Videos
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How to Speak Clearly & With Confidence | Matt Abrahams -
Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
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Matt Abrahams: Grand Keynote: How to Connect & Influence In-Person in the Age of AI | TiEcon 2025
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Speaking Up Without Freaking Out | Matt Abrahams | TEDxPaloAlto
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Think Fast. Talk Smart | Matt Abrahams | TEDxMontaVistaHighSchool
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How to speak better when put on the spot | Matt Abrahams | EDGE
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How to Think on Your Feet in High-Pressure Moments
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The #1 Mistake That Makes You Sound Insecure - Matt Abrahams
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The Science of Failing Well & Learn How to Talk Smarter | Amy Edmondson and Matt Abrahams
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Class Takeaways - Effective Facilitation
Learn More About Matt Abrahams
Matt Abrahams is a leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host and coach. As a lecturer in organizational behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business (GSB), he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting. Abrahams received Stanford GSB’s Alumni Teaching Award in recognition of his teaching students around the world, and the 2025 Toastmasters International Golden Gavel Award for contributions made in the field of communication.
Named to the 2025 Thinkers50 Radar list for his global work helping improve managerial communication and leadership skills, he is also a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. Abrahams has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as Nobel Prize, TED and World Economic Forum presentations. He also consults for the United Nations’ Secretary General’s Strategic Planning and Communication Office.
With online talks that garner millions of views – including this Stanford GSB presentation with nearly 51 million views – Abrahams hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart, a top 10 Apple business podcast in more than 100 countries, it has more than 2.7 million followers and over 75 million listens and views to date. His most recent book, “Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot” (2023), which has sold more than 300,000 copies and has been translated into 20 languages, provides tangible, actionable skills to help even the most anxious of speakers succeed when speaking spontaneously, such as navigating Q&A sessions, shining in job interviews, providing effective feedback, making small talk, fixing faux pas, and persuading others. His previous book, “Speaking Up without Freaking Out: 50 Techniques for Confident and Compelling Presenting” (2016), has helped thousands of people manage speaking anxiety and present more confidently and authentically.
Abrahams is a regular podcast guest and a highly sought-after voice on communicating in the modern age. Some of his recent work includes an interview on the Huberman Lab podcast, which received 300,000 YouTube views almost immediately upon release, a Time op-ed on why today’s teens need help communicating, and a Fast Company article on using ambiguity strategically.
Matt Abrahams is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group®.
Think Fast. Talk Smart
Communication is critical to success in business and life. Concerned about an upcoming interview? Anxious about being asked to give your thoughts during a meeting? Fearful about needing to provide critical feedback in the moment? You are not alone! Many of us are uneasy about speaking in public, especially in impromptu, “off the cuff” situations. In this talk, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer and leading communication expert Matt Abrahams helps attendees learn and practice techniques that will help them speak spontaneously with greater confidence and clarity, regardless of content and context.
Speaking Up Without Freaking Out
Audiences crave authentic, bold communication. However, many presenters are uneasy speaking in public. In this presentation, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer Matt Abrahams teaches proven concepts to help reduce anxiety and improve connection with audiences. Attendees will leave this keynote with several techniques for developing and delivering clear, confident and compelling presentations that will make you and your communication “audience ready.”
From Monologue to Dialogue: Engaging and Collaborating With Your Audience
Mustering the courage to present confidently in front of others is hard enough, but when it comes to actually engaging an audience and managing their participation, presenters simply freak out. In this keynote, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer Matt Abrahams teaches strategies for confidently and assertively managing interaction in presentations – be it a Q&A session or a meeting – while still delivering and reinforcing the message in a compelling way. Further, attendees learn very practical and easily-implementable techniques for priming an audience for participation.
Memorable Presentations
Presenters often express the dual fear of forgetting what they intend to say and having their audience forget what they heard. Clearly, these worries are related. With the proper attention and practice, speakers can effectively deliver presentations that audiences remember. In this talk, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer Matt Abrahams teaches techniques and best practices for:
- Remembering your content, such as employing good presentation hygiene, structuring your
presentation, and practicing properly. - Making your content memorable for your audience, which include variation, relevance and
emotion. - Integrating these techniques to engage and delight your audience.
From Start to Finish: Being Compelling in Your Virtual Communication
We most certainly have all had the unfortunate opportunity to sit through a boring, unorganized webinar or conference call in which the speaker droned on aimlessly. The power and promise of virtual communication is the ability to engage and educate people far and wide. But in order to realize this promise, presenters need to plan, prepare and practice in the right way. In this keynote, communication expert Matt Abrahams walks attendees through nine simple steps that will help them plan and present compelling, valuable webinars and conference calls that audiences will follow with rapt attention.
Compelling Leadership Communication: Making Your C.A.S.E. (Clarity, Accessibility, Support & Engagement)
Business leaders can struggle to convey their messages in a clear, concise and compelling manner. When strategic communication resonates with audiences in a well-organized and clear way, it is far more likely to be impactful and acted upon. In this session, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer and renowned communication expert Matt Abrahams shows how to design and integrate messages in service of strategic speaking goal(s) – regardless of delivery modality (e.g., emails, memos, slides or answers to questions). Attendees will get hands-on practice with and feedback on writing messages that help their audience to better understand and remember their message long after a session is done. Additionally, audiences will have an opportunity to be recorded (via cellphone) delivering their message so they can receive feedback on their nonverbal leadership presence.
Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot
(Simon Element / Simon Acumen, September 2023)
Speaking Up Without Freaking Out: 50 Techniques for Confident and Compelling Presenting
(Kendall Hunt Publishing, January 2016)
Making Your CASE
In this series of four, highly interactive 90-minute workshops or webinars, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer and renowned communication expert Matt Abrahams will provide the foundation for preparing presenters to deliver engaging and meaningful experiences for their audience.
Sessions include:
Making your CASE Part 1
- Understand the CASE model and approach to story telling
- Analyze the audience/context
- Develop a clear and concise speaking goal
- Structure the presentation using an appropriate organizational framework
Making your CASE Part 2
- Support ideas in a clear, accessible and concise manner
- Leverage audience connecting techniques appropriate to a virtual environment to increase audience engagement
- Transition smoothly and logically between main ideas and slides
- Start and end well using a compelling introduction and conclusion
Confident Q & A
- Understand when to take questions, and how to set appropriate boundaries
- Learn to listen and paraphrase effectively
- Manage tough questions without becoming defensive
- Answer concisely and with value
- Wrap up the Q & A session appropriately
Compelling, Authentic Presence
- Manage presentation anxiety
- Position body and gestures for confidence
- Vary voice for engagement and effect
- Leverage eye contact for connection
