Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

"People aren't inside of our heads, so you have to give them that emotional information as well as the factual information."
Humor is more than entertainment—it's a powerful way to create connection. As a comedian, writer, and former teacher, Chris Duffy has learned that laughter, curiosity, and emotion can transform even ordinary conversations into memorable experiences. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Duffy joins Matt Abrahams to explore how humor can strengthen communication, build deeper connections, and make ideas more memorable. Together, they discuss how to engage an audience, bring authenticity to repeated messages, and create conversations that invite others to participate rather than simply listen.

Key Takeaways:
  • Connection comes before comedy. Humor is most effective when it invites others into the conversation, rather than putting the spotlight on yourself.
  • Emotion makes ideas memorable. Combining facts with curiosity, emotion, and storytelling helps audiences understand, remember, and engage with your message.

Activity:
  • Create a conversational doorknob. In your next conversation, replace one routine response with an observation, opinion, or question that invites discussion. Notice how offering a "doorknob" changes the depth and energy of the conversation.

Episode Reference Links:

Connect:

Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (01:03) - Lessons from the Classroom
  • (01:52) - Curiosity Captures Attention
  • (04:48) - Facts Need Emotion
  • (05:49) - Sounding Authentic
  • (09:29) - Calming Performance Nerves
  • (11:01) - Jamming vs. Joking
  • (14:36) - Becoming Funnier
  • (19:01) - Better Conversations
  • (22:53) - The Final Three Questions
  • (26:48) - Conclusion

Creators and Guests

Host
Matt Abrahams
Lecturer Stanford University Graduate School of Business | Think Fast Talk Smart podcast host
Guest
Chris Duffy
Award-winning Comedian | Television Writer | Radio/Podcast Host | Author

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: Humor and levity lead
to deeper connection and communication.

My name is Matt Abrahams, and I
teach Strategic Communication at

Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Welcome to Think Fast,
Talk Smart, the podcast.

Today I am really looking forward
to chatting with Chris Duffy.

Chris is an award-winning comedian,
television writer, and the host of TED's

popular How to Be a Better Human podcast.

A former fifth grade teacher
who went on to write for HBO's

Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas.

Chris consistently explores
the intersection of humor,

connection, and empathy.

His latest book is Humor Me: How
Laughing More Can Make You Present,

Creative, Connected, and Happy.

Chris, I am super excited
for our conversation.

I really enjoyed getting to know
you when you had me on your show,

and I'm thrilled to have you
here on Think Fast, Talk Smart.

Chris Duffy: Thank you so much.

Yeah, it was such a pleasure
talking to you, and I'm thrilled

to be here in, in your home now.

Matt Abrahams: Well, thank you very much.

Uh, shall we get started?

Chris Duffy: Yes, let's do it.

Matt Abrahams: Okay.

So, uh, you have a fascinating backstory.

Uh, you transitioned from teaching,
uh, in a classroom, 10-year-olds, fifth

grade, I believe, to, uh, performing
stand-up comedy, and now you host, uh,

your own, uh, show on the TED network.

Uh, how did managing a fifth grade
classroom prepare you for any of this?

Chris Duffy: You know, so much
of teaching, we think of teaching

as inspiration and these big,
you know, connection moments.

And that's not to put that down, but
a lot of teaching, any teacher will

tell you, is clear communication, um,
clear expectations, and having a vision

of what you want the class to do.

So, like, for the small stuff, too, right?

Like, how do I get
tissues in the classroom?

There has to be a procedure
for that, otherwise the kids

make up their own procedure.

That is not how you want it to go.

So, so much of that, like, precision and
vision I think has really, um, carried

through to all the other things I've done.

Matt Abrahams: I totally agree.

It's about expectation setting.

It's, it's setting up procedures
and ground rules, but leaving for

flexibility in, in some of that.

And I'll tell you, some of the best
lessons I learned when I was managing

people came from managing a classroom.

There's just a lot you have to deal with.

Chris, it strikes me that really good
teachers spend time lesson planning

and thinking through how they want to
take their students from where they

are to where they need to be for the
learning objective, and a, a comedian,

in many ways, does the same thing.

You have to, where you're
starting with your audience,

where you want to take them.

Now, the outcome is different.

It's not learning.

It's humor.

It's enjoyment.

