Perfectly Awesome

Soon enough, artificial intelligence may be able to recreate the sounds — but there will be something missing.

Do conversations end when people want them to? Surprisingly, behavioral science provides no answer to this fundamental question about the most ubiq...

Or "Spiderman Is My Boyfriend"

A nearly 50-year-old Harvard University study found that the word "because" helps people make more persuasive requests. Here's why, says a Wharton professor.

In a world dominated by video, we know we’d benefit from communicating effortlessly through video content. But many of us struggle with camera confidence. This is because our fear of talking to a camera is deeply rooted in our survival instincts.

It could also make you more attractive to potential long-term partners.

Here's how to give a eulogy, and other difficult speeches, according to a Stanford business school lecturer.

The cognitive work involved in lying is relevant to lie detection and could help explain why some people are better liars

When you have to communicate a difficult organizational decision to employees, it’s hard to know how much information to provide when you can’t be fully transparent yet. Saying nothing can undermine people’s trust in your motives and compassion, whereas saying too much can leave people feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable as they struggle to process the information and implications. Striking the right balance between these two extremes is a tricky exercise for leaders. The author presents five strategies to help you figure out what to say and do when you can’t yet be fully transparent with your employees.

We all know people who talk with their hands. Turns out there’s quite a bit of research around the relationship between language and gestures.

When trying to make language either more concrete or more abstract, one helpful approach is to focus on either the how or the why.

Industrial genius Carl Braun believed that clear thinking and clear communication go hand in hand. Here the guide on writing productively to get things done.

Technological advances in natural language processing, computational linguistics, and machine learning, combined with the digitization of everything from cover letters to conversations, have revolutionized our ability to analyze language, yielding unprecedented insights. Think of it as a new science of language. Many of the findings suggest that small changes in the words we use can increase our ability to persuade and influence others.

Following a simple, three-part framework can make your introductions smoother, easier, and more memorable.

Clone a voice in 5 seconds to generate arbitrary speech in real-time - CorentinJ/Real-Time-Voice-Cloning

Improv comedy is about more than making people laugh. It can help performers be more creative and self-assured — and combat anxiety, both on and off stage.

Transformational leaders are exceptional communicators. In this piece, the author outlines four communication strategies to help motivate and inspire your team: 1) Use short words to talk about hard things