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Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

192. Quick Thinks: How to Supersize Your Stories

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Think Fast Talk Smart

Communicating, Influence, Career Skills, Career, Business, Education, Leadership, Careers, Communication, Career Growth, Public Speaking, Language Learning, Improv

4.7 • 711 Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How to craft compelling stories that captivate, inspire, and make an impact.

Great storytelling isn't just about telling tales—it’s about crafting experiences that captivate, inspire, and drive change. In this special Quick Thinks bonus episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Matt Abrahams welcomes bestselling author Dan Heath for a masterclass on the power of stories.
Dan breaks down the elements of an impactful story, sharing a case study from his book Reset, outlining how to find compelling stories that connect with audiences, the structure of engaging narratives that keep people hooked, and the power of analogies and unexpected contrasts in storytelling.

Get more done with Grammarly. Download Grammarly for free at grammarly.com/podcast.

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Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (02:45) - A Story About Change: The Hospital Case Study
  • (03:53) - Breaking Down the Elements of a Great Story
  • (06:25) - Finding the Right Stories
  • (08:11) - Crafting Stories with Purpose
  • (09:44) - Conclusion

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This episode is sponsored by Grammarly. Download Grammarly for free today
Join our upcoming 200th episode live event April 14 & 15
Become a Faster Smarter Supporter by joining TFTS Premium.  

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, Matt here. I need to let you in on a secret. I am incredibly insecure about my written communication.

0:07.0

I get nervous when I write important emails and articles. That's why I and the Think Fast Talk Smart team use Grammarly when we write.

0:15.0

Grammarly helps us find just the right wording based on audience and context and works across more than 500,000 apps and

0:22.5

websites. You too can write better and get more done with Grammarly. Download Grammarly for free

0:28.4

at Grammarly.com slash podcast. That's Grammarly.com slash podcast.

0:45.4

Good stories provide opportunities for both simulation and inspiration.

0:50.6

I'm Matt Abrahams, and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

0:51.3

Welcome to this bonus quick-thinks episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart,

0:56.4

the podcast. During my recent interview with Dan Heath, he offered a masterclass in what makes

1:02.3

for a great story by not only telling a great story, but helping me analyze it.

1:09.9

Before we get started, I wanted to invite you to join us for our upcoming Think Fast TalkSmart

1:15.2

Live event on April 14th and 15th. I'll be giving a brief talk and then I'll take questions

1:21.2

live. If you want to appear on video with me, consider joining premium. Register at Faster smarter.io slash live. That's faster,

1:30.1

smarter.comer.com slash live. I look forward to celebrating with you at one or both of these events.

1:37.4

I want to come back to storytelling because one of the things that really impresses me in your work is

1:42.1

not only do you talk about story and analyze story,

1:44.9

but you're actually a really good storyteller. Can you give us a little insight into your process

1:50.2

for one, thinking about the stories that you tell in your books and when you speak on your podcast,

1:56.0

but also the process about how to craft and deliver those stories because that's equally as powerful.

2:03.1

It is the heart of what I do and what takes the most time out of everything I work on as a writer.

2:07.8

So maybe what I should do, let me just tell a story from the book and then talk a little bit about justiculate out it and tell what my intentions were in using it.

2:17.1

So the very first story in reset is about

...

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