Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

109. Simplify! How to Communicate Complex Ideas Simply and Effectively

Oct 3, 2023

24:54

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Frances Frei and host Matt Abrahams discuss strategies for simpler communication, building trust, and celebrating diverse perspectives. They explore the importance of fixing problems quickly and effectively and admire comedians as communicators. They also highlight the ingredients of successful communication, such as intention, hard work, and joy.

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Quick takeaways

Building trust involves actively addressing areas of mistrust and debunking common myths.

Prioritizing inclusion sets the foundation for successful diversity and equity programs.

Deep dives

Building and Supporting Trust

Building trust as a leader involves treating trust as something that can be built and repaired. Trust is not a fixed entity, and leaders should focus on understanding its component parts and addressing any areas of mistrust. By treating trust as a continuous process and debunking common myths, leaders can actively work on maintaining and strengthening trust within their teams and organizations.

The Foundation of Persuasive Communication

01:21

Building and Maintaining Trust: The Trust Triangle and Components

01:49

The Ingredients for Successful Communication: Intention, Hard Work, and Joy

01:20

Introduction

2min

Building and Supporting Trust

7min

Fixing Problems Quickly and Effectively

11min

Admiration for Comedians as Communicators

2min

The Ingredients of Successful Communication: Intention, Hard Work, and Joy

3min

You said it. But did they hear it? For Frances Frei, communication is about saying things simply enough for an audience to truly understand.

As a professor of technology and operations management at Harvard Business School, Frei knows that shaping culture within organizations requires communicating in ways that influence how people think and act. The problem for many leaders, she says, is that when we “understand something deeply, we describe it in a complicated way. If you want broad influence and persuasion, we have to understand it really deeply. And then describe it in a simple and compelling enough way that others can take action.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Frei and host Matt Abrahams explore strategies for simpler communication, building and maintaining trust, and celebrating diverse perspectives within our teams. They also discuss takeaways from Frei's latest book, Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leaders' Guide to Solving Hard Problems.

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For a transcript of this episode, visit our website.

Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leaders' Guide to Solving Hard Problems

Fixable, a podcast with Anne Francis and Frances Frei

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