Why it’s not about being born a great communicator, but becoming one.

The greatest communicators aren’t always great from the start. As Lerone Martin knows, even the great Martin Luther King Jr. had to practice before he could persuade.

Martin is the Martin Luther King Jr. Centennial Professor at Stanford, and as director of the King Research and Education Institute, he has spent years studying how King developed his brilliant communication that continues to captivate audiences to this day. “This is a skill that Martin developed over years,” Martin says. “There are stories of him practicing in the mirror... And I think it speaks to us about how we can develop this skill over time.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Martin and host Matt Abrahams unpack the techniques behind King's legendary speeches, from the musicality of his voice to his use of repetition and narrative structure. Whether you’re preparing a speech or building conversation skills, Martin highlights King’s example to show that great communication isn’t always born — it’s built.

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

Episode Reference Links:

• Lerone Martin
• Ep.192 Quick Thinks: How to Supersize Your Stories

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
• (02:50) - Why MLK Was So Compelling
• (04:17) - MLK’s Early Speaking Struggles
• (05:49) - How MLK Practiced and Improved
• (06:44) - Favorite MLK Speech
• (07:58) - “I Have A Dream” and Prepared Spontaneity
• (10:03) - MLK’s Core Techniques
• (13:01) - Repetition, Rhythm, and Momentum
• (15:30) - Conviction vs. Performative Messaging
• (19:00) - The Final Three Questions
• (23:35) - Conclusion

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Why being kind is the best investment.

Can kindness be a company’s competitive advantage? Bonnie Hayden Cheng says yes — and she’s got a business metric to prove it: return on kindness.

Cheng is a professor of management at City University of Hong Kong who researches how workplace behaviors affect interpersonal dynamics and well-being. In her book, The Return on Kindness, she explores how organizations that foster a culture of kindness see a measurable ROK — one marked by a more committed, more productive, and less expensive workforce. “Organizations that have this kind of culture around acts of civic virtue, helping, or showing support for people, those end up having employees that want to stay, are less likely to call in sick, are more committed, their performance goes up,” she says. “There's also benefits for the company in terms of higher productivity and efficiency, and even lower costs.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Cheng and host Matt Abrahams explore how to build cultures of kindness — from Cheng’s RISE framework for kind leadership to why candor and compassion go hand-in-hand. Whether you're leading a team or simply trying to show up better for your colleagues, Cheng offers a compelling case for measuring what really matters: the return on kindness.

Episode Reference Links:

• Bonnie Hayden Cheng
• Bonnie’s Book:  The Return on Kindness
• Ep.93 All the Feels: The Personal and Professional Power of Emotional Awareness
• Ep.132 Lean Into Failure: How to Make Mistakes That Work

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
• (00:50) - What Is Kind Leadership?
• (02:52) - The RISE Framework
• (05:27) - Everyone Can Be a Leader
• (06:46) - Kindness vs. Niceness
• (09:15) - Kindness and Candor
• (10:47) - Communicating Kindness
• (12:46) - The Power of Tone and Pause
• (15:03) - Building a Culture of Kindness
• (17:15) - Protecting Kindness in Organizations
• (18:33) - The Final Three Questions
• (21:14) - Conclusion

The keys to communicating clarity, not confusion.

What separates communicators who clarify from those who confuse? The ability to “Simplify complexity,” says Adam Bryant. “I don't think you can be an effective leader if you can't do that.”

Bryant is a senior managing director at the ExCo Group and former New York Times journalist who interviewed over 500 CEOs for his renowned Corner Office column. Through those conversations, he identified a pattern: the best communicators turn complexity into clarity. For Bryant, that means checking your own expertise, considering not whether something makes sense to you, but whether it makes sense to someone else. “Empathy [is] a component of communication,” he says, “to be an effective communicator, you have to be able to get in the head of the audience.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Bryant and host Matt Abrahams explore the keys to clear communication, from simplifying (without oversimplifying) to repeating messages until people can recite them back. Whether you’re leading a whole company or just one conversation, Bryant’s insights reveal how to communicate complex ideas in ways anyone can understand.

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

Episode Reference Links:

• Adam Bryant
• Adam’s Books: Quick and Nimble / The CEO Test
• Ep.98 Give It to Me Straight: How to Give Honest, Constructive Feedback

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
• (01:10) - Traits of Successful Leaders
• (03:25) - Communication Mistakes to Avoid
• (07:22) - Listening as a Leadership Skill
• (10:42) - Simplifying Complex Ideas
• (14:18) - How to Capture Attention
• (16:58) - Leading Life with Curiosity
• (18:22) - The Final Three Question
• (22:47) - Conclusion