Uh, but I'm curious, can you walk us
through that process that you have of

how do we get people from where they
are to where you need them to be?

Chris Duffy: Yeah, it's, it's an, it's
really interesting to think about because

I would say it's actually not just in
my teaching and in my comedy, but in

pretty much all communication, at least
anything that I'm, um, planning ahead

of time and, and gonna do in any sort of
performative way, I, I use the same trick.

Which is I, I think about like a magician.

They do a ton of work to make the
work that they're doing invisible.

And for me, as a comedian, the work that
you do is to make it seem like you are

saying something for the very first time.

But actually you've said
it 100 times before.

And the reason you've done that is
you're getting to the way that gets

the audience to understand what
you're saying and to take a journey

with you as quickly as possible.

And that was the exact same thing that
I was trying to do in the classroom

is, how do I in, in the shortest
amount of time get the students to

understand what is happening, and then
get them to take this journey with me?

This was my favorite lesson to teach
every year, and it was a lesson about,

um, the Declaration of Independence.

So the way that I did this was we
were coming back from lunch, and

I would gather the students on
the rug and I would say, "I have

something really serious to tell you.

It is very important to me that
you're paying attention in class and

also that you are being appropriate.

And during lunch I found
a note on the floor.

And it is so inappropriate to pass notes.

It's especially inappropriate to
pass notes that are inappropriate.

I'm gonna read you that note right now.

And I would read the note and it
said, you know, "You and I used to

have a good relationship, but you're
taking advantage of me, and I feel

like you don't even listen to me,
and I don't have a say at all. So I

need, I think we need to break up.
Sincerely, The United States of America."

And then I'd say, "The Declaration
of Independence, history's most

famous breakup note." And the
kids would go, "Ah, you got us.

You tricked us." But they would
remember that for, like, the rest of

the year, and they would be excited
for the next year to learn that.

And the reason is because it did not
seem like that's what I was doing at all.

And that's the same thing that you
try and do in, in a comedy routine.

That's the same thing that you try
and do when you're, you know, talking

to anyone is to give them some moment
of delight, but to understand that

this, like, you've hooked them in
a way where they don't necessarily

see what you're doing beforehand.

Matt Abrahams: I love that, that
analogy of the Declaration of

Independence as a breakup note.

But what you really did there, I think,
is you built curiosity and, and suspense,

and a lot of effective, engaging
communication plays on those two things.

Chris Duffy: Well, one of the things
in comedy actually is, like, um, when

you're first starting out in comedy,
one of the big things that everyone

learns is that if the audience isn't
laughing at something you think is

funny, it's often because they either
don't have enough context or because you

haven't layered enough elements on top.

So the elements have to be, like, your
factual statement, but it's often,

like, factual statement plus emotion.

So, like, the alarm clock
went off and I was so excited.

The alarm clock went off
and I was so scared, right?

Like, whatever the fact plus emotion
is, you get the audience into a

place really quickly where then
you can deliver the punchline.

And I think so often in all communication
we forget that, like, people aren't

inside of our heads, so you have to
give them that emotional information

as well as the factual information.

Matt Abrahams: Absolutely.

And, and many of us, especially
if you're working in a tech job or

in a finance position, you don't
think about that emotion, but it

really does make a difference.

I want to drill down
on something you said.

You, as a comedian and a teacher
who's taught lessons over and over

again, you want to make it sound
like it's the very first time.

How do you do that?

What do you do to, to help make
that sound like this is an authentic

moment that we are having together
here, even though I've said these

same things over and over again?

Chris Duffy: I'll give you two answers.

One of which is like just to
say that you actually make it

genuinely exciting and new for you.

So you find a way for it to not be rote
and routine and a script for yourself.

For me, if I'm trying to tell a
joke, I try and figure out, like,

how can I actually make myself laugh?

Not fake laugh, but like how can I
genuinely find the funny part to me of

this story that I've told 100 times?

The other part though is, um, and
this is the part that's like a little

more, um, calculating I guess, is if
you want to make it seem like you've

never said something before, you
don't just think about the words.

You think about how
you're delivering them.

You think about the way that
your face and your body are.

And so taking a pause for example, right?

Like if you pause and look up, if you
go, "Huh, I see something outside of

this window." Immediately people think
well, that's in the moment, right?

He paused and he looked up.

