299. Choose The Right Channel: How Stanford Finds Its Voice
6/22/202626 min
How to communicate with impact when the stakes are high.
Communication isn't about getting information out. It's about making sure it gets through. In an era of fragmented attention and endless platforms, the challenge isn't finding ways to speak—it's finding ways to connect.
According to Farnaz Khadem, Vice President of University Communications at Stanford, great communicators start with three questions: What's the goal? Who's the audience? And what does the data tell us? Whether guiding a university through a crisis, helping experts share their ideas with broader audiences, or deciding where a story should be told, she believes effective communication centers around understanding people. "People want to know what's actually happening," she says. "And if what is happening is you don't know what is happening, you have to tell people you don't know."
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Khadem joins host Matt Abrahams to discuss the importance of preparation, transparency, and active listening when communicating during uncertainty. From navigating the opportunities and risks of AI to crafting stories that create genuine connection, she shares practical lessons for building trust, adapting to changing audiences, and communicating effectively when the stakes are highest.
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- (00:00) - Introduction
- (02:38) - Communication Fundamentals
- (03:58) - Choosing the Right Channel
- (05:38) - Building Communication Networks
- (06:50) - Coaching Better Communicators
- (08:44) - Crisis Preparation
- (10:47) - Crisis Response
- (12:40) - The Power of Storytelling
- (14:28) - AI in Communications
- (17:29) - The Final Three Questions
- (24:23) - Conclusion
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMatt Abrahams· Host0:00
Hi, Matt here. Super excited to share that we just released our latest reading list. Check out Think Fast Talk Smart on any social channel or go to fastersmarter.io and find our book recommendations under Resources. Happy reading and thank you for listening. [swoosh] How do you communicate a process once and know it will be followed consistently? You can improve how you explain something, but at some point, effective communication also requires good systems. That's where Scribe comes in. Scribe is a workflow AI platform trusted by ninety-four percent of the Fortune five hundred. With Capture, it automatically turns any workflow into a step-by-step guide while you're doing the work. You simply turn on the browser extension or desktop app, go through the process as normal, and Scribe captures every click, step, and screenshot automatically. For our team, that might be showing a new producer how to publish an episode, updating show notes, or using one of our podcast platforms. What would normally take a lot of time writing and documenting is ready to share almost immediately. Scribe also automatically redacts sensitive information, and anyone following along gets real-time on-screen guidance so those critical processes get done correctly. To see what Scribe could look like for your organization, head to scribe.how/thinkfast and mention Think Fast for your first month of Scribe Capture free on select plans. That's S-C-R-I-B-E