Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

115. Rethinks: How We Set and Achieve Goals

Nov 14, 2023

Szu-chi Huang, an associate professor at Stanford GSB, specializes in motivation science and the dynamics of competition in goal attainment. In a captivating discussion, she reveals how competition can significantly boost motivation and make achieving goals feel more valuable. Huang also explores how emotional factors, like insecurity and peer comparisons, drive decision-making. She emphasizes the importance of understanding audience needs in communication and the role effective feedback plays in sustaining motivation on the journey to success.

21:16

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Szu-chi Huang

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Quick takeaways

Competition increases motivation and makes attaining a goal more valuable.

Avoiding information on the progress of others can lead to decreased motivation, embracing it can be more motivating.

Deep dives

Research on Motivation and Goal Pursuit

Succi Huang, an associate professor of marketing at Stanford GSB, discusses her research on motivation and goal pursuit. She explains how her interest in motivation science developed from her experience in advertising and the need for answers on how to motivate customers. Succi covers various aspects of motivation, including needs and emotions, collaboration and competition, and the impact of technology. She emphasizes the importance of understanding different needs and using emotionality to drive decision-making and motivation.

Effective Communication Insights

01:08

The Importance of Needs and Emotionality in Decision Making

01:46

Intro

3min

Understanding Decision-Making: The Role of Needs and Emotions

3min

Understanding Audience Needs and the Impact of Information Avoidance

4min

Motivation in Competition

8min

Mastering Audience Engagement in Communication

3min

Why do we do what we do? What factors drive us? And how do things like competition with others help us achieve our goals?

These are the questions most interesting to Szu-chi Huang, an associate professor of marketing with a specific interest in motivation. “Competition definitely increases motivation,” says Huang. “It makes attaining the goal more valuable.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Huang and host Matt Abrahams explore the intersection of human psychology, behavior, and goal attainment — and how communication connects them all.

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Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

115. Rethinks: How We Set and Achieve Goals

Episode guests