Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

How to communicate who you are online.

You may not think of yourself as a content creator, but in the creator economy, Angèle Christin says we all have to learn how to communicate who we are online.
Christin is an associate professor of communications at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. According to her, “we are all content creators now.” We may not all be influencers or podcast hosts, but “We are all putting content out there and creating a public persona,” says Christin. In the digital age, “that plays an increasingly important role in hiring, promotions, and of course, getting laid off.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Christin and host Matt Abrahams explore how to navigate the creator economy — whether as a full-time influencer or a professional managing your online presence. From building on your area of expertise to understanding the trade-offs between short-term hype and long-term trust, Christin explains what it takes to show up online without losing yourself in the algorithm.

Episode Reference Links:
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Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (02:30) - Why Metrics Reward Drama
  • (05:57) - Building A Professional Online Presence
  • (10:14) - What Makes A Good Story?
  • (14:03) - The Reality Of Creator Work
  • (20:12) - The Final Three Question
  • (23:22) - 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
Angèle Christin
Professor | Author | Senior HAI Fellow at Stanford University

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: We are all
part of the creator economy.

We're all creators.

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 look forward to speaking
with an Angèle, Christin.

Angèle is an associate professor
of communication and sociology at

Stanford University, along with
being a senior fellow at Stanford's

Human-centered AI Institute.

Her work examines the social
impact of algorithms and AI.

She's the author of several books with
a new book coming out in fall of 2026.

Well, welcome Angèle.

I am thrilled to learn from you today.

Thanks for being here.

Angèle Christin: Thank
you for inviting me.

Matt Abrahams: Yeah.

Shall we get started?

Angèle Christin: Yes, absolutely.

Matt Abrahams: Your research looks
at how metrics drive creators

towards spectacle and drama.

Can you share some insights and
examples of this drama driving

and the tension it creates between
authenticity and performance?

Angèle Christin: So for
me, that's so interesting.

Just taking a step back, when you think
about media production historically,

uh, if you think of print, newspapers,
book writers, that kind of production,

people didn't have any idea about
what their audience really wanted.

So they didn't have metrics, they
didn't have data, and they certainly

didn't have the kind of fine grain
granular data that creators have today.

So now you have this kind of like
wave of metrics coming at you, and

you have a very clear sense of what
people are really spending time on.

And turns out when you're a creator and
when you look at these kind of granular

metrics, one thing that you realize
very quickly is that viewers, listeners,

followers, typically spend more time
engaged and are more likely to watch,

and the content you create is more likely
to go viral, when there is some drama by

which I kind of read, this term kind of
refers to interpersonal kind of conflict

or inflammatory kind of back and forth or
kind of comments and response typically

with other creators, that's gonna be great
for you because you can also bring in

the audience of the other creator, right?

So that kind of conflict, or somewhat
extreme content, again, depends on what

kind of content you post, but if you push
a boundary of what you do, so for example,

let's say you are a nutrition influencer
and you're gonna start proposing or

offering like very extreme diets, right?

That are really kind of out there
in terms of what you can consume.

Typically, that's gonna come
with like more engagement, right?

And higher metrics.

So that's the incentives.

Now the problem though is that perhaps
as a creators, you don't always

want to follow these incentives.

And so we go back to the first part
of your question, which is how do

creators navigate this tension between,
on the one sense, on the one hand, the

pressure to create contents that kind
of is more drama heavy or more extreme.

And on the other hand, what
their audience originally really

liked them for, which was their
relatability, their authenticity,

their very unique editorial line.

And so that kind of back and forth
between kind of drama and extreme

content on the one hand, and
relatability and authenticity on

the other, is something that every
single creator is struggling with.

You can think about it as a
trade off between the short

term and the long term, right?

So in the short term, if you optimize
for kind of metrics and you really

push drama, conflict, inflammatory,
and extreme content, you're gonna

get spikes in the number of views and
the kind of virality of your content.

