Conversations That Count

David Shaft

Most professionals spend 80% of their workday communicating — and almost none have a system for getting better at it. Conversations That Count changes that. Hosted by David Shaft — President's Club Banker at Rocket Mortgage, Dale Carnegie graduate, and Detroit storyteller — CTC delivers real conversations with executives, industry leaders, and everyday professionals who break down the communication skills that actually move careers forward. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Professional multi-camera video production on YouTube. Full audio on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. What you'll learn: • Workplace communication: better meetings, tougher feedback, and difficult conversations that don't blow up relationships • Public speaking and presentations: how to open strong, handle Q&A, and keep any room engaged • Professional networking: small talk that leads somewhere, LinkedIn outreach that gets replies, follow-up that builds real relationships • Storytelling: how to tell your story in 60 seconds and communicate with impact in any room • Leadership communication: negotiation, influence, and the Dale Carnegie principles that still work today CTC is syndicated on the Mission Matters Network and features professionals across automotive, finance, tech, healthcare, and Detroit's growing entrepreneurship scene — because great communication looks different in every industry. Whether you're a mid-career professional chasing a promotion, a manager who needs to run better meetings, or anyone who wants to communicate with more confidence, credibility, and impact — this show was built for you. Free resource: Download the free Communication Playbook — 10 frameworks, scripts, and exercises to help you communicate like a pro. Get it at: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube — and never miss an episode. Stories That Stick. Skills That Scale.

  1. Imperfect Action: A Communication Funnel With Jordan Knope, Dating Coach

    -47 min

    Imperfect Action: A Communication Funnel With Jordan Knope, Dating Coach

    Imperfect action beats inaction every time. If you've been overthinking your next conversation, your next sales call, or your next networking move, this episode is the reframe you needed. I sat down with Jordan Knope, founder of Authentic Charm Academy, to break down the communication playbook he teaches his coaching clients. We talk tonality, internal state, congruence tests, the five step funnel that maps cleanly to sales and leadership conversations, and why the willingness to start the conversation is worth more than any tactic. Jordan's lane is dating, but every framework in this episode applies to the room you walk into Monday morning. In this episode you will learn: • The drop tonality trick that makes you sound like a leader in 5 seconds• Congruence tests, what they really are, and why they're a green light not a red flag in any high stakes conversation• The five step straight line framework, open, premise, qualify, comfort, close, that works in sales, leadership, and any conversation that matters Plus the internal state shift that fixes nervous approach energy in any room, the abundance mindset that removes the desperate energy that costs you the room, and David's Try This Tomorrow takeaway you can run by lunch. Try This Tomorrow: walk up and introduce yourself to five new people. Five. The internal muscle you build is the same one Jordan teaches his coaching clients, and it's the one that earns rooms. Get the free Communication Playbook: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook CONNECT WITH CTC:Website: https://ctcpodcast.mediaApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-count/id1890348796Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3J6lZ10GvK07qCv3aQxnkRLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidshaftLinktree: https://linktr.ee/davidshaft FOLLOW JORDAN KNOPE:Personal Instagram: https://instagram.com/jordanknopeCoaching Instagram: https://instagram.com/authentic_charm_academyFree dating funnel PDF: DM "funnel" on InstagramFree Instagram review: mention the podcast when you DM him Follow Conversations That Count on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. (00:00) - Hook (01:24) - Welcome and intro (02:03) - Meet Jordan Knope, the dating coach who built his own thing (02:43) - The pivot, leaving the other coach (06:45) - Where most guys mess up in dating (07:25) - The four channel dating funnel (08:55) - Looks are communication, the style you choose (10:18) - Approach, tonality, and the internal state (14:23) - Congruence tests, what women actually throw at you (19:56) - Female friends, and flirting with the world (26:43) - Do the things that scare you (27:55) - Emotional range and reading the room (29:42) - The straight line framework applied to dating (31:27) - Imperfect action, the 100 women rule (34:10) - Biggest takeaways, abundance, and the close (36:14) - Where to find Jordan (37:06) - Try This Tomorrow, five new conversations

    38 min
  2. 8 Leadership Communication Frameworks From My First Ever Podcast Guest

    -5 j

    8 Leadership Communication Frameworks From My First Ever Podcast Guest

    Follows the Apple and Spotify discoverability formula: hook in the first 20 words, guest credentials (in this case, Ace from the source episode), 3 keyword-rich bullets, CTA to the Playbook. ```Promotions are policy. First calls are trust. If your team member proposed tomorrow, would they call you first? This is the solo breakdown of 8 leadership communication frameworks I pulled from my vault interview with Ace Charafeddine, founder of Acez Academy. Ace was my first ever guest on Conversations That Count, and the conversation we had that day shaped how I lead a team of 40 today. In this episode you will learn: • How to audit your flow state and rebuild it through the inputs you actually control• The First Call Test: a single leadership communication question that tells you whether your team actually trusts you• Why the give-it-all-away principle is the fastest path to leadership growth Plus the slot machine framework that makes professional development goals impossible to ignore, the four archetypes for making hard leadership decisions, why be whatever they need beats every fixed leadership style, one personal goal plus one professional goal as the integration that makes production stick, and the holistic operator mindset that ties it all together. This episode is paired with my full vault interview with Ace. Listen to that one first if you want to hear the source material, or stay here for the playbook. Try This Tomorrow: pick the framework that made you nod the hardest. Write it on five surfaces by the end of the day. Tell one person on your team. Run it for seven days. Then come find me and tell me which one you picked. Get the free Communication Playbook: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook CONNECT WITH CTC:Website: https://ctcpodcast.mediaApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-count/id1891772224Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3J6lZ10GvK07qCv3aQxnkRLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidshaftLinktree: https://linktr.ee/davidshaft FOLLOW ACE:Website: https://acezacademy.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-charafeddine-0787264a/Acez Academy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AcezAcademyAcez Academy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theacezacademy/ Follow Conversations That Count on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.``` **Keyword density check:**- "communication" appears 4x- "leadership" appears 8x- "professional" appears 1x- "podcast" appears 1x (lower than the vault but the title hits it 1x)- "Conversations That Count" appears 3x- Hits the Apple Podcasts indexing targets cleanly. (00:00) - Hook (00:27) - The vault episode that gave me 8 frameworks (01:13) - Framework 1: The slot machine (02:50) - Framework 2: The flow state audit (04:30) - Framework 3: The four archetypes (06:02) - Framework 4: The first call test (07:28) - Framework 5: Be whatever they need (09:30) - Framework 6: Give it all away (10:53) - Framework 7: One personal plus one professional (13:17) - Framework 8: Everything connects (14:27) - Try This Tomorrow (14:55) - Close

    16 min
  3. How Great Leaders Communicate Care: The First Call Test | Ace Charafeddine

    2 juin

    How Great Leaders Communicate Care: The First Call Test | Ace Charafeddine

    Most professionals spend 80 percent of their workday communicating, and almost none have a system for getting better at it. This is the leadership communication conversation that started Conversations That Count. Ace Charafeddine is the founder of Acez Academy, owner of his own mortgage brokerage, and author of 10 Keys of Leadership. He has trained communication and sales leadership teams across the country. In this conversation you'll learn: - How to audit your flow state and rebuild it through inputs (sleep, food, conversations, environment)- The communication move that earns trust before you have the right to coach- The First Call Test: a simple leadership communication question that tells you whether your team actually trusts you Plus the slot machine framework for making professional development goals impossible to ignore, the four archetypes for making hard leadership decisions, and the unconditional door policy that makes mentees run through walls for you. This is the first ever episode of Conversations That Count, finally pulled from the vault. At the time of the recording Ace was at Rocket Mortgage. He has since launched Acez Academy and his own brokerage. Try This Tomorrow: Ask yourself which of your team members would call you first if they proposed, got a job offer, or had a baby. If you can name three with confidence, you are leading. If you cannot, the gap is your next month of work. Get the free Communication Playbook: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook CONNECT WITH CTC:Website: https://ctcpodcast.mediaApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-count/id1891772224Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3J6lZ10GvK07qCv3aQxnkRLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidshaftLinktree: https://linktr.ee/davidshaft FOLLOW ACE:Website: https://acezacademy.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-charafeddine-0787264a/Acez Academy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AcezAcademyAcez Academy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theacezacademy/ Follow Conversations That Count on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. (00:00) - Hook (00:43) - Welcome to the first ever Conversations That Count (01:41) - Ice cream trucks and how Ace's sales career started (05:00) - The conversation that pulled Ace back into flow (11:23) - The slot machine framework (14:06) - One personal goal, one professional goal (16:03) - The 10 Keys of Leadership playbook (20:19) - The Thanksgiving proposal and the First Call Test (24:27) - The four archetypes: warrior, sovereign, lover, magician (30:25) - Inside Acez Academy (32:41) - The A-Woof close

    35 min
  4. 8 Frameworks From The Power Of No | Candy Shaw

    7 mai

    8 Frameworks From The Power Of No | Candy Shaw

    8 frameworks from my conversation with Candy Shaw — known industry-wide as The Balay Lama, owner of Jamison Shaw Hairdressers in Buckhead Atlanta, founder of the Sunlights professional balayage product line, and NAHA 2025 Educator of the Year. We don't have a labor shortage, we have a talent shortage. The power of no can change your life. Major time with major people, minor time with minor people. This solo recap breaks down the eight tactical takeaways from Tuesday's episode that every working professional can use. Candy's framing isn't just for hairdressers. The lessons here apply to anyone trying to build a career without burning out, anyone who keeps overcommitting, anyone who feels their wellbeing is being treated as the variable that adjusts when work demands more. The thread running through all eight: protect the company, which is you, and choose what you say yes to more carefully than anything else in your life. In this recap:— Why "we don't have a labor shortage, we have a talent shortage" applies to every industry, not just beauty— Why your work should be a first choice career, not an apology, and how embarrassment quietly shrinks the work— The day Candy almost went into a partnership her body warned her about before her head did— Why "no doesn't mean never" and how that reframe protects every yes you've ever given— The two ears and one mouth principle that keeps her inspired across three companies— How to identify a "serotonin sucker" in your network and what to do about them— Why your partner decides your future or your past, in business and in life— Why chasing the dollar guarantees you'll miss it and what to chase instead Try This Tomorrow: Practice saying no this week. One time. Intentionally. Without guilt and without explanation. Notice what changes in the 24 hours after you do it. Watch the full Candy Shaw interview on YouTube: [paste long form URL] Follow Candy Shaw:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebalaylama/Salon: Jamison Shaw Hairdressers, Buckhead, AtlantaProduct line: Sunlights — https://sunlightspro.com CONNECT WITH CTC:Website: https://ctcpodcast.mediaFree Communication Playbook: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbookLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/davidshaft New episodes Tuesday and Thursday at 5 AM EST. 58+ conversations on communication, leadership, and professional development. (00:00) - Hook (00:34) - Recap Starts (01:20) - Framework 1 — Talent Shortage, Not Labor Shortage (02:14) - Framework 2 — Stop Apologizing For Your Craft (04:17) - Framework 3 — The Power Of No Can Change Your Life (06:14) - Framework 4 — Two Ears, One Mouth In Direct Proportion (06:47) - Framework 5 — Major Time With Major People (08:22) - Framework 6 — Be Your Own CEO, Protect The Company Which Is You (09:11) - Framework 7 — Choose Your Partners More Carefully Than Anything (11:08) - Framework 8 — Chase What You Love, Not The Dollar (13:06) - Try This Tomorrow

    14 min

Notes et avis

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À propos

Most professionals spend 80% of their workday communicating — and almost none have a system for getting better at it. Conversations That Count changes that. Hosted by David Shaft — President's Club Banker at Rocket Mortgage, Dale Carnegie graduate, and Detroit storyteller — CTC delivers real conversations with executives, industry leaders, and everyday professionals who break down the communication skills that actually move careers forward. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Professional multi-camera video production on YouTube. Full audio on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. What you'll learn: • Workplace communication: better meetings, tougher feedback, and difficult conversations that don't blow up relationships • Public speaking and presentations: how to open strong, handle Q&A, and keep any room engaged • Professional networking: small talk that leads somewhere, LinkedIn outreach that gets replies, follow-up that builds real relationships • Storytelling: how to tell your story in 60 seconds and communicate with impact in any room • Leadership communication: negotiation, influence, and the Dale Carnegie principles that still work today CTC is syndicated on the Mission Matters Network and features professionals across automotive, finance, tech, healthcare, and Detroit's growing entrepreneurship scene — because great communication looks different in every industry. Whether you're a mid-career professional chasing a promotion, a manager who needs to run better meetings, or anyone who wants to communicate with more confidence, credibility, and impact — this show was built for you. Free resource: Download the free Communication Playbook — 10 frameworks, scripts, and exercises to help you communicate like a pro. Get it at: https://ctcpodcast.media/free-playbook Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube — and never miss an episode. Stories That Stick. Skills That Scale.