How to craft communication that your audience will remember.

Why do some messages stick, while others go in one ear and out the other? When it comes to crafting memorable communication, Ada Aka says not all verbiage is created equal.

“Certain words are intrinsically more memorable than others,” says Aka, an assistant professor of marketing at Stanford Graduate School of Business. In her research of consumer behavior and decision-making, she’s uncovered how language shapes not just our perception of the world, “but how the world stays with us over time." From concrete terms to emotionally charged ones, certain words have more staying power than others, and to communicators who want to capture audiences (and keep them), she says, “Carefully chosen words, they're going to be taking the attention.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Aka joins Matt Abrahams to explore the science of memorable communication. From creating brand slogans that stick to choosing words that align with your message, she reveals how to create communication that won't be forgotten.

Episode Reference Links:

• Ada Aka
• Ep.80 Magic Words: Change What You Say to Inspire and Influence Others

Connect:

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• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
• Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
• Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (02:05) - The Power of Words in Memory
• (03:45) - What Makes Words Memorable?
• (06:04) - Informal and Conversational Language
• (07:38) - AI & Memory
• (09:34) - Memorable Slogans
• (11:26) - Predicting Memorability: Why We Get It Wrong
• (13:15) - Framing in Communication
• (15:24) - Creating Meaningful Interactions
• (17:34) - The Final Three Questions
• (22:21) - Conclusion

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How to turn latent motivation into fuel for change.

If you want to be a changemaker, you’ll have to convince others to join your cause. But according to Dan Heath, persuading your audience isn’t about creating new motivation — it’s about leveraging the motivation that’s already there.

“The most important fuel for any change effort is motivation,” says Heath, the number-one New York Times bestselling author of Reset: How to Change What's Not Working. Instead of struggling to persuade people to want what you want, Heath suggests finding where your goals overlap with the things they already desire. "Before you even get to persuasion, if you can just tap and unleash the energy that's already there, you've already catapulted yourself toward success,” he says.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Heath and host Matt Abrahams explore how to create more compelling communication using “leverage points,” or as Heath says, “where a little bit of effort yields a disproportionate return.” Whether getting buy-in from one teammate or achieving change across an entire organization, Heath shares practical tips for turning latent motivation into an engine for change.

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Episode Reference Links:

• Dan Heath
• Dan’s Book: Reset: How to Change What's Not Working
• Ep.164 Rethinks: Using "Pre-suasion" to Influence Others
• Ep.49 Make Numbers Count: How to Communicate Data Effectively

Connect:

• Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
• Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
• Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (02:08) - The Power of Storytelling
• (05:18) - Leverage Points for Change
• (08:41) - Wasted Resources & Motivation
• (11:54) - Latent Desire in Systems
• (14:02) - Communicating Progress
• (17:39) - The Final Three Questions
• (24:22) - Conclusion

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Why numbers are only as compelling as the narratives we attach to them.

Facts and figures can be your friend, but before you load your presentation full of data, Miro Kazakoff has a word of caution: “Data’s objective, but people are not.”

You might think that your data speaks for itself, but Kazakoff says numbers need a narrative. A senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management and author of Persuading with Data: A Guide to Designing, Delivering, and Defending Your Data, he says the key to making data persuasive isn't about showing more information — it's about understanding your audience well enough to know how to relay it in a way that will connect with them. "The people who get good at this are not so much the people who can talk and draw graphs well, but the people who can listen the best. It starts with is empathy.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Kazakoff joins Matt Abrahams to explore how to transform complex data into clear, compelling communication. From avoiding the "curse of knowledge" to effectively orienting your audience through visualizations, he shares practical strategies for making your data not just informative, but persuasive.

Episode Reference Links:

• Miro Kazakoff
• Miro’s Book: Persuading with Data
• Ep.49 Make Numbers Count: How to Communicate Data Effectively

Connect:

• Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
• Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io
• Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
• Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
• Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
• Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Chapters:

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (02:14) - How to Use Data Persuasively
• (04:01) - The Curse of Knowledge in Data Communication
• (06:26) - The Best Way to Present Data Visually
• (08:41) - The Role of Context in Making Data Meaningful
• (10:53) - Orienting Your Audience When Presenting Data
• (13:29) - Storytelling in Data Communication
• (15:30) - The Final Three Questions
• (20:29) - Conclusion

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