Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Why community is the most powerful tool for transformation.

Community isn't just a feel-good buzzword. According to Gina Bianchini, it's a catalyst for personal and collective transformation.
Bianchini is the CEO and founder of community-building platform, Mighty Networks, and author of the book Purpose: Design a Community and Change Your Life. "Community is when people come together, and every single member has something to give and something to receive," she explains. In contrast to the one-directional dynamic of a speaker and their audience or a creator and their following, Bianchini argues that the power of community lies in two-way exchanges, where each member benefits the group and benefits from it. "Community is the single most effective way to get results and transformation you just can't get on your own," she says.
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Bianchini joins host Matt Abrahams to discuss how to unlock the potential of purposeful communities. She shares strategies for finding your tribe during times of transition, the "people magic” created when we facilitate deep connections, and how creating community enables us to create the world and lives we imagine.

To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.

Episode Reference Links:

Connect:

Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (02:15) - Defining Community vs. Audience
  • (04:03) - Community as a Catalyst for Transformation
  • (06:39) - Finding the Right Community
  • (10:27) - The Future Story Framework
  • (13:20) - People Magic & Facilitation
  • (19:05) - The Final Three Questions
  • (24:57) - 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
Gina Bianchini
CEO and founder of Mighty Networks

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: Community
catalyzes transformation.

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'm incredibly excited and very
curious to speak with Gina Bianchini.

Gina is the CEO and founder of Mighty
Networks, a community building platform.

Prior to Mighty Networks, she was the CEO
and co-founder of Ning, a global platform

for creating niche social networks.

Gina also wrote the book, Purpose:
Design a Community and Change Your Life.

Well, welcome Gina.

I so look forward to this conversation.

I look forward to continuing the
conversations we've had prior.

Gina Bianchini: Thank you for having me.

This is so nice.

Matt Abrahams: It is.

It's awesome.

So shall we get started?

Gina Bianchini: Yeah, let's do it.

Matt Abrahams: So to start, can you define
what you mean by community and distinguish

it from an audience or a following?

What is the value of a
community in general?

Gina Bianchini: Community is when
people come together and every

single member has something to
give and something to receive.

Now, contrast that to an audience.

Following is, I am important and
I am valued based on the number of

followers, as if they're nameless,
faceless people who are less than me.

So the work that I am doing and the
work that the technology has never been

available before to take advantage of
this is every single person in a community

has something important to offer.

And we have an amazing ability today
to build communities like the very

best party you've ever been to.

Where you show up and you're like, wait
a second, everyone here, tell me more.

And I like myself in this room because
I'm looking around and every single

person that I am seeing and meeting
and talking to is interested in me, but

also is a really interesting person.

Now compare that to what has happened
in real life with people that have been

brought up in social media, you start
to notice something really interesting

if you pay attention to it, which is
people start by talking about themselves.

Because the way that we are being
conditioned is what is important,

is what I have to say, versus how
I'm showing up for other people.

So to me, that is the core difference
of a community, is that every single

person matters and it is a network of
peers versus star on the stage that

is collecting people's attention in a
way that is not actually introducing

them to other people in that following.

Matt Abrahams: When I first heard of
your work, I was really moved by the

way you look at community, because I
have over time really come to believe

that connection happens in community.

We call connections like followers,
that's a connection I have, but what

you're really talking about is that
bi-directional, we have something

to give, we have something to learn.

And it really highlights, as
you mentioned, social media

really isn't that social.

It's really broadcasting.

And to have a community of like-minded
individuals who all share some

similar ideas and where everybody
can benefit is really powerful.

And you've argued in your book Purpose,
and I've heard you talk about this

before, that community can serve
as a catalyst for transformation.

And I'd love to hear more about how can
community lead us to that transformation

and through that transformation.

Gina Bianchini: Human beings are designed
to get results and transformation

in their lives from being members of
communities, of having an identity

as a runner, an identity as a leader.

And so power of community really is,
I think about it as the three things.

So number one, a community is the
absolute most effective way to

navigate rapid change because all
the content in the world doesn't

help you in a real time environment.

Only people talking to each other
in real time is what is going to

help us all navigate the world
that is moving faster and faster.

A community is the most effective
way to build new practices and change

habits because you don't have to lean
into and on your own self-discipline.

Now again, some social sciences,
some psychologists would say

more or less that's true.

That we don't have a finite
amount of like willpower.