He's actually connecting it to
some sort of physical reality

rather than just saying, "I see
outside this window a tree." Right?

Like if you go, "Have you ever
noticed that tree? That one right

there." And, and the other thing is
to, um, root it in the other person.

So I think if you're trying to get them
to do something, like, listen, look

out the window, take a deep breath.

Making sure that they are actually
doing that thing and creating the space

for it, that will make it, again, feel
like it is real and in the moment, um,

because you actually can't plan for how
long or exactly how they do that thing.

So those are some of the
little tricks that I use.

Matt Abrahams: Uh, I love those.

The one you just discussed is
really about bringing an experience.

It could be your experience of what it
is or helping them have that experience.

I like to leverage questions.

I, I'll ask questions and, and
I don't always know how they'll

respond, but the questions take
me in the direction that I need.

So there's some novelty, but it's
baked into the predictability

of where I need to go.

And finding the emotional connection
you have to the moment, as you shared

with the, the joke you like to tell,
uh, that can be really powerful.

It doesn't have to be just
something that makes you laugh.

It's just that emotional
connection, and I appreciate that.

We'll be right back to finish our
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And now, back to our conversation.

Stepping on a stage, be it a comedy
club, which to me would be really

challenging or, or even a boardroom or,
or, or just some office meeting setting,

for many people can be terrifying.

Do you have any mindset shifts or
routines you use to help yourself

feel more comfortable and calm
in those high-stakes moments?

Chris Duffy: It's not like I always am
able to conquer my, my social anxiety.

But in the settings where I can,
right, like in performance and, um,

in moderation or in an interview or,
or those kinds of things, one is I can

conquer it because I've done it a bunch.

And so I, I have given myself that kind
of exposure therapy of knowing that,

like, if you get up on stage and you
try and make people laugh and they don't

laugh, you're still alive the next day.

And you know what?

It doesn't ruin your life, and most
of those people don't even remember

who you were 14 minutes after they
leave the room, much less two days.

Um, so one is exposing myself to it.

The other is I try and rather than,
like, talk myself into feeling a certain

way, I try and get my body first.

So, like, I try and get my body excited.

So I will, like, literally,
like, jump up and down, kind of

like skip before I go on stage.

And then I will, like, literally bounce
up and down and say, like, uh, I think I

saw this in a, a movie about Muhammad Ali.

But I go, like, "From the root to the
fruit, from the root to the fruit.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a
bee." But, like, it transforms that

nervousness into excitement for me.

My body then, like, metabolizes that as
excitement, and when I go out, I have

this burst of energy rather than, like,
a, a freezing and, and tightening up.

So I find the physical
part really, really helps

Matt Abrahams: You're not the first
person to share a physical routine.

I, I think not only does it take
that energy and do something

purposeful with it, but it also
gets you very present oriented.

You're, you're, you're feeling and,
and, and that's where all effective

communication comes from, uh, to my mind.

Hey, I would, I'd like you to explain the
difference between jamming versus joking.

Can you explain what this
means and how it's best to

lean into one versus the other?

Because the ability to use
humor is a great way to lighten

the, the mood, to connect with
people, to diffuse situations.

Talk to us about jamming and joking.

Chris Duffy: Yeah.

So this is, um, this comes from Adam
Mastroianni, who is a, um, an academic and

a writer who I, I just absolutely love.

Um, he has a fantastic newsletter called
Experimental History, I think is what

it's called, or Experimental Psychology.

Um, but he's fantastic.

And, um, he has done academic research on
why conversations end and whether people

want them to end when they end or whether
they have ended prematurely or too late.

So I just think that's like
a fascinating research field.

And then he came up with this
idea of jamming versus joking,

which so, um, resonates with me.

And the idea is that sometimes we
are playing with each other in a way

that builds and lets the other person
have space and feel like they're in

it with us and we are going together.

And that's jamming, right?

It's like when you're playing
instruments together and one person

plays the guitar and then there's
space for the bass to come in, and

now there's space for the drums.

And we're actually all making
something incredible together.

And joking is his, um, his other
side, which is joking is when you

are kind of making it all about you
and you are so invested in the joke

part of it that you actually
are stopping them from being

able to participate as well.

Um, so his example is
like if you're a pun guy.