But then perhaps in the long term or the
middle term, some of your loyal followers

and subscribers are gonna be like, I don't
really recognize the person, the creator,

the tones, the voice that I used to love.

And so perhaps I'm not going to come back.

And every single creator I talk to
over the past six years experiences

some version of the tension.

But at the end of the day, they
have to pay the bills, right?

They have to pay the rent.

And so many of them, whether they
want it or not, end up at some point

prioritizing drama or extreme content.

Matt Abrahams: So the algorithm and
the way in which creators get rewarded,

financially and with followers, et
cetera, is to be more dramatic, even

though in some cases can pull them away
from their authentic, original purpose.

Let's take a step back from creators,
influencers, and let's just talk

about professionals in general.

I mean, having a social
media presence is important.

It's how we define to the broader
world who we are, what we do.

It could set us up for other positions,
can provide other opportunities to us.

Do you have advice and guidance
on how everyday professionals can

navigate the pressure to build a
credible online reputation while

not falling victim to this drama?

Angèle Christin: This is such an important
point, and actually this is where in

my book I kind of end, which is that
really we are all content creators

now, not only when doing a podcast, but
just even just as workers, as everyday

human beings, we are just all putting
content out there and creating a public

persona that then plays an increasingly
important role in hiring, promotions,

and of course, getting laid off and
fired for things that may or may not have

caught the attention of your employers.

As the dynamics of social media creations
really come for the rest of us, what

are some of the key aspects that,
you know, I think we can translate

from influencers and content creators
to everyday social media users.

I think the first one is that you
really have to build on your area

of expertise, and that is something
that cannot be faked, you know?

In order for your audience to trust
you, you have to come up with a kind

of core competency, a core area, and
a specific kind of angle on this core

area that is specifically yours, right?

Now, it may seem easy, but as anyone
who's done kind of a bit of strategy or

a bit of thinking, kinda reflectively
about what is my career of expertise,

it's really not an easy process.

And I think that for a lot of people as
a negotiate kinda social media presence,

it's very much a back and forth, right?

Between, I thought it was
this, but perhaps it's not.

And kind of it's co-constructed
with the audience in many ways.

So that's, I would say that's the first
thing, figuring out what's the area,

what's the topic, what's the angles that
you feel comfortable and an expert on,

and really pushing that on social media.

My second take is again, that
when it comes to drama and extreme

content, these are extremely
problematic things to engage in.

When you look at content creators and
having spent six years talking with

them and interviewing them, following
them, and kind of seeing how they

work, they over time develop a very
thick skin for getting harassed,

bullied, insulted on social media.

An extremely painful
process for many of them.

I will add, especially for any kind
of marginalized identity, you are just

much more likely to get harassed online.

It comes with a lot of distress,
a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear.

And so I think that for people who may
not want to go on that specific emotional

journey of developing that extremely
thick skin when it comes to kind of social

media presence, my second recommendation
is always be aware that anything you

post online is likely to be seen by your
coworkers, your employers, or future

clients, customers, employers, et cetera.

And just trying to keep that in
mind, especially when you are on

your phone, perhaps late at night and
being like, oh, I'm gonna weigh in.

I have an answer ready for this.

And just thinking that social
media is not only that anymore.

I mean, increasingly as we spend more and
more time online, this is basically your

professional window and your professional
facade for potential employers.

Matt Abrahams: I think that
last point is really important.

How you show up on social media
is how people see you, and you

have to manage that and navigate
through that very carefully.

I like your suggestion to lean into your
expertise and to be forewarned that when

you put your thoughts and self out there,
that there will be people who will comment

on that, and that commenting can be
hurtful, painful, and upsetting at times.

You have a unique perspective,
and you've mentioned this a couple

times, on how you do your research.

You have a unique perspective on
storytelling in that you conduct

ethnographic research that results in
people telling you their stories, and then

you in turn tell their stories to others.

But you also look at how stories
help build an online presence

in creators and influencers.

So you're looking at storytelling
and using storytelling.