Let's just say it's easier to build
new practices and build new habits

in the context of being surrounded
by people who are on the same path.

If all your friends stop drinking, it's
a heck of a lot easier to stop drinking.

It becomes much less of a thing.

And then finally, if community is the
single most effective way to navigate

rapid change and build new practices
and habits, it is the fastest way

to get results and transformation
you just can't get on your own.

So I really look at creating
communities, hosting communities,

joining communities in a way that is
about what you can give and then ask.

It is the most important and also the most
energizing thing that any of us can do.

Matt Abrahams: The ability of a
community to catalyze change and

cement that change is really powerful.

I think about the changes in
my own life and how they were

accelerated and supported through
the communities that I have.

When my wife and I started our
family, we had a strong community.

When my father passed away,
we had a strong community.

As my career has evolved, it has
been through the support of others

in similar positions, so the ability
to have community help us change.

It can be challenging, though,
to find that right community,

and certainly communities can
lead to bad behavior as well.

What advice do you have for finding
your tribe, for finding your community?

Gina Bianchini: One of the easiest
ways to find community is today

through the creators that you follow.

Because there are the ones, like you and
like others, that are like, hey, I've done

the hard work of building an audience and
now I'm ready to take them from a dark

room that everybody's sitting, listening
to me to, hey, let's roll up our sleeves.

Let's get people in groups.

Let's get people together
and let's go practice.

Let's go on some quests.

And while I tend to try to stay
away from advice, 'cause it turns

out advice shuts a conversation
down, it shuts community down.

Whereas if you reposition or
reframe advice to sharing stories,

sharing ideas, sharing experiences,
it expands the conversation.

'Cause then everybody has room
to communicate and contribute.

So what I would share is my own experience
of the power of tapping into transitions,

your own or others, is when people are
the most motivated to actually try new

things, to actually meet new people.

And where this really became true for me
and where it crystallized was, this was

maybe a couple decades ago, but I was
just like stuck where I was physically.

I went to New York for two months,
and where in Palo Alto I would

find reasons to not go out.

I'm like, why do I need to go out?

When I was in New York, I was
like, hey, do any of my friends

have friends I should meet.

Oh, you guys are going out?

Sure, I'll go.

And that's the moment.

So the more that you can find those things
that are about transitions and where you

are the most motivated, but you're also
gonna meet other motivated people, that

is the best way to start communities, and
it is the best way to join communities.

And there is something about just showing
up and being open and introducing yourself

not as a way to give somebody your resume
or flex in ways that make you feel better,

because that's what you're supposed to
do on social media, but rather showing

up, introducing yourself, and just
being curious about the other person.

Those small moments do more for
building the quality of connection that

ultimately creates those results and
transformation, that value creation.

Matt Abrahams: I find it really
interesting that when I asked how do you

find community that I was thinking, you
go search here and you go search there,

but in fact what you took that question
to be, and I think this is the better

way to take it, which is, how do you get
yourself in a place where you are ready to

find community and ready to participate?

And it's identifying transitions.

Certainly in my life, I can reflect
on that and see how that played out.

And being open, we can get
very insular and safe in our

habits and we have to be open.

We have to look for those places
of transition and others who are

open and in places of transition.

And a great place to start is with people
that you respect and you have at least

some fundamental connection with creators,
teachers, folks who do something similar.

I wanna switch to this notion of
future story, because I think it

fits into what we're discussing.

Can you define what you mean by future
story and how can those who are trying

to build community leverage this
future story to help congregate people?

Gina Bianchini: So one of my investors
and just mentors who I admire

tremendously is a guy named Mike Maples.

And Mike wrote this incredible book
called Pattern Breakers, but even before

he wrote the book, he would talk about
this whole concept of back casting.

So the whole idea was, and it's
what futurists have done for

seventy years, where you start in
the future and you look backwards.

And a little bit of a backstory here is
the whole concept of a future story came

out of, as I was teaching people how to
create communities, what became very clear

to me is that it starts with purpose.

And it starts with the same purpose
that any individual who doesn't even

wanna start a community, doesn't
even wanna join a community, having a

purpose, a grounding clarity in how to
take our time, our talents, our energy

into the kind of impact we wanna have.

And what I realized is this concept
of back casting is so powerful.

But what is underlying all of it
is the clearer any of us can get

looking out five years and with as
much vivid detail as possible, what

does the day in the life look like?

