Second, you have to make the message salient and relevant 00:15:03.384 --> 00:15:04.343 to the different people. 00:15:04.804 --> 00:15:08.814 Different roles, different levels of the organization have different key 00:15:08.924 --> 00:15:10.584 areas that are important to them. 00:15:10.893 --> 00:15:12.804 So you have to morph the message. 00:15:12.804 --> 00:15:16.183 You have to target the message to be relevant to individuals. 00:15:16.194 --> 00:15:19.773 People only act on things that they see as relevant and important to them. 00:15:20.203 --> 00:15:23.824 So we don't create one broadcast message and send it to everybody. 00:15:23.924 --> 00:15:25.384 We have to tailor that message. 00:15:25.404 --> 00:15:27.853 And sometimes we can just ask people to help us do that. 00:15:27.853 --> 00:15:31.723 So you can give a broadcast message and then challenge everybody to think 00:15:31.723 --> 00:15:35.784 about the implications that has for them and how they can contribute. 00:15:36.214 --> 00:15:39.774 And you have to have clear lines of connection between what you're 00:15:39.774 --> 00:15:43.183 asking people to do and the goal that you're trying to achieve. 00:15:43.194 --> 00:15:45.754 People need to see that what they're being asked to do 00:15:45.973 --> 00:15:47.553 connects to the broader picture. 00:15:47.764 --> 00:15:52.463 So creating a communication infrastructure around these change 00:15:52.463 --> 00:15:54.283 messages becomes very important. 00:15:54.463 --> 00:15:56.793 That means you have to think about targeting the message 00:15:56.793 --> 00:15:58.134 differently to different people. 00:15:58.334 --> 00:16:00.763 You have to have different processes in place to get the 00:16:00.764 --> 00:16:02.493 feedback and repeat the message. 00:16:02.494 --> 00:16:04.514 We have to repeat messages over and over. 00:16:04.843 --> 00:16:07.444 And you might need to even look at different channels for delivering 00:16:07.444 --> 00:16:09.064 the message, depending on the people. 00:16:09.223 --> 00:16:11.883 You know, the class I teach is strategic communication. 00:16:11.883 --> 00:16:14.934 We have to be very strategic about the communication. 00:16:14.943 --> 00:16:16.063 It takes a lot of work. 00:16:16.483 --> 00:16:19.983 But I like that you're sensitive to how important communication 00:16:19.983 --> 00:16:21.323 is, so thank you there. 00:16:21.543 --> 00:16:25.994 And I thank all of you for joining me today and for the insightful questions. 00:16:25.994 --> 00:16:28.193 It was a true thrill to be with you. 00:16:30.582 --> 00:16:32.682 Thank you for joining us for another episode of Think 00:16:32.682 --> 00:16:34.592 Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. 00:16:34.922 --> 00:16:40.292 To learn more about all of these various skills, take a listen to our back catalog. 00:16:40.652 --> 00:16:45.202 This episode was produced by Katherine Reed, Ryan Campos, and me, Matt Abrahams. 00:16:45.732 --> 00:16:47.192 Our music is from Floyd Wonder. 00:16:47.192 --> 00:16:49.552 With special thanks to Podium Podcast Company. 00:16:49.831 --> 00:16:52.671 Please find us on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. 00:16:53.052 --> 00:16:55.131 Be sure to subscribe and rate us. 00:16:55.341 --> 00:16:58.352 Also follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram. 00:16:58.601 --> 00:17:02.591 And check out fastersmarter.io for deep dive videos, English language 00:17:02.591 --> 00:17:04.732 learning content, and our newsletter. 00:17:05.132 --> 00:17:08.291 Please consider joining our Think Fast, Talk Smart Learning Community 00:17:08.341 --> 00:17:11.142 at fastersmarter.io/learning. 00:17:11.411 --> 00:17:14.962 You'll find video lessons, learning quests, discussion boards, an AI 00:17:15.211 --> 00:17:17.632 coach, and book club opportunities. 00:17:17.851 --> 00:17:22.901 Again, that's fastersmarter.io/learning to become part of our Think Fast, 00:17:23.011 --> 00:17:24.821 Talk Smart Learning Community.