Matt Abrahams

Matt Abrahams is a passionate, collaborative and innovative educator and coach. As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting and has received the school’s Alumni Teaching Award. Matt also teaches public speaking and co-teaches Improvisationally Speaking in the Stanford Continuing Studies Program.  He has published research articles on strategic communication, cognitive planning, persuasion, and interpersonal communication.

Matt published the third edition of his book Speaking Up Without Freaking Out, a book written to help the millions of people who suffer from anxiety around speaking in public. Additionally, Matt developed a software package that provides instant, proscriptive feedback to presenters. Prior to teaching, Matt held senior leadership positions in several leading software companies, where he created and ran global learning and development organizations.

Matt is also founder and principal at TFTS Communications LLC, a presentation and communication skills company based in Silicon Valley that helps people improve their presentation skills. He has helped numerous presenters prepare for high-stakes talks, including IPO road shows, Nobel Prize award presentations, and appearances at TED and the World Economic Forum. 

Matt also hosts the Stanford GSB podcast called Think Fast Talk Smart: The Podcast. And, he curates the NoFreakingSpeaking.com website.

He is currently a member of the Management Communication Association (where he received a “Rising Star” award) as well as the National and Western States Communication Associations.

Matt received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Stanford and his graduate degree in communication studies from UC Davis.