If someone says, "Hey, it's pretty
cold outside," and you immediately

respond with like, uh, "Colder
than, uh, colder than Antarctica.

And speaking of Antarctica, ark, uh,
Noah's Ark." You know, you're like, "What?

What are you talking about?"
That's just like not something

that people can respond to.

It's just like kind of nonsense
wordplay and not even a good

example of nonsense wordplay.

Um, whereas if you are taking what someone
else is saying and you're joking around

with them and you're getting them into it.

So you know, they go, "It's so
cold outside." And you go, "Oh my

gosh, remember the time that you
told me about where it was so cold

and you had forgotten your coat?

What did you do?"

And then they say, and we go, "Oh,
what if we both had to make a,

make a coat out of garbage bags?

That would be hilarious if we were
doing this." Then you, you're building

something together where there's space
and you're creating this world together

and I think that that is something that
for me professionally and on stage,

it's the difference between like a great
comedy show and a terrible comedy show.

I have found this to be a really
transformative idea when I think

about humor in particular, is to think
about like, what is the humor that is

not making it about you, but that is
gonna make everyone have a good time?

What is it that's gonna make
the other person look good?

Because I think this is the biggest
misconception that people have about

humor, is that the successful humor is you
being at the center and you being in the

spotlight, and I actually totally disagree

Matt Abrahams: I think it's true
for all communication, which is

how do we get everybody engaged and
involved so that they feel part of it?

You're collaborating and
co-creating something.

Chris Duffy: I mean, sometimes people
talk about, you know, being interested

versus interesting, and I think
this is an offshoot of that, right?

How do you, um, not try and make it
so the other person goes, "Wow, Chris

is a fascinating man," but instead
go, "Wow, we had a conversation and

I actually didn't know that I had
those thoughts or opinions, but it

was really cool to, to discover them
in, in a conversation together."

Matt Abrahams: Yeah, together we learn
something, and I think that's really cool.

So Chris, I really enjoyed your book.

Not only is it very informative
about humor in general, but

how we can be more funny.

It in and of itself is quite funny.

I enjoyed laughing as I was
learning, so thank you for that.

Uh, you share in it several
unwritten rules of comedy.

Uh, you talk about
elevators, not rocket ships.

Can you just give us some insight and
advice for those of us who would love

to leverage humor in our communication
and our relationships who aren't

stand-up comedians or improv experts?

What are a few things
we can do to be funnier?

Chris Duffy: My number one piece of advice
to people when they say like, "I don't

think of myself as a funny person, but I
want to be funnier," is to shift how you

think about that and to not necessarily
think like it's me telling more jokes.

But, um, I would say try
to laugh more in your life.

So like find people who make you
laugh, be around them, um, enjoy

comedy, movies or TV shows or clips.

Like, look at the absurdity in the world.

So like if you can laugh more, I
think that will naturally bring

funniness into your life, and then
you can share the things that you

thought were funny with other people.

But then when you are trying to like
actually create the humor on your own,

not to just appreciate the humor that
you found or that you're hearing, there's

a couple of really, um, basic ways
in which like math plays into comedy.

Comedy is much more
formulaic in some ways.

There's an art and there's
a science, but there is the

science, which is the math part.

And so one really basic thing is
if you are writing something and

you want it to be funny, say you're
giving a toast or something, you,

you simply have to have the funniest
word in the sentence come last.

And so if you say, for example,
let's say, you know, purple is

probably a pretty funny color.

So if you're gonna say, "And the, and
the car when it showed up was purple,"

is much funnier than, "And the purple
car finally showed up," because showed up

is not the funny part of that sentence.

So you want to end with
the, the funny part.

And that also does the second thing,
which is the number one reason why people

don't actually get a laugh is because
they don't leave space for the laugh.

So if you say it at the end of
the sentence, then you remember

there's a period afterwards.

You pause, and people will fill
that space in with laughter.

Humor is, uh, really interesting because
laughter is like, um, one of the only

contagious social reactions that we have.

The only other real one is a yawn, right?

A yawn and laughs are the only things
that we spontaneously generate kind of

against, uh, without consciously thinking
of it when we see other people do them.

So you have to create that space
where then someone can laugh and

it'll make other people laugh.

And then, uh, on a more kind of, I
guess, philosophical frame, people often

lose an audience by going too quickly.

