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Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

211. Small Screens, Strong Signals: Mastering Modern Communication

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

🗓️ 24 June 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the age of virtual communication, here’s how to ensure your messages convey what you mean.


Texts. Emails. Slacks. Zooms. We’re communicating in more ways than ever, but Andrew Brodsky has a word of warning: Your virtual communication might be sending messages you’re not aware of.

Brodsky is the author of PING: The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication. And as a professor of management at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business, he researches the impact of technology on workplace communication. “In virtual communication, there's often missing information,” he says. “As recipients of it, we're searching to fill in the gaps. The problem [is] that the recipient who's making these guesses is often guessing incorrectly.” As his research reveals, variables like typos, the time you schedule a meeting, and even your choice of email signature affect how your messages are received — and how you’re perceived.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, host Matt Abrahams and Brodsky explore his PING framework (perspective-taking, initiative, nonverbal awareness, and goals) for mastering digital communication. From understanding when to choose email over a phone call to navigating cameras-on versus cameras-off meetings, he offers practical strategies for ensuring your virtual messages communicate exactly what you intend.

To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium

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Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (02:34) - What Is Virtual Communication?
  • (03:20) - Choosing the Right Channel for Your Goal
  • (06:05) - The Ping Framework: Secrets to Virtual Communication
  • (10:01) - Understanding Communication Richness
  • (13:03) - Nonverbals in Virtual Communication
  • (16:47) - The Final Three Question
  • (24:37) - Conclusion

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Before we get started, I'm excited to share that our June newsletter is now available.

0:05.5

Not only does it contain our new book reading list for the first part of 2025,

0:11.5

but it also has an expert article on how to participate in and moderate panels.

0:16.5

You can find our newsletter on LinkedIn or at FasterSmartter.io under resources.

0:28.5

If you think about your communication over a week, or even a day or even an hour,

0:33.9

think of how many different types of virtual communication you use. Texting, slacking, emails, virtual calls. We need to make sure that we are as efficient and as effective as we can be when we are communicating virtually. I'm Matt Abraham's and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

0:56.7

Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. Today I'm excited to speak with Andrew Brodsky.

1:04.2

Andrew is an expert in workplace technology, communication, and productivity. He teaches and conducts

1:09.9

research at the McComb School of Business at the University of Texas, Austin.

1:14.2

His latest book is Ping, The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication.

1:19.4

Welcome, Andrew.

1:20.4

Your work is so relevant and of the moment.

1:23.1

I appreciate you being here.

1:24.7

Thanks for having me on the show.

1:26.0

I've been a long time fan of your work, so I'm really excited getting to talk. Thank you for that. Hi, Matt here. We spend years

1:33.7

developing skills, gaining experience, and working hard. But when it comes to advancing,

1:38.5

making a career change, or negotiating a better salary, many of us hesitate because we lack

1:44.0

a clear strategy and accountability.

1:46.2

And that's where today's sponsor, Strawberry.me, career coaching, comes in. We know that success

1:52.2

isn't just about effort. It's about having the right guidance and feedback. Strawberry.me matches

1:57.8

you with a certified career coach who will help you clarify your career goals.

2:01.9

They'll help develop a results-driven strategy because progress requires action.

...

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