So given your different perspectives on
it, I'm curious, do you have any guidance

on what goes into crafting a good story?

Angèle Christin: That
is such a good question.

So it depends really on what
you mean by a good story, right?

And what's the purpose of the story?

And that's where I think I distinguish
between, in academia, you are using

stories, but it's always stories
at the service of, in my case,

I'm a sociologist by training, a
broader kind of argument about how

the social world functions, right?

And so in my research, I really take
these individual stories, I try to

understand how people see the world, and
then I build on that to identify what are

structural forces that shaped how this
specific constraints and difficulties

that they encounter come into being.

And so, you know, in the case of social
media influencers, for example, all

social media creators see themselves
as fearless entrepreneurs, the rhetoric

of entrepreneurship is very strong
for them, which makes a lot of sense.

And often they come to social
media creation because they're

dissatisfied with nine to five
jobs, to put it bluntly, right?

So there's a strong dissatisfaction
with kind of modern corporate

employment as a way of making a living.

What's interesting though, and this
connects to the story thing, is that

at the end of the day, yes, they're
entrepreneurs in one sense, but really

they work for social media platforms.

Social media platforms are the one
owning the means of distribution of

their content and, and that's something
that a lot of creators can have a

lot of trouble grappling with, right?

And so in my case, I'm like, okay,
so let's take these individual

stories and then connect that to the
broader patterns of who owns what.

And who is truly making money from what?

And when I think of how creators
themselves tell stories, I mean typically

it's gonna be stories that inspire, right?

And so that's a different purpose I
think, in what's the role of a story.

And again, there like part of the
dynamic is creating connection

with the audience, right?

By providing some sense of vulnerability,
by sharing one's experience, by showing

how you overcame difficulties, by
showing that you're relatable, that

you're authentic, that you're putting
yourself out there, and then building

on that experience to claim expertise,
a specific type of expertise that can

be called confessional in a way, right?

Where you build on your own difficulties,
your own kind of hard times to show

how you overcame that and encourage
your followers to do the same thing.

Matt Abrahams: Well, it seems to me
that from the academic sense, you're

using stories as data that you can then
extrapolate patterns and connections.

The stories that the people you
study are using are stories about

connection, about being vulnerable.

At the end of the day though, in both
cases, there's a purpose behind the story.

The story serves a purpose.

The story does serve to connect, in
some cases, academic ideas together,

in other cases, audiences together.

But you really need to understand
your audience and the purpose.

And then you need to be able to take
that content and articulate it in

a way that motivates the audience
you're speaking to and, uh, elucidates

what it is you're looking for.

Angèle Christin: I think a great way of
putting this would be to say that stories

really are bridges, but the question is
like they're bridges from what to what.

Matt Abrahams: Exactly right.

So stories serve as bridges
to, to fulfill a purpose.

I have always been fascinated
by ethnographic research.

I've never done it myself.

I've always been much more of a
traditionalist in the research I do, but

I really like the richness the insight
that ethnographies bring, and I've

always appreciated that line of research.

If you were to give somebody
advice today who wanted to become

a creator or wanted to enter into
this economy, what would you advise?

What would be the things that you
would say you should consider and do?

Angèle Christin: I would
say a couple of things.

First, I would say that the reality
of social media labor is much harder

than what some of the curated images
or curated accounts that leading

social media celebrities provide.

It's a hard job.

It's a job where you are alone day after
day, shooting and reshooting content,

where your employer or your primary
interlocutor is the algorithm of social

media companies, and it's a hard boss to
please as many influencers can testify.

It's changing all the time.

The formats are changing all the time.

The preferences of audiences
are changing all the time, so

you have to be extremely nimble.

With that in mind, what would
be my concrete recommendation?

The first one is almost all creators have
one primary platform, but the ones who do

better typically work across platforms,
and so trying to have different income

streams so that you're not directly
weathered and only weathered to one

platform that could go under or could
completely change its algorithms or its

content moderation guidelines, I think
is a really important part of the game.

