253. Top 10: The Best Communication Tips from 2025
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
Think Fast Talk Smart
4.7 • 805 Ratings
🗓️ 30 December 2025
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Our 10 favorite communication insights from 2025.
The most transformative communication insights are the ones we actually remember to use. That’s why host Matt Abrahams is taking stock of his favorite communication tips from this year, so we can carry them into the next.
In this annual Think Fast, Talk Smart tradition, Abrahams shares his top 10 communication insights from guests over the past year, from facilitating connection through Gina Bianchini's "proactive serendipity” to Jenn Wynn’s use of dialogue as a gateway to synergy. Whether you're looking to build trust, boost productivity, or speak more spontaneously, this year’s top 10 insights offer a reminder of all we’ve learned this year — and a roadmap for better communication in the year ahead.
Episode Reference Links:
- Gina Bianchini: 244. Community Creates Change
- Muriel Wilkins: 240. Belief It or Not
- Jenn Wynn: 222. Discussing Through Discomfort
- Richard Edelman: 215. The New Media Landscape
- Alex Rodriguez: 201. Ballpark to the Boardroom
- Chris Voss / Peter Sagal: 197. Prep or Perish / 198. Pause and Effect / 199. Blunder Pressure / 203. No Script, No Problem
- Ada Aka: 191. Memorable Messages
- Matt Lieberman: 188. Mind Reading 101
- Arthur Brooks: 181. Why Happiness is a Direction, Not a Destination
- Laurie Santos: 179. Finding Positive in Negative Emotions
- Ep.177 Don’t Resolve, Evolve: Top 10 Lessons From 2024
- Ep.120 A Few of Matt’s Favorite Things: 10 Communication Takeaways from 2023's TFTS Episodes
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- Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn
Chapters:
- (00:00) - Introduction
- (02:51) - Facilitation and Productive Serendipity
- (04:26) - Toxic vs. Healthy Productivity
- (06:49) - Dialogue as the Path to Synergy
- (09:21) - How Actions Build Trust
- (10:47) - Communication as an Unselfish Act
- (12:42) - Be Present and Prepare to Be Spontaneous
- (14:47) - Why Memorable Words Matter
- (17:51) - Persuasion and Identity
- (19:40) - Finding Meaning Through Purpose
- (21:35) - Listening to Negative Emotions
- (23:52) - Conclusion
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, Matt here. The start of the new year gives us a moment to rethink how we work. |
| 0:04.2 | And I don't know about you, but I want to work more efficiently. And that's why I'm going to |
| 0:08.6 | double down on Grammarly. Grammarly has been super helpful to me. It brings everything I need to do |
| 0:13.7 | when writing all together. So I can take my writing from draft to done in one place, emails, |
| 0:20.3 | presentations, proposals. I don't lose momentum, and you |
| 0:23.7 | won't either. Grammarly even helps you use AI more thoughtfully and thoroughly. You can get real-time |
| 0:29.8 | suggestions, refine your tone, or ask for help, all while keeping your own voice front and center. |
| 0:36.2 | I found it saves time and makes writing feel more manageable and even enjoyable. |
| 0:41.1 | In fact, 90% of professionals say Grammarly saves them time, writing, and editing. |
| 0:46.9 | Sign up for Grammarly free and take your professional writing from draft to done. |
| 0:52.0 | Visit Grammarly.com. That's Visit grammarly.com. That's grammarly.com. |
| 1:00.6 | New beginnings allow us the opportunity to reflect, learn, and grow. |
| 1:05.4 | As we enter 2026, I hope everyone takes a moment to identify a few actions and approaches you learned in 2025 that you hope to implement in the new year. |
| 1:15.9 | We can all benefit from a fresh start in the new year. |
| 1:19.7 | My name is Matt Abrams and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. |
| 1:24.7 | Welcome to Think Fast Talk Smart, the podcast. |
| 1:28.7 | 2025 was an exceptional year. Here at Think Fast Talk Smart, we expanded the number of episodes |
| 1:33.8 | we release each month. We now have video for every episode. We have more detailed release notes |
| 1:39.5 | and English language learning content for each episode, and we started a robust online |
| 1:44.1 | learning community |
| 1:44.8 | that keeps growing every day. But most importantly, we've had the opportunity to learn so many |
| 1:51.0 | important and insightful skills to help us hone and develop our communication and careers. |
... |
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