270. Make Belief: The Mindset Shifts That Make Your Communication Stronger
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
Think Fast Talk Smart
4.7 • 806 Ratings
🗓️ 9 March 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Why beliefs can either cap our potential or push us toward possibility.
What you believe about yourself could be holding you back. Fortunately, Nir Eyal says beliefs aren’t truths — and you can choose new ones.
Eyal is a former lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Stanford d.school, a celebrated author, and a renowned expert on human behavior and potential. His latest book, Beyond Belief, reveals how limiting beliefs — like “I’m a bad communicator” — quietly shape what we see, feel, and do. “A belief doesn't have to be true” to limit our potential, he says. But the same holds in reverse: a belief doesn't have to be true to expand who and what we can become. “Beliefs are tools, not truths. It just has to be useful.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Eyal and host Matt Abrahams explore how to identify the beliefs that hold us back — and how to replace them with ones that propel us forward. From keeping a belief journal to practicing perspective-shifting “turnarounds,” Eyal offers practical tips for rewriting the stories we tell ourselves and becoming the people we want to be.
To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium.
Episode Reference Links:
- Nir Eyal
- Nir’s Book: Beyond Belief
- 104. How to Change: Building Better Habits and Behaviors (And Getting Out of Your Own Way)
- 115. Rethinks: How We Set and Achieve Goals
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- Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn
Chapters:
- (00:00) - Introduction
- (02:28) - The Power of Attention
- (04:13) - The Hook Model & Surprise
- (06:38) - Structure vs. Novelty
- (08:33) - Identity & Limiting Beliefs
- (11:35) - Beliefs Vs. Facts
- (15:00) - The Four-Question Test
- (20:43) - The Final Three Questions
- (23:54) - Conclusion
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, Matt here. Imagine what it would be like if you could feel less nervous and more confident in your high-stakes communication. Well, you can. With a new free three-day communicate with calm, confident quest, you'll join people from around the globe to learn simple, proven strategies to manage anxiety, calm your body, and reframe your thoughts. On March 24th, 25th, and 26th, we will join |
| 0:23.3 | together live and discuss our quest task for the day. If you can't join live, no worries, |
| 0:28.6 | you can watch the video recording later. Go to FasterSmarter.io slash learning to sign up for this |
| 0:34.4 | free quest and learning community access. Again, that's faster, smarter.io slash learning. |
| 0:41.0 | Now a word from one of our sponsors. |
| 0:43.2 | Their support allows us to bring you quality content free of charge. |
| 0:47.7 | Hi, Matt here. |
| 0:49.0 | Career coaching often comes through our workplaces, which can be a great starting point. |
| 0:53.6 | But sometimes you want space |
| 0:55.1 | to focus on your priorities, not your organizations. That's where strawberry.me comes in. It's career |
| 1:01.1 | coaching you choose for yourself. You answer a few quick questions, get matched with a vetted coach, |
| 1:07.0 | and in many cases, you can start within 24 hours. You choose the coach, you decide the goal, |
| 1:12.9 | and you get to talk honestly about what actually matters, whether that's a promotion, a pivot, |
| 1:17.5 | burnout, or even leaving. There's no HR involved, no performance review lens, and if it's not |
| 1:23.5 | the right fit, you can switch coaches. What I appreciate is the sense of agency. When you're |
| 1:29.0 | feeling stuck, waiting rarely helps. If you've been thinking something needs to change, |
| 1:34.1 | you don't need permission to explore that. Go to strawberry.combe slash tfts. It's coaching |
| 1:40.3 | focused on you. Think of it as therapy for your career. Beliefs are not truths, |
| 1:50.6 | they're tools. And if we can harness our beliefs, we can impact our motivation and communication. |
| 1:57.2 | My name's Matt Abrahams, and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of |
| 2:01.8 | Business. Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. Today I'm super excited to speak with NIR |
| 2:07.9 | IEL. NIR is a former lecturer at both Stanford GSB and the D-School. His work is at the intersection |
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