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Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

230. Tech Tools: Use Visuals to Your Advantage

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Think Fast Talk Smart

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

4.7 • 806 Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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

Clear communication isn’t just about sharing information — it’s about making ideas stick. That’s why Yuhki Yamashita, Chief Product Officer at Figma, believes the key to effective collaboration lies in turning complex concepts into simple, memorable visuals.
For years, Figma has been reshaping the way teams brainstorm, design, and build together — making it easier than ever to bring ideas to life in real time. In this episode of the Think Fast, Talk Smart Tech Tools miniseries, host Matt Abrahams talks with Yamashita about how visuals facilitate shared understanding, why frameworks enhance team communication, and how to craft insights that people naturally remember and reuse.
In addition to insight-packed discussions, this miniseries explores innovative tools that enhance the way we communicate and connect. Whether you want to make your presentations more memorable, craft stories that stick, or connect with your audience on a deeper level, these episodes will help you communicate with greater clarity, confidence, and impact.

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Chapters:

  • (00:00) - Introduction
  • (01:16) - Figma Elevator Structure
  • (02:07) - Joining Figma
  • (03:17) - The Power of Visual Storytelling
  • (04:36) - Creating Shared Meaning with Visuals
  • (05:37) - Favorite Communicator
  • (08:59) - Communication Hack or Tool
  • (10:36) - Conclusion

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Transcript

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0:00.0

This Tech Tools miniseries is brought to you by Prezzi, the presentation tool that makes

0:07.3

your ideas easy to follow, hard to forget, and faster than ever to create with Prezzi

0:12.2

AI.

0:13.5

The best investment is in the tools of one's own trade.

0:17.5

At Think Fast Talk Smart, we're taking this quote by Benjamin Franklin, the famous U.S. inventor and founding father very seriously.

0:24.7

As you know, our show strives to share tips and techniques to help you hone and improve your communication and careers.

0:31.8

These practices and approaches can be augmented with tools and technology.

0:36.4

I'm Matt Abrahams.

0:40.6

I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

0:45.9

Welcome to this Tech Tools mini-series of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast.

0:51.8

In this multi-part mini-series, we'll introduce you to tools we use at Think Fast Talk Smart to help us be better at our spoken and written communication.

0:56.2

And you'll learn best practices from the founders who created them.

1:00.2

Taken together, we hope these communication tools will help you find new ways to think fast

1:05.2

and talk smart.

1:07.1

I am super excited today to speak with Yuki Yamashita, who is Figma's chief product officer.

1:13.0

Yuki, welcome. Thanks for joining me.

1:15.7

Thank you for having me.

1:16.9

Some of our listeners might not know what Figma is.

1:20.5

Can you share what your product is using the elevator pitch structure I teach my students?

1:26.3

What if you could?

1:30.6

So that, for example, and that's not all. Do you want to give that to try? So what if you could visualize any idea you have in your

1:36.4

head and immediately collaborate on it in real time with others so that you and your team,

...

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