How victim, villain, and helpless stories sabotage our most important conversations.

The hardest conversations aren’t just about what you say to the other person. According to Joseph Grenny, critical conversations begin with the stories that you tell yourself.

As a leading expert on business performance and communication, and a New York Times bestselling co-author of Crucial Conversations, Grenny explains that navigating high-stakes communication starts by examining the internal narratives we bring into these situations. “You and I use three consistent types of stories in these moments that don't serve us well,” he says: Victim stories (emphasizing our innocence), villain stories (demonizing the other person), and helpless stories (justifying our poor responses). "Those three kinds of stories are what amp up our emotions and justify us in our unhealthy responses," he says.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Grenny joins Matt Abrahams to share practical strategies for mastering difficult conversations through what he calls "TLC" — truth, love, and competence. From recognizing your motives during conflict to accepting your role in creating it, he offers tools for staying focused on what you really want rather than getting hijacked by short-term emotional impulses.

To listen to the extended Deep Thinks version of this episode, please visit FasterSmarter.io/premium

Episode Reference Links:

• Joseph Grenny
• Joseph’s Book: Crucial Conversations
• Ep.105 Radical Candor: The Communication Shift That Can Transform Your Career
• Ep.148 Conviction and Compassion: How to Have Hard Conversations

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
• (02:11) - Influence & Why It Matters
• (04:10) - Truth & Love: The Foundation of Accountability
• (06:30) - Showing You Care & Respect Others
• (08:14) - Recognizing Motives in High-Stakes Moment
• (14:08) - Managing Emotions in Crucial Conversations
• (20:03) - The Final Three Questions
• (25:19) - Conclusion

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Great strategy starts with a question—and a story worth believing in.

A good strategy isn’t just built—it’s told. For Martin Reeves, chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute and author of The Imagination Machine and Like: The Button That Changed the World, strategy and imagination are both deeply communicative processes, rooted in storytelling, curiosity, and the courage to reframe assumptions.
“A strategy is really just a special kind of story,” Reeves explains. “It begins with the present and aspires to a different future—it’s fiction made actionable.” To bring that fiction to life, leaders must involve their teams in a co-creative journey and use thoughtful questions to shape not just ideas, but belief and action.
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Reeves joins Matt Abrahams to explore how communication fuels strategic thinking, innovation, and organizational reinvention. He outlines his six-step framework for imagination—from embracing anomalies to codifying and continuing ideas—and underscores the role of reframing, deep listening, and even levity in solving complex problems. Together, they unpack how a single “like” button changed our digital behaviors—and what it teaches us about influence and attention today.

Episode Reference Links:

• Martin Reeves
• Martin’s Books: Like / The Imagination Machine
• Ep.71 Strategy Success: How to Communicate Your Gameplan

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
• (02:19) - Using Story in Strategy
• (05:00) - Questions as a Communication Technology
• (06:15) - The Six Steps to Harnessing Imagination
• (10:36) - The “7 Cs” of Imagination and Communication
• (12:08) - Reframing as a Creative Tool
• (14:11) - The Like Button: Origin and Evolution
• (16:14) - Brain Chemistry Behind Digital Liking
• (18:12) - The Final Three Questions
• (22:59) - Conclusion

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A live SXSW panel on how employee complaints illuminate the path to organizational innovation.

Wrong question: How can AI revolutionize productivity in my organization?

Right question: What do my employees hate most about their jobs?

For the Portland Trail Blazers, a winning game plan for AI implementation didn’t begin with a tech-first approach — it began with a talk-first one. “The whole concept was to talk about pain points," explains David Long, VP of Digital Innovation, describing the "Lunch and Launch" sessions where employees could openly share frustrations about their daily work. “People really enjoy talking about what they hate about their jobs,” says Christa Stout, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, and as they did, they illuminated opportunities for optimization. “By getting this insight across the whole company, it is already opening our eyes [to how] we can potentially transform the business more broadly,” Stout says.

In this special live episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, recorded at SXSW, host Matt Abrahams leads a panel with Long, Stout, and Stanford colleague Jeremy Utley, exploring how "catharsis catalyzes change.” For any team wanting to implement new technology or rethink workflows, these experts reveal how creating space for complaints can catalyze meaningful innovation throughout an organization.

Episode Reference Links:

• Jeremy Utley
• David Long
• Christa Stout
• Ep.77 Quick Thinks: AI Has Entered The Chat – A "Conversation" with ChatGPT
• Ep.134 How to Chat with Bots: The Secrets to Getting the Information You Need from AI

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
• (04:37) - The Business Behind Basketball
• (06:08) - Why AI and Why Now?
• (07:16) - Collaborating with the Team
• (08:34) - The Lunch & Launch Method
• (11:06) - Branding AI Initiatives
• (12:24) - David Detractor & Kelly Kindness
• (15:55) - Human Connection through AI
• (16:40) - Auditing for Brand Consistency
• (18:48) - AI in National Parks
• (21:31) - Making AI Personal
• (22:53) - Using AI to Learn AI
• (27:22) - Encouraging AI in the Workplace
• (30:16) - Change Management: Iteration Over Perfection
• (34:02) - Start with Curiosity and Empower Action
• (37:45) - Communication Ingredients
• (39:17) - Conclusion

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