210. First Impression to Lasting Impact: Use Status Strategically
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
Think Fast Talk Smart
4.7 • 711 Ratings
🗓️ 17 June 2025
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Career success takes a status boost, not a power grab.
How do you chart the career course you’ve always imagined? According to Alison Fragale, it’s about gaining influence through status, power, and ultimately, being “a likeable badass.”
As a research psychologist, professor, speaker, and author, Fragale is on a mission to help women take control of their careers. In her book Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve, she argues that most people have it backwards when pursuing career advancement. "We have talked for a long time [about] getting more power," she explains. However, by focusing first on achieving status (how respected we are), power will often come as a natural byproduct. "If you pursue status before, or at least alongside power, everything is going to fall into place," she says. “Status makes power a lot easier to achieve, and it makes power a lot easier to use.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, hosted by executive producer Jenny Luna, Fragale explores the communication strategies of a likeable badass, from building warmth and assertiveness to authentically connecting with colleagues. Whether you're building relationships in a new company or have been leading one for years, Fragale’s insights will help you command respect while communicating with kindness.
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Episode Reference Links:
- Alison Fragale
- Alison’s Book: Likeable Badass
- Jenny Luna
- Ep.12 It's Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It: How To Communicate Power
- Ep.15 The Art of Negotiation: How to Get More of What You Want
Connect:
- Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
- Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
- Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
- Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
- Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
- Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn
Chapters:
- (00:00) - Introduction
- (02:21) - Defining Power and Status
- (05:26) - Why Status Comes Before Power
- (06:19) - Communication Techniques to Build Status
- (09:27) - Evaluating Your Habits: Nonverbal and Verbal Cues
- (11:21) - Mentorship in Developing Communication
- (13:13) - Adapting to a New Work Culture
- (18:41) - Representing Difference Without Distance
- (19:49) - Overcoming Bad First Impressions
- (21:47) - The Final Three Question
- (25:32) - Conclusion
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I have always been amazed by and a bit jealous of my friends, colleagues, and students who can speak multiple languages. |
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| 1:02.0 | What do you get when you combine warmth and assertiveness? |
| 1:05.1 | You get a likable badass. |
| 1:07.4 | My name is Matt Abrahams, |
| 1:11.5 | and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. |
| 1:18.0 | Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. Today, we're excited to speak with Allison for Gail. Allison works at the University of North Carolina's Business School. She studies |
| 1:24.1 | and teaches determinants of consequences of power, status, and influence in organizations, |
| 1:30.5 | conflict resolution, and negotiations. And she focuses on the verbal and nonverbal elements of |
| 1:36.3 | communication. Her newest book is Likeable Badass, How Women Get the Success They Deserved. |
| 1:42.8 | I could think of no better person to interview Allison |
| 1:46.0 | than our own executive producer and likable badass, Jenny Luna. Here's Jenny. Before we get |
| 1:55.1 | started, I'm excited to share that our June newsletter is now available. Not only does it contain |
| 2:00.5 | our new book reading list for the |
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