235. Refine, Reframe, Repeat: Make Your Communication a Slam Dunk

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

Think Fast Talk Smart

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

4.7 • 805 Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The road to mastery is paved with small improvements every day.

Communicating can feel daunting at times. What does it take to find your voice in the moments that matter most? As Chiney Ogwumike says, “There is freedom on the other side of your fear.”

As a professional basketball player, NBA and WNBA analyst for ESPN, and advocate for gender equality in sports, Ogwumike faces many situations where communication is critical. For her, achieving confidence in communication is the same as honing any other skill—embracing failure and refinement through repetition. “The best things in life are things you work out over long periods of time,” she says. “Great people, great communicators, anyone that's working at something, show up each and every day and just chip away, chip away, chip away, until they turn that weakness into a strength.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Ogwumike and host Matt Abrahams discuss how practice and preparation can equip us for better communication, transforming fear into confidence, perfectionism into authenticity, and weakness into strength.

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Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(02:18) - Communication on the Court
(04:00) - Performing Under Pressure
(06:09) - Lessons from Great Coaches
(08:19) - Embracing Imperfection and Authenticity
(11:41) - Strategies for Effective On-Air Communication
(16:07) - The Final Three Questions
(19:00) - Conclusion

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, Matt here. Before we get started, I'm excited to share that our October newsletter is now available.
0:05.5	Learn about five common communication mistakes people make, and most importantly, how to fix them.
0:10.6	Plus, hear about ways to get involved in something exciting that we're working on to transform your communication skills and career.
0:17.2	Find our newsletter at Think Fast Talk Smart on LinkedIn or under resources at FasterSmarter.i.
0:23.1	Now a word from one of our sponsors. Their support allows us to bring you quality content free of
0:29.3	charge. We spend about a third of our waking hours working, but so many people feel stuck in
0:37.1	their jobs they've outgrown. I've
0:38.9	heard it all. What if the next move is even worse? I can't afford to take the wrong step.
0:44.4	Who am I without the title I have? These feelings are real. But they're also why so many people
0:50.2	feel stuck. That's where today's sponsor, Strawberry.me, comes in. They connect you with a
0:55.3	certified career coach who helps you go from where you are to where you actually want to be.
1:00.6	It's like therapy for your career. A coach helps you cut through the noise, define your next
1:05.9	move, and turn vague goals into a real-world plan with accountability that keeps you moving forward.
1:12.3	Own your future with a coach in your corner.
1:15.0	Go to strawberry.combe slash smart to claim your $50 credit and get started.
1:21.5	That's strawberry.m.m.m. slash smart.
1:25.4	Stop settling. Start building the career you actually want.
1:34.7	The effort you put in in terms of practice and preparation have a huge impact on the quality of your
1:41.8	communication. My name is Matt Abraham's and I teach strategic
1:46.2	communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart,
1:51.9	the podcast. Today I'm excited to speak with Chenay Agumakeh. Chenet is a professional basketball
1:58.7	player, an NBA and WNBA analyst for ESPN, and an advocate for gender equality in sports.
	...

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