Thursday, August 10, 2023

Communicating about communicating

The podcast I selected is "Think Fast, Talk Smart" hosted by Matt Abrahams, a professor at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. The episode I chose is "Communicating and Leading Virtually," part of the Quick Thinks series containing shorter episodes, which outlines strategies to enhance our online communication skills and engagement.


1. Virtual Presenting Hygiene How you setup your environment and tools

  • Similar to web conference interviews, during any form of virtual communication, you want to ensure everything in the camera frame is clean and organized (Green, 2023, p. 253).
  • Ensure your camera is at eye level and that you look directly at your camera, simulating eye contact with your audience (Green, 2023, p. 253).

2. Presence - How you appear

  • Changes in posture, facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact can influence the audience's response to a speaker (Green, 2023, p. 226).
  • Don't let your hand gestures distract from your message (Green, 2023, p. 227)

3. Engagement - How you interact with your audience

  • Ask your audience to turn on their cameras. "If everybody can see people, we tend to pay attention more. Humans are wired to be intrigued by others faces." (Abrahams, 2020-present).
  • Vary the tone of your voice and utilize emotive words.

4. Set Expectations - How you lead the meeting

  • Utilize meeting invites to publish an agenda, rules, and questions for your audience to consider in preparation for your presentation (Abrahams, 2020-present). 

5. Change things up - How you maintain engagement

  • According Abrahams (2020-present), human attention usually decreases after 8 to 10 minutes. 
  • Keep the audience engaged by including videos, polls, or additional speakers.

This podcast is dedicated to effective communication in various scenarios, including non-native speakers and AI such as Chat GPT. I highly recommend checking out their episodes to find one that relates to your communication situation.


Works Cited

Abrahams, M. (Host). (2020-present). Think fast, talk smart [Audio podcast]. Stanford GSB. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5sOgNHwJj2p5ZsALW4Piha?si=YzuLG3NrTHmWHuIM59LO6g 

Green, J. (2023). Communicating online. McGraw-Hill Education. 





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