Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Transform how you communicate with tools that make your message stick.

Great communication isn’t just about what you say — it’s about what your audience remembers. That’s why Jim Szafranski, CEO of Prezi, believes that visuals and storytelling are key to making ideas stick.
For more than 15 years, Prezi has been reimagining the way we share information, helping communicators move beyond static slides and into dynamic...

Reinventing your life or career starts with reflection and conversation.

 Making the leap — to a new career, to the next stage of a relationship, or to a different version of yourself — requires honest communication. For Ilana Golan, being “leap-ready” requires that we answer three questions: Why me? Why this? And why now?

Golan knows all about these leaps, as her career spans corporate executive roles, entrepreneurship,...

In the digital age, it’s critical to craft communication that fits the context.

Like it or not, algorithms now decide whose messages get heard. “If you want to communicate effectively,” says Adam Aleksic, “you need to be exactly aware of what that medium is doing.”

Aleksic is a linguist, author, and educational content creator with millions of followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. His latest book, Algospeak: H...

Why modern communication still relies on ancient words and narratives.

All communication and connection depend on one thing: language. That’s why Laura Spinney says understanding language — where it comes from and how it evolves over time — can help us use it more effectively.

“Language is incredibly powerful,” says Spinney, an author and journalist published in the Atlantic, National Geographic, Nature, and New Scientis...

By lightening up your communication, you can build serious connections.

Humor in communication isn’t all fun and games. According to Alison Wood Brooks and Naomi Bagdonas, levity is one of the most serious tools we have in building successful connections.

Wood Brooks and Bagdonas, both teachers, authors, and experts in the field of communication, recognize how crucial levity is to our professional and personal interactio...

Some conversations are uncomfortable, but avoiding them comes with a cost.

You want a more successful career, a more fulfilling relationship, a more meaningful life? What if all that’s standing in your way — are the conversations that you’re avoiding?

“Most things that we want in life are on the other side of a difficult conversation,” says Jenn Wynn, a professor at NYU Stern School of Business and previously the directo...

How do you stay clear, calm, and precise when every word counts and there’s no room for error?

Staying calm and focused while translating high-stakes conversations in real time isn’t just a language skill — it’s a masterclass in communication under pressure. And for Giampaolo Bianchi, simultaneous interpreter for the United Nations and World Health Organization, it’s a challenge he meets with presence, precision, and a ...

Master the art of thinking on your feet and turning unpredictability into powerful communication.

Being quick on your feet isn’t just a performance skill — it’s a communication necessity. And for Peter Sagal, longtime host of NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me, it’s a craft he’s honed over more than two decades in front of a live audience. In this expanded conversation from our Spontaneous Speaking series, Sagal shares what it ...

When communicating with their employees, most firms have no idea who they’re talking to.

Good communication is about knowing your audience. But if your organization is only focused on knowing your customers, James Root says you're forgetting a whole other cohort: your employees.

Root is a senior partner at Bain & Company, Chair of Bain Futures, and author of The Archetype Effect, in which he reveals a simple but over...