Who are you surrounded by?

Where are you living?

What kind of impact have you had?

Who do you spend time connecting to?

Being so clear in your own head about
what that world is five years from now has

so much power and it is absolutely free.

It costs no money.

Grab a piece of paper and
write your future story.

What does the world
look like in five years?

What is the world you want to live in?

And I think so much of the moment
that we are in right now, where there

is so much division, has a lot to
do with the fact that more and more

of us are distracted all the time
and we don't have time to say, what

is the world that we wanna live in?

Whether that's our day-to-day
life, or whether that's the world

more broadly, what is important?

What are the things worth, not just
fighting for, but believing in?

And the more vivid any of us can
be in telling that story, you

give yourself the absolute best
chance at making that a reality.

Matt Abrahams: So a future story allows
you to clearly define what's important to

you and what that can look like for you.

And that level of detail
provides additional motivation.

Gina Bianchini: And clarity.

Like so many of us can sit down and like,
oh, what's my personal mission statement?

That's different than a future story.

Matt Abrahams: It helps us make it a
reality, and it helps us understand

where we need the support that community
can bring, and having that focus and

clarity can really be motivational
because it can feel very intimidating

when I know I want to change, but
I don't know where I want to go.

So you've built a platform,
Mighty Networks, and you say that

part of what it does is allows
for people magic to take place.

And you describe that as the connecting
of relevant people to each other.

What role does communication
play in this people magic.

One of the things that I very much
have gravitated towards because this

isn't something that's very important
to me beyond communication, is the

ability to facilitate because there's
the broadcasting of communication,

but then there's the actual hard act
of bringing together, facilitating.

Share with me what people magic is, and
the role communication plays in that.

Gina Bianchini: What people magic
is designed to do is make the

facilitation easier and easier
so that more people can do it and

more people can do it effectively.

But the easiest way to think about
it is coming back to that openness.

I don't care who you are and I don't care
how many followers you have, how popular

or unpopular you are, when you are walking
into a party you're a little nervous.

And the difference between your ability
to relax and enjoy and meet people and

create value and connection is that person
who either is the host or a friend of

the host who comes over to you and is
like, Matt, I am so glad you're here.

I invited you with purpose.

I invited you with intention.

And, oh my God.

You have got to meet Josh.

I knew you guys would hit it off
because, and then there's all

sorts of different techniques for
like how to make that connection.

But what have I just done?

I've put you at ease.

I have hopefully hyped
you up a little bit.

Because in the same way that like hurt
people, hurt people, confident people

connect with other people, like the
social lubricant, that it exists to

create networks of people and communities
of people come from confidence.

When you feel good, when you feel like
you have something to bring to the picnic.

And so a facilitator also does
something really important, which

is, I'm gonna make sure you don't
feel like you're on the spot.

So in facilitating, I'm gonna structure.

I'm gonna guide.

I'm going to be in charge of the
experience that we are creating

here together so that you get
results and transformation.

And I believe in a time and a place where
as people, we are going to increasingly

be competing with more and more powerful
software that wants to be like us,

that wants to take more and more time
from human beings, the hosts and the

facilitators are going to be the ones that
ensure that we are harnessing the power

of software to make the people we meet,
the people we connect with, the people

that we build, at a level of awesomeness
that up until this point, relied almost

exclusively on luck and serendipity.

Matt Abrahams: I think that's a really
interesting way to define facilitation

as proactive, productive serendipity.

And I like that definition.

I spend a lot of time helping people
with the practical, tactical skills

of facilitation, and I agree with you.

It's about helping people feel welcome,
helping people feel psychologically

safe, making sure that they don't
feel like they're on the spot.

And I like this idea of host.

We have Priya Parker on who likes the same
ideas, and certainly we've talked with

Amy Edmondson about psychological safety.

A good facilitator helps bring that about.

You set up the context and the
environment for the magic to happen,

but it's really hard because you
have to be incredibly vigilant.

And I had not thought of, as you
rightly introduced, that a good

host or facilitator is also the one
who can maximize and leverage the

technology, be it AI or other tools
to help, again, set the scene, set

the table for the community building.

Well, Gina, I knew this was going
to be a fantastic conversation.

You and I are very aligned
on the power of community.

I'd like to end the way I end all
these podcasts with three questions.

One I create just for
you and the other two.

I've been asking lots of people.

So my first question is a little
different than the community building.

