25. Quick Thinks: All Effective Communication Must Start With This

As we look back on more than twenty interviews with Think Fast, Talk Smart guests, we’ve heard one piece of advice over and over again: know your audience. This wisdom echoes what research clearly shows: content that is relevant and meaningful to an audience is more likely to be heard, retained, and acted upon.
The word communicate comes from the Latin for “to make common,” yet many of us start our message from the wrong place. As lecturer and podcast host Matt Abrahams shares in this Quick Thinks episode, taking time to tailor our message to the needs of the listener ensures that our communication will be more engaging and successful.
Think Fast, Talk Smart is a podcast produced by Stanford Graduate School of Business. Each episode provides concrete, easy-to-implement tools and techniques to help you hone and enhance your communication skills.