So just spreading your kind of portfolio
and your content across different

platforms, including newsletters, blog
posts, websites, just really trying to

have as large a footprint as you can.

So that would be my first thing.

My second recommendation is that,
again, it's complicated to only be

dependent on platform payments because
you are gonna be incentivized to

engage in more drama or more extreme
content, so that's not great when it's

the only way in which you make money.

What works better in my
experience is again, people who

have different revenue streams.

So you do, yes, some platform payments,
but also some sponsored content where

you work with brands and you are
transparent and selective in the brands

you work out with so that it matches
the identity of your production.

And again, you do that, but not too
much either because if you do too

much sponsored content, then suddenly
you look like you are inauthentic

and you are shilling for the brands.

Matt Abrahams: This idea of expectation
setting for yourself and the

expectations of the work that's required.

Not a week goes by where people
don't come to me and say, hey,

I'd love to start a podcast.

What you do is so great.

And then when I explain the amount of
work and the detail and the issues,

people are like, ah, that sounds like
a lot more than I was signing up for.

And this idea of diversity of ways that
you do your job and how you get paid.

Because at the end of the day, for
many people, the creator economy is

the way they get their work done.

Well, this has been a
fantastic conversation.

I appreciate it.

Before I end, I like to ask
everybody three questions.

One I make up just for you and the other
two I've been asking for a long time.

Are you up for that?

Angèle Christin: Yeah, for sure.

Matt Abrahams: Excellent.

Beyond all the work you do that
we've discussed, you work for

Stanford's Human-Centered AI
Institute, what is one thing going

on there that has you really excited?

Angèle Christin: Generative
AI is everywhere.

There is a lot of hype.

There is also a lot of fear.

There are many emotions surrounding
generative AI and what it's

gonna mean for all of us.

In the coming years and decades.

I am starting a new project on the
emotions surrounding generative AI.

So hopes, fear, the hate, the
disappointment, all the emotions,

positive, negative, that are shaping
how humans are interacting with AI.

And Stanford's, HAI Institute has been
such an amazing place to really have these

kind of in-depth discussions with computer
scientists, engineers, scientists,

and policy experts in trying to tease
out what are some of the ramifications

of these technological developments
that are happening as we speak.

Matt Abrahams: There's so much talk about
the information that's part of these AI

LLMs, not a lot have I heard about the
emotion piece, so I really look forward

to that research that you're conducting.

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

Angèle Christin: I think Greta Thunberg,
just because I think as a question

of global warming and sustainability
is a really hard one to get for the

news cycle and for the news media in
general, just because there is no big

event except when there is a heat wave.

But otherwise, it's just this long
kind of unfolding process that's

happening over hundreds of years.

So it's really hard to
muster attention for it.

And I think that's exactly what Thunberg
has been doing in a variety of ways,

but just really to crystallize our of
collective attention around how pressing

the question of global warming is.

And so that's something that
I find really impressive.

Matt Abrahams: The ability to
keep constant attention on an

important issue when there isn't
some big event, absolutely.

Final question.

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

Angèle Christin: Storytelling.

Clear deliverables.

And I will add, because at the end
of the day, I am an academic, rigor.

Being careful and thorough in
how you link the different steps

together and not overtaking or
making conclusions that really do not

make sense given the data you have.

Matt Abrahams: I wouldn't
expect nothing less from you,

somebody who uses ethnography as
a means to do the work you do.

So story, making sure that
story is rigorous and the

deliverables are clearly defined.

Well, thank you for the insight and
input you gave regarding creators.

We are all creators in some way, shape,
or form, and the issues that you bring

up are important for all of us to think
about in terms of how much we want

to open ourselves up for the tension
between authenticity and the algorithms.

Really provocative and really informative.

Thank you.

Angèle Christin: Thank
you so much for having me.

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

Think Fast Talk Smart, the podcast.

To learn more about the impact
of social media, algorithms and

AI on your communication, listen
to episode 225 with Adam Aleksic.

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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