158. Hope for Cynics: Building Trusting Relationships through Communication

09/03/24 • 27 min

3 Listeners

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

“Acts of trust are the bedrock on which relationships are formed.”

There’s a lot in the world to make us cynical about other people and their motives and intentions. But by “trusting loudly,” Professor Jamil Zaki believes we can renew our faith in one another.
Zaki is a professor of psychology at Stanford, director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience lab, and author of several books, including his most recent, Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness. While many people feel suspicious of others and are reluctant to trust them, Zaki finds that relying on other people is a necessary part of forming relationships.

“Acts of trust are the bedrock on which relationships are formed,” Zaki says. “The only way that strangers become friends and friends become best friends, the only way that we can build partnerships is through a willingness to count on one another.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Zaki joins host Matt Abrahams to discuss practical strategies for fostering trust and challenging our cynical assumptions, offering a hopeful perspective on human nature, backed by surprising scientific insights.

Episode Reference Links:

Jamil Zaki
Jamil’s Lab: Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab
Jamil’s Book: Hope for Cynics
Ep.84 Quick Thinks: How Others Define Us
Ep. 129 Connect Deeply: How to Communicate So People Feel Seen and Heard

Connect:

Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
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
(02:06) - Defining Trust and Its Importance
(02:57) - Building Better Trust
(04:27) - Understanding Cynicism
(06:50) - The Cynicism Spectrum
(09:10) - Fostering Hopeful Skepticism
(11:23) - Challenges of Overcoming Cynicism
(16:13) - Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
(18:34) - The Final Three Questions
(25:39) - Conclusion

Join our upcoming 200th episode live event April 14 & 15
Become a Faster Smarter Supporter by joining TFTS Premium.

“Acts of trust are the bedrock on which relationships are formed.”

Episode Reference Links:

Jamil Zaki
Jamil’s Lab: Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab
Jamil’s Book: Hope for Cynics
Ep.84 Quick Thinks: How Others Define Us
Ep. 129 Connect Deeply: How to Communicate So People Feel Seen and Heard

Connect:

Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
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
(02:06) - Defining Trust and Its Importance
(02:57) - Building Better Trust
(04:27) - Understanding Cynicism
(06:50) - The Cynicism Spectrum
(09:10) - Fostering Hopeful Skepticism
(11:23) - Challenges of Overcoming Cynicism
(16:13) - Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
(18:34) - The Final Three Questions
(25:39) - Conclusion

Join our upcoming 200th episode live event April 14 & 15
Become a Faster Smarter Supporter by joining TFTS Premium.

Previous Episode

157. Communicating the Future: Defining Where We Want AI to Take Us

Artificial intelligence can now do a lot of things. But if you’re worried about it taking your place as a communicator, Russ Altman says you need to question why you’re communicating in the first place.

Altman is a professor of bioengineering, a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, and host of Stanford Engineering’s podcast, The Future of Everything. According to him, advancing technology isn’t a threat to human creativity and connection, but a tool we can use to raise our own standards for communication.

“If you're worried that a ChatGPT-type tool can replace you, you need to [ask]: Why am I communicating? What am I trying to say? Do I have a message?” he says. “If those things are true, it shouldn't be a problem. It should actually amplify and improve your message.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Altman and host Matt Abrahams explore how effective communication can help us envision, articulate, and navigate towards our desired future, in our relationships, in our work, and in society.

Episode Reference Links:

Connect:

Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium
Email Questions & Feedback >>> [email protected]
Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website
Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io
Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn

Join our upcoming 200th episode live event April 14 & 15
Become a Faster Smarter Supporter by joining TFTS Premium.

Next Episode

159. Earn Your Audience: You Can’t Lead If No One’s Listening

What it takes to develop as a leader.

Great leaders and great communicators aren't born, they're made. That's why John Hennessy and Tina Seelig, directors of Stanford University’s Knight-Hennessy Scholars, are working to create the great storytellers of tomorrow, today.

"We decided that there was a leadership void, and that was a driving motivation to do this," says Hennessy, former Stanford president and current Alphabet chairman. The program, which he co-founded in 2016 with Stanford alum and Nike co-founder Phil Knight, equips scholars with essential leadership skills through hands-on experience and collaborative problem-solving.

Seelig, executive director of the program, emphasizes that great leadership centers on effective storytelling. "No matter how compelling your invention, your idea, the thing you want to do in the world, if you can't communicate it in [an] effective way, nobody's going to listen," she says.

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Hennessy, Seelig, and host Matt Abrahams explore what it takes to develop as a leader, discussing the role of communication, the power of empathy, and the centrality of storytelling.

Episode Reference Links:

Connect: