Michele GelfandEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

Ten essential communication strategies designed to elevate your skills. 2024 has been an incredible year for learning and growth, and as we head into 2025, there’s no better time to reflect on the skills and strategies that can shape our communication and careers. In this special episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Matt Abrahams takes us through ten standout lessons from the past year. These aren’t just ideas to remember — they’re practices to evolve with. From Priya Parker’s insights on generous authority to Huggy Rao’s call to cut through jargon monoxide, each concept highlights how small shifts in mindset and behavior can lead to big transformations. With actionable advice and real-world examples, this episode is packed with inspiration to help you Think Fast, Talk Smart , and communicate better in the year ahead. Episode Reference Links: Ep.174 Fix Meetings: Transform Gatherings Into Meaningful Moments Ep.164 Using "Pre-suasion" to Influence Others Ep.158 Hope for Cynics: Building Trusting Relationships through Communication Ep.156 Creative Communication: How Our Design Choices Illustrate Our Values Ep.148 Conviction and Compassion: How to Have Hard Conversations Ep.142 Power and Persuasion: Live Insights from Stanford Experts Ep.137 When Words Aren’t Enough: How to Excel at Nonverbal Communication Ep.138 Speak Your Truth: Why Authenticity Leads to Better Communication Ep.134 How to Chat with Bots: The Secrets to Getting the Information You Need from AI Ep.131 Friction Fixing: How to Use Obstacles to Your Advantage Ep.120 A Few of Matt’s Fa

A special live edition from the Me2We event at Stanford, where strategic communications expert and podcast host Matt Abrahams joins four distinguished faculty members from Stanford Graduate School of Business: Michelle Gelfand explores the dynamics of cross-cultural organizational behavior. Brian Lowery discusses the societal implications of racial perceptions. Deborah Gruenfeld reveals insights into power dynamics and personal presence. Zakary Tormala delves into the nuances of persuasive language. Episode Reference Links: Michelle Gelfand’s Book: Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World Michelle Gelfand's Tight-Loose Quiz Brian Lowery’s Book: Selfless: The Social Creation of "You" Deborah Gruenfeld’s Book: Acting With Power: Why We Are More Powerful Than We Believe Ep.67 What is Normal? How Culture Affects Communication Styles Ep.84 Quick Thinks: How Others Define Us Ep.11 The Science of Influence: How to Persuade Others and Hold Their Attention Ep.12 It’s Not What You Say It’s How You Say It: How to Communicate Power Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn , Instagram , YouTube Matt

When it comes to negotiating and managing conflict, Professor Michele Gelfand says it’s time to get creative. Everybody has wants and needs. So what do we do when our priorities compete with those of other people? According to Gelfand, a professor of organizational behavior, negotiations and conflict management are exercises in creative problem-solving, ones where we look for ways to not only get what we want, but for those on the other side of the table to get what they want too. “The best negotiators tend to be the most creative,” says Gelfand. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Gelfand joins Matt Abrahams to discuss how creative communication can help us find solutions where everybody wins. Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn , Instagram , YouTube Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn ******** Thank you to our sponsors. These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost. Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.com Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

Michele Gelfand is a Professor at Stanford University, and an expert on negotiation and cross-cultural psychology. Her book Rule Makers, Rule Breakers explores how tight and loose cultures wire our world, and in doing so offers unique insights on how we might bridge today’s cultural divides. Michele and Traci chat about the impact of culture on everything from international negotiation to couple’s arguments over chores… in a wide-ranging and fascinating conversation that might just shift how you see yourself and the people around you. Episode Timeline [00:09] Intro [0:58] Meet Michele [3:33] “Tight” and “loose” culture as a puzzle [5:25] Michele and Traci share traveling stories and how they illuminate cultural differences (and subcultural similarities) [8:58] What is culture? [10:19] How countries develop a tight or loose culture [12:17] How understanding culture can create empathy [16:27] The polarization at play in the USA’s culture [17:40] Why experiencing threat can lead people to want a tighter culture [19:31] Michele shares the behind-the-scenes of a fascinating study challenging the views of people from Pakistan and the USA have of each other [21:33] Cultural intelligence as a way of connecting more deeply [26:32] How tight and loose cultures responded to the pandemic [29:16] Getting curious about psychology in international negotiating [34:07] Negotiations in couples (the impact of leaning tight or loose) [35:45] Household chores and the surprising thing they reveal about attitudes and culture [40:51] The relationship between rules and social class [44:48] Michele’s life advice (including a touching reflection from her late father-in-law) [47:35] Closing [48:01] Outro Resources Mentioned Rule Makers, Rule Breakers (Michele’s book) Standout Quotes “Cultural intelligence is critical for connection because then you're really open-minded to people's lives and why they evolved the way they did. And it's really hard sometimes not to be judgmental.” (Michele) “In the US, individualism and doing your own thing is so part of the culture. And partly it's something that we've inherited because we have more wealth than other cultures and so in contexts where there's not a lot of wealth, you need to have strong support. You need to kind of help out the family. Like, it's just absolutely necessary.” (Michele) “there's less debt and there's less alcoholism, less obesity in tighter cultures.” (Michele) “loose cultures did far worse during COVID. But loose cultures are really open and creative and tolerant.” (Michele) Connect: Find | Sidewalk Talk At sidewalk-talk.org On Instagram: @sidewalktalkorg On Twitter: @sidewalktalkorg Find | Traci Ruble At Traciruble.com On Instagram: @TraciRubleMFT On Twitter: <a href='https://twitter.com/tra

Why do we drive on only one side of the road? Why don’t we sing in libraries? Why wear a swimsuit? For Professor Michele Gelfand , it all comes down to culture. As a cross-cultural psychologist, Gelfand is fascinated by social environments and their effects on human behavior, particularly, how strictly people adhere to social norms. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart , Gelfand joins host and lecturer of strategic communications Matt Abrahams to explain why some cultures are “tight” and “have strict social norms,” while others are “loose,” with “more permissibility of behavior.” Connect: Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart Premium Email Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.io Episode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart Website Newsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.io Think Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn , Instagram , YouTube Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn Episode Reference Links: Threatening Language Can Be Contagious. This New Tool Tracks Its Spread Why the Pandemic Slammed “Loose” Countries Like the U.S. Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World Mindset Quiz: How Tight or Loose Are You? ******** Thank you to our sponsors. These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost. Unleash your Superhuman potential with AI that meets you where you work. Learn more at superhuman.com Join our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.

TVOL's first podcast with Michele Gelfand explored an axis of cultural variation from "tight" (strong norms, strongly enforced) to "loose" (tolerant of individual differences). In this new podcast, we explore the distinctive blend of tightness and looseness needed to adapt to the pandemic. Related Material Michele's book: Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World Institutional and Cultural Factors Predicting Infection Rates and Mortality of COVID-19 . (OSF pre-print). Contributors: Michele Gelfand, Joshua Conrad Jackson, Xinyue Pan, Dana Nau, Chi Yue Chiu --- Become a member of the TVOL1000 and join the Darwinian revolution Follow This View of Life on Twitter and Facebook Order the This View of Life book

Send us Fan Mail Working with different cultures has become a norm in most organizations. One of the fundamental differences in cultures and in people is about preferring a tight culture versus a loose culture. Tune in to hear what that means, why these have evolved, which is best, how it impacts performance and how to transform your team to achieve it’s potential. ⬇️ Connect with me! ► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wanda-wallace-publicspeaker-author-podcasthost/ ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wandatwallace/ ► Main YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wandawallace/ ► X: https://x.com/AskWanda ► Website: https://www.wandawallace.com/ 💡 About the show: There is no growth in comfort and no comfort in growth. Business today typically values and promotes leaders for their subject expertise. Leaders who have command of the details and execute based on knowledge and experience are highly respected. However, to grow as a leader you have to get out of your comfort zone – that means learning to lead without just being the expert. Learn to gain the trust and respect of a team that might know more than you do. Get comfortable with ambiguity and with not having all the information. Develop the skills and confidence to lead in a different way. For female leaders, subject expertise is usually the source of their confidence. Learning to lead outside your comfort zone is one step for breaking through the glass ceiling. The show’s purpose is to give you tips on how can you develop the capability to lead – to get out of your comfort zone. #WandaWallace #OutoftheComfortZone #Podcast