If you're trying to give an analogy of
this meeting went so bad, it was like, a

lot of times people will go to the, the
single greatest thing they can imagine

or the, the worst thing they can imagine.

It was like I was being tortured to death.

Okay.

Wow.

That, it's really hard
to go further than that.

And often the funniest thing is to
give kind of things in a series.

So it's funnier to say like, "The
meeting went so bad, it was like

realizing your zipper was down.

It was like realizing
your pants were fully off.

It was like realizing you had
been nude the whole time, right?

Like, I'm, I'm escalating in little
bits, and by doing that, you're

taking the people on a journey where
they're gonna laugh a little, a little

bit more, and a little bit more.

Um, if you just start with
the most dramatic, there's

really nowhere else to go.

So, so that's something that we, if you
pay attention in, like, TV shows and

movies, you'll see that they very often
will do some sort of gradual heightening.

Matt Abrahams: Thank you for
uncovering some of the magic

and science, uh, uh, of humor.

This idea that the words themselves and
the placement of the words matter a lot.

And clearly words matter in communication,
but being strategic about where you place

the words and reminding yourself that
you need to leave space for those words

and ideas to sit so people can respond.

And then thinking about this escalation,
and, and this applies certainly for

comedy, but also in making an argument.

If you jump to the extreme argument
s- too quickly, you can lose people.

But if you show people how
these are gradually related

ideas, that can really help.

And, and the generosity you mentioned
of, of just being present and enjoying

and laughing at what others say is
a great way to form that connection.

I wanna take a step back and talk
more about general conversation.

Uh, one of the terms that I really
like that you shared in your

book is conversational doorknobs.

Well, first, what is a
conversational doorknob?

And what makes for a good doorknob?

And, and how can we use them, let's
say, in small talk, in networking,

to help the conversation flow?

Chris Duffy: This is another, uh, Adam
Mastroianni idea, um, who was one of

the, the interviews for my book that
I thought, um, shaped the whole thing.

Um, so conversational doorknob is the idea
that you're in conversation with someone

and they give a statement that opens
a whole new room in the conversation,

so it takes it to a new place.

So you're not just dull and
stuck in the same place.

You're going somewhere where you're,
you're both entering a new place together.

But one of the things that I think
is really fantastic about this

metaphor that, that he created is,
um, it's not just offering a doorknob.

It's also taking the doorknob and
turning it and opening the door.

So it, it takes two parts in a
conversation where someone has

to be offering these doorknobs
and the other person has to be

receiving them and turning them.

Otherwise, the conversation
can't actually go further.

So an example that he gives is kind
of like the most classic type of

conversation is, "How are you doing?"
"Pretty good." "Crazy weather,

huh?" "Yep, crazy weather." Not
very far that you can go in that.

But if someone offers something that
isn't just, you know, them-focused,

but if they say, "I heard that it might
snow in July, and I was thinking about

the weirdest weather I'd ever seen,"
that begs for someone to say, "What's

the weirdest weather you've ever seen?"

And it also begs for them to say,
"Here's the weirdest weather that I

have seen, too." So there is this real
opportunity for the conversation to go

into new places, and this is something
that I, I think is such a low-risk way

for people to experiment with having
a little bit more humor and fun and

excitement in their life, is just to
next time you're in a, a small talk

conversation, say something that is just
a little bit off of the expected script.

Instead of just saying, "Okay.

Well, you know, we're,
we're waiting around.

Ugh, always takes so long."
"Yeah, I know, every time.

Always gotta wait for the bus." Offer,
uh, an observation, offer an opinion.

A classic doorknob is like, "The
best soup is lentil soup." That

demands a response from people.

They're either gonna agree or they're
gonna say, "You think lentil soup is the

best soup?" So you can offer something
like that that will allow them to respond.

Matt Abrahams: This notion of offers
comes directly from improv, and I know, I

know you've done a lot of studying that.

And we've had lots of people on,
on the show talking about improv.

But it, it really is about saying
yes, and, and collaborating.

And many of us in these
uncomfortable communication

situations become very self-focused.

It's, "Oh, this is awkward. I just need
to say something," instead of thinking

about, "What's that doorknob? What's
that offer I can make to keep this

conversation going?" And amazingly,
you can have a really interesting

conversation when you put the offer out
there and let the other person take it.

