From Good to Great: What Makes a “Supercommunicator”
Across more than 130 episodes, Think Fast, Talk Smart has covered various aspects of what it takes to be a good communicator. But what about reaching that next level? What about becoming “super?”
“Supercommunicator” is a term used by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Charles Duhigg. In his latest book, Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, Duhigg explores the precise attributes these people possess that set them apart.
“One of the things that we know about supercommunicators is that they seem to notice what kind of conversation is going on,” Duhigg says. “They’ve trained themselves to look for the little clues or cues that tell us, ‘Oh, this person might be talking about something that seems practical, but they’re feeling something: this is an emotional conversation,’ or, ‘that person is talking about a plan they want to make.’”
In this interview, Duhigg sits down with strategic communications lecturer and podcast host, Matt Abrahams, to explore these attributes further and explain how all of us can put them into action by practicing habits such as active listening, looping for understanding, and identifying someone’s true feeling underneath their words.