Workplace cultures vary greatly in terms of how strict or loose they are. Ideally, where a given workplace falls on this spectrum reflects the values and necessities of that business or organization. This raises a crucial question for us as leaders: how do we determine what is just the right amount of tightness or looseness in our workplace cultures? Professor Michele Gelfand of the University of Maryland joins Halelly on this episode of The TalentGrow Show to discuss the high impact role of cultural norms in the workplace. Listen to find out what factors tend to determine tightness or looseness in both organizations and nations, how leaders can harness the power of cultural norms to promote a higher level of effectiveness in their workplaces, and how you can use an understanding of Michele’s ideas to help you become a better negotiator. Plus, discover how these ideas can translate usefully on an individual level as well! Be sure to tune in and share what you learn with others. Shownotes: http://www.talentgrow.com/podcast/episode133 Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1NiWyZo Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=62847&refid=stpr Google Play Music: https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ijwlgz7lklnxqnfzjna7gcr65be iHeartRadio Podcasts: http://www.iheart.com/show/263-The-TalentGrow-Show-Gr/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TalentGrow Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/talentgrowshow Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2CpgIk1 Download the free guide: 10 Mistakes Leaders Make and How to Avoid Them http://www.talentgrow.com/10mistakes Don't forget to LEAVE A RATING/REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS! http://apple.co/1NiWyZo

Is it wiser for a society to be ‘tight’ – strictly enforcing social rules, or ‘loose’ – in which social rule-breaking barely raise an eyebrow? What do social norms have to do with a sense of threat? And might wise leaders have worked out how to dynamically calibrate the tightness or looseness of their organisations as the situation demands? Michele Gelfand joins Igor and Charles to discuss the role of threat in ‘tight vs loose’ societies, the goldilocks principle, ‘real vs perceived’ threat’s in Trump’s America, autocratic recidivism, rum-fuelled meetings, transgressive hand puppets, and the case for recalibrating the internet. Igor reflects on the tight-loose contradictions at the beating heart of the Disney Corporation, Michele cautions against ‘flipping-off’ drivers in the honour culture of the southern states, and Charles makes peace with his inner spirit muppet, Kermit the frog. Welcome to Episode 14. Special Guest: Michele Gelfand. Links: Michele Gelfand Homepage The Tight-Loose Quiz - Mindset Quiz: How Tight or Loose Are You? (michelegelfand.com) Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World - Michele Gelfand (Book) Differences Between Tight and Loose Cultures: A 33-Nation Study - Gelfand et al (2011) The Secret Life of Social Norms - Michele Gelfand (TEDxPaloAltoSalon talk) Culture as the menacing force behind today’s crazy politics - Michele Gelfand (The Economist, 2019) Here’s the science behind the Brexit vote and Trump’s rise - Michele Gelfand (The Guardian, 2018) An upper-class mindset doesn’t make you classy - Michele Gelfand & Jesse Harrington (Boston Globe, 2018) The Self and Social Behavior in Differing Cultural Contexts - Triandis (1989) Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions of Individualism and Collectivism: A Theoretical and Measurement Refinement - Singelis, Triandis, Bhawuk, Gelfand (19

Hurricane Florence is expected to wreak havoc on the Carolinas, Congress is racing to fund the government, and one of our favorite TV writers and producers has revealed that Les Moonves harassed her. We talk about how Designing Women impacted us and how rare strong female characters have been in the history of television. Then, we talk to Professor Michele Gelfand about her research regarding tight and loose cultures and how they affect our politics and our world. Recommended Resources: Linda Bloodworth Thomason article Michele Gelfand website Tightness–looseness across the 50 united states To support the show and get access to regular bonus content, visit our Patreon page . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.