If you enjoyed my recent conversation with
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Two fun facts: I coached Cherie
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And I have to say, it was a really
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They ask great questions and bring
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New episodes drop every Monday on their
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Well, Chris, this whole
conversation has been fascinating.

I really appreciate your time.

As you well know, I like to
end with three questions.

One I make up just for you,
another two I've been asking

people for a long, long time.

Are you up for that?

Chris Duffy: Yes, I would love that.

Thank you so much.

Matt Abrahams: I am fascinated by
comedians who, for whatever reason, a joke

doesn't land, it doesn't go the way they
wanted, it, it bombs, if you will, because

in that moment where it didn't go the way
you wanted, you have a choice to make.

You can lean into it,
you can run away from it.

Talk to me about how you manage
when things don't go the way

you want set, and how can we
benefit from some learnings there?

Chris Duffy: It's something that
people are always really interested

in, is the concept of bombing.

And I get why.

It's dramatic.

It's kind of a worst fear.

And for me, I mean, when it has happened
over the course of my career, and it

has happened many, many times, I have
handled it badly in so many ways.

Often though the worst way is to kind
of acknowledge it too much to say,

"Oh, this is not going well," because
then the audience, you lose them 'cause

they're like, "Oh, you're not in control.

I thought you were in control.

Maybe this was intentional." Or to,
a lot of times people will say like,

"You're a terrible audience," or like,
and you know, you make a joke about

oranges and they go, "Oh, everyone hates
oranges here?" And it's like, no, people

just hated your joke about oranges.

I think turning it against them or
acknowledging it, or, which is kind

of turning it against yourself,
is often the biggest mistake.

And instead, I think of it
as just information, right?

Like, how can you use this as information
about what the room is feeling or

thinking or what you're missing
that you could then provide them?

My friend, the comedian Mike Kaplan,
has like what I think is the best

possible response to this, which
is he says I say something and you

as the audience have the power.

If you laugh, it's a joke.

If you don't laugh, it's a poem.

It's your choice.

And I love that so much
because either way it's a gift.

Either way I'm an artist making art.

You are just deciding which art
form it should be classified into.

So that's what I aspire to, to
do, is to some version of Mike's.

Matt Abrahams: I think that's fantastic.

So it's how you frame it.

The joke didn't bomb at all.

It was the best poem ever.

Chris Duffy: Yeah.

It was a silent response to a moving poem.

Matt Abrahams: Yes.

I love it.

The self-protection that that
affords you is, is fantastic.

Question number two: Who's a
communicator that you admire, and why?

Chris Duffy: The poet Sarah Kay is
the most moving and beautiful live

performer I have ever seen perform,
and when she is reading a poem live

on stage, she tours the world, you
are so 100% in the palm of her hand.

And she creates these beautiful images,
but she makes you laugh and cry.

And Sarah has this metaphor that she
talks about sometimes, which is that a

lot of people are trying to go through
the world in a way that is cool.

They wanna be perceived as cool, and so
they, they cross their arms over their

chest so, like, nothing can reach them.

And that she wants to walk with her
hands open so that she is able to catch

everything, which means that you catch
the sorrow and the heartbreak, too.

And that form of communication I find
to be so moving and so aspirational.

Matt Abrahams: It sounds like
emotion and connection are really

critical in, in the, what makes
you see somebody who stands out.

Final question for you, Chris.

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

Chris Duffy: Oh, um, I'm gonna say
presence, delight, and attention.

So being where you are, having fun,
and then paying attention to the

person who you're communicating with.

Matt Abrahams: I love it.

PDA.

Chris Duffy: Oh, PDA.

Wow.

Matt Abrahams: Presence,
delight, and attention.

Excellent.

Well, Chris, this was a true pleasure.

It was fun to be with you on your show.

It was lovely to have you on this show.

I think all of us can take away
some lessons about how to accept

offers, how to be present, and how
to think about the words we use,

especially at the end of our sentences.

Thanks.

Chris Duffy: Thank you.

What a gift.

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

Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast.

To learn more about levity and humor,
please listen to episode 13 with

Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas.

This episode was produced by
Katherine Reed, Ryan Campos, Alex

McCarthy, and me, Matt Abrahams.

Our music is from Floyd
Wonder, with special thanks

to the Podium Podcast Company.

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