Category Archives: Podcast

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466: Transform How You Talk, Listen, and Interact with Chuck Wisner

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If there’s one area everyone of us can improve in, it’s the area of communication. I’ve talked with dozens of communication experts over the years. And I’d put Chuck Wisner at the top of my list.

chuck wisner

His new book is called The Art of Conscious Conversations: Transforming How We Talk, Listen, and Interact.

The book is a practical guide for thoughtfully reflecting on conversations so we can avoid the common pitfalls that cause our relationships and work to go sideways. Chuck identifies four universal types of conversations and offers specific advice on maximizing the effectiveness of each:

  • Storytelling—Investigate the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and others
  • Collaborative—Explore the way our stories and other people’s stories interact
  • Creative—See new possibilities and discover unforeseen solutions
  • Commitment—Make promises we know we can keep

These conversations unfold sequentially: our awareness of our and others’ stories transforms our ability to listen and collaborate, which opens our thoughts to creative possibilities, guiding us toward mindful agreements.

Our conversations—at home, at work, or in public—can be sources of pleasure and stepping-stones toward success, or they can cause pain and lead to failure. Wisner shows how we can form a connection from the very first conversation and keep our discourse positive and productive throughout any endeavor.

Intrigued? Click the play button below to learn more about Chuck and his new book.

Join in on our chat below

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465: What to Say to Get Your Way with NYT Bestselling Author Jonah Berger

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At the beginning of this year, in Episode 456, I highlighted the six books I’m most looking forward to in the first half of 2023. I hope to feature all six here on the podcast. The first was featured in late January (Attention Span by Dr. Gloria Mark).

jonah berger

I’m excited to share that the second book on that list is being featured today. It’s from Wharton Professor Jonah Berger and is called Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way.

In Magic Words, Jonah gives you an inside look at the new science of language and how you can use it. Technological advances in machine learning, computational linguistics, and natural language processing, combined with the digitization of everything from cover letters to conversations, have yielded unprecedented insights.

You’ll learn how salespeople convince clients, lawyers persuade juries, and storytellers captivate audiences; how teachers get kids to help and service representatives increase customer satisfaction; how startup founders secure funding, musicians make hits, and psychologists identified a Shakespearean manuscript without ever reading a play.

This book is designed for anyone who wants to increase their impact. It provides a powerful toolkit and actionable techniques that can lead to extraordinary results. Whether you’re trying to persuade a client, motivate a team, or get a whole organization to see things differently, this book will show you how to leverage the power of magic words.

Intrigued? Click the play button below to learn more about Jonah and his new book.

Join in on our chat below

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464: The Power of Clarity with Ann Latham

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In 2021, when my book was released, I was invited shortly after to speak to a group at LinkedIn. LinkedIn staff were kicking off year two of their book club, and had chosen to do so with Read to Lead.

ann latham

My invitation to join that group came from Dan Horowitz, LinkedIn’s senior director of LinkedIn ads. It was a great experience.

Dan reached out last year and introduced me to author Ann Latham. Ann has written several books and hundreds of articles over the years. I had her on about 10 weeks ago to discuss her book called The Disconnect Principle: Eliminate Difficult Conversations with Clarity and Empathy.

Today, I’ve invited her back to talk about her modern-day classic, released in 2021, called The Power of Clarity: Unleash the True Potential of Workplace Productivity, Confidence, and Empowerment.

In The Power of Clarity, Ann Latham exposes the unrecognized confusion and explains how to eliminate it. This fascinating guide to workplace productivity and effectiveness draws upon extensive research and case studies to demonstrate how you can get better results in far less time while also increasing confidence and commitment.

Intrigued? Click the play button below to learn more about Ann and her book.

Join in on our chat below

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462: Make More Sales, Build Loyal Relationships, and Make More Money with Jen Gitomer

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I have my friend Honorée Corder to thank again for this week’s guest. She’s always helping to introduce me to new and interesting people.

jen gitomer

The latest person on that list is Jen Gitomer. In 2019, she published the book we’re focusing on today.

It’s called Sales in a New York Minute: Make More Sales, Build Loyal Relationships, and Make More Money.

You’ve heard the term ”…in a New York minute,” and you have your own ideas of what it means. Jennifer defines it as ”fast, clear, direct, and successful.” That’s the way of New York, and it’s the way sales are made (or lost) in New York City, and everywhere else on the planet.

She grew up in a successful book manufacturing family business run by her parents. Their dinner table conversations were a MBA real-world business education years before she graduated from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis.

Jennifer is a speaker, trainer, writer, blogger, Facebooker, Instagrammer, Tweeter, podcaster and YouTuber. She is online and on the money, and her mission is to teach you how to make it anywhere.

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Jen and her work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

Join in on our chat below

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461: Audio Book Summary: Mindset by Carol S. Dweck

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Today, I’m sharing an audio summary of one of the most popular books of the last 20 years. First, it’s difficult to believe it came out nearly 17 years ago.

Jeff Brown

The book I’m talking about celebrates its 17th anniversary on February 28th. The book I’m talking about of, course, is Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck.

After decades of research, she discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset.

In her book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities.

People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.

In this episode, I’m sharing an audio summary of Mindset, the audio version of the same written summary I share with my members inside the Read to Lead Community.

By the way, if you’d like to receive a new written book summary every week, jump on over to my Community page and sign up for free. You get access to the Read to Lead Community, the chance to interact with other readers, and a new book summary each and every week.

And, if you’d like to check out my audio summary of Mindset, just hit the play button below.

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