You've had to navigate the venture
capital world in many capacities.

Many of the people listening in have
to pitch ideas, and I'm curious, what's

your best advice for communicating
a new disruptive idea, especially to

those who might be a little skeptical
or entrenched in the way things are?

Gina Bianchini: The rookie
move is I'm gonna convince

the people who are skeptical.

The masters are like, that's not the job.

The job is to find the true believers.

So what does that look like?

When you are a true believer in
your ideas, you're like, I need to

convince every single person that
I meet that this is the future.

And the problem is that when somebody
tells you, no, it's crushing,

but also it feels so personal.

So one of the things that I
have observed that is absolutely

critical is number one, volume.

You have to feel like you have
abundance in the number of

people that you can talk to.

So if that's a spreadsheet of
people, that you are gonna go down

that list and so that the nos and
the rejections that are inevitable.

I wish that I was the kind of
person that like welcomed rejection.

I don't, but that has helped a lot.

The next time that I
am going to fundraise.

I will have a hundred names and I
will go through a hundred, and my

expectation will be that I have to go
through a hundred and I just need one.

And I'm going through that list
to find the true believers.

Finding a true believer that was already
thinking about this stuff, that is your

idea, is much more powerful and important
in the ultimate success that you're gonna

have than trying to convince a skeptic.

Matt Abrahams: I like that reframe.

The goal is not to move the skeptic.

The goal is to find the true believer,
and the way to do that is to open

up to as many people as possible and
really think through and identify.

And that reframe on who the real
audience is, I think can really change

how a lot of people accomplish things.

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

Gina Bianchini: Steve Jobs.

Just the ability to capture, not just the
vision of where the intersection of art

and science can go, but in every area.

Just watching somebody who as a
communicator could help everybody

see what something new could be, and
what excellence could look like, and

the ability to bring people to an
entirely new level of contribution.

The teams that he put together.

The vision that he said, the future
story that he was talking about in his

twenties, that happened in his forties,
that level, and what everyone I know who

worked with him will say is he made it
look like he was a natural and he wasn't.

Matt Abrahams: There are many famous
stories about how much work he put

into what he did, but the ability
to identify a goal, a vision, and

communicate it, and then assemble the
community or teams, really important.

I can understand why you would
gravitate towards Steve Jobs.

Final question.

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

Gina Bianchini: I think that
ingredient number one is so what.

So the little trick that I learned from
a woman named Amy Jo Kim, who I love,

was so that we can, so that we can,
or so that you can, or so that I can.

The so that we can, that is the why
and the benefits and the results,

and once that snapped into place for
me, it gave that communication hint

to anybody who's listening, why.

I think that's ingredient number one.

Ingredient number two is detail and
the real masterclass of detail is

when you can communicate significant
detail in as few words as possible.

That's when you hit magic in communication
because if you're too detailed and

use too many words, people zone out.

If you go to too few words,
you will want to abstract it.

And you see this if you try to like
put into ChatGPT or Claude or whatever,

hey, make this shorter and it's the
most generic thing in the world.

So finding that detail in as few words
as possible, I think it is the absolute

hardest thing in communication and the
absolute just north star of communication.

And then I think that
the third thing is heart.

Not trying to BS your way through things,
but rather, what do I really care about?

What is really important to me?

How do I show up for an idea?

And how do I leave people feeling about
the idea, the concept, me as a messenger?

I think that is something
important to pay attention to.

Matt Abrahams: Having that passion, that
heart, the emotion, absolutely critical.

You clearly demonstrate that.

I like this idea of taking so what
and evolving it into so that we

can, and finding that sweet spot
of detail and concision, really

important, really difficult to do.

But what a wonderful recipe and
what a wonderful conversation, Gina.

I love the community that you and I
have built and the way we interact and

the power of community to transform
and the power of community to evolve

just content in one way communication
to really being something that's

special and can help people grow.

Thank you so much for your time, and
thank you so much for your insight.

Gina Bianchini: Thank you for having me.

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

Think Fast Talk Smart, the podcast.

To learn more about community, please
listen to episode 1 74 with Priya Parker.

Please consider joining our Think
Fast Talk Smart Learning Community

at fastersmarter.io/learning.

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Again, that's fastersmarter.io/learning
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Talk Smart Learning Community.

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

Our music is from Floyd Wonder.

With thanks to Podium Podcast Company.

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