30 min
EP 1: Unpacking a Loaded Term: Communications - with Matt Abrahams LIFT
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- Business
Welcome to the inaugural Lift podcast! Today we chat with Matt Abrahams, a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the founder of BoldEcho. Matt and Allison are both passionate about strategic communications, and today discuss exactly that -- what do we mean when we say someone is a "great communicator” and how can leaders use some simple guidelines to increase their emotive communications success? We outline three fundamental steps towards more action-driven interactions, whether between a group or just two individuals and add stories from our collective experiences as coaches to executive teams. Find out what karaoke-time storytelling means, how to handle suddenly short presentations, and whether messages can be iterative, as you listen to veterans in the field share their insights. Please join us on today’s episode!
Key Points From This Episode:
What does it mean to be a great communicator? The importance of listening and audience centricity. Understanding the fail fast model with regards to communication. The criteria for assessing successful communication. Altering communication according to your audience and their biases. Leveraging stories and reaching for a higher level to bridge across audience types. One-on-one communication and directive-driven interactions. Clarity and definition in important messages. Leading a conversation or using questions and imagination scenarios. Considering time constraints in any scenario. How further upskill if you’re already an advanced and sophisticated communicator. And much more!
Tweetables:
“It’s about empathy, it’s really about doing the appropriate amount of reconnaissance and reflection in advance of the communication.” — Matt Abrahams
"I think communication is about listening, slowing down and listening, not just literally, but to all the kinds of subtexts that are happening." — Allison J. Taylor
“To me, it really boils down to the ability to synthesize a lot of information, make it accessible, really emotionally connect to your audience, to motivate them.” — Matt Abrahams
"What makes or breaks communication is one-on-one direction and priority setting." — Allison J. Taylor
“What I found is, it’s very helpful to be crisp in an outcome you’re looking for.” — Allison J. Taylor
"In business organizations, it's important not to lose sight of why a person is in a particular role and what that role is supposed to bring, or we misconstrue what the role is supposed to be. It's coaching employees to help them understand their roles." — Allison J. Taylor
“Really, to me, the three criteria are again, information, emotion and action.” — Matt Abrahams
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Matt Abrahams — https://www.linkedin.com/in/maabrahams/
Speaking Up Without Freaking Out — https://www.amazon.com/Speaking-without-Freaking-Out-Techniques/dp/1465290478
Allison J. Taylor – https://www.thoughtmarketing.com
BoldEcho – http://boldecho.com/
Welcome to the inaugural Lift podcast! Today we chat with Matt Abrahams, a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the founder of BoldEcho. Matt and Allison are both passionate about strategic communications, and today discuss exactly that -- what do we mean when we say someone is a "great communicator” and how can leaders use some simple guidelines to increase their emotive communications success? We outline three fundamental steps towards more action-driven interactions, whether between a group or just two individuals and add stories from our collective experiences as coaches to executive teams. Find out what karaoke-time storytelling means, how to handle suddenly short presentations, and whether messages can be iterative, as you listen to veterans in the field share their insights. Please join us on today’s episode!
Key Points From This Episode:
What does it mean to be a great communicator? The importance of listening and audience centricity. Understanding the fail fast model with regards to communication. The criteria for assessing successful communication. Altering communication according to your audience and their biases. Leveraging stories and reaching for a higher level to bridge across audience types. One-on-one communication and directive-driven interactions. Clarity and definition in important messages. Leading a conversation or using questions and imagination scenarios. Considering time constraints in any scenario. How further upskill if you’re already an advanced and sophisticated communicator. And much more!
Tweetables:
“It’s about empathy, it’s really about doing the appropriate amount of reconnaissance and reflection in advance of the communication.” — Matt Abrahams
"I think communication is about listening, slowing down and listening, not just literally, but to all the kinds of subtexts that are happening." — Allison J. Taylor
“To me, it really boils down to the ability to synthesize a lot of information, make it accessible, really emotionally connect to your audience, to motivate them.” — Matt Abrahams
"What makes or breaks communication is one-on-one direction and priority setting." — Allison J. Taylor
“What I found is, it’s very helpful to be crisp in an outcome you’re looking for.” — Allison J. Taylor
"In business organizations, it's important not to lose sight of why a person is in a particular role and what that role is supposed to bring, or we misconstrue what the role is supposed to be. It's coaching employees to help them understand their roles." — Allison J. Taylor
“Really, to me, the three criteria are again, information, emotion and action.” — Matt Abrahams
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Matt Abrahams — https://www.linkedin.com/in/maabrahams/
Speaking Up Without Freaking Out — https://www.amazon.com/Speaking-without-Freaking-Out-Techniques/dp/1465290478
Allison J. Taylor – https://www.thoughtmarketing.com
BoldEcho – http://boldecho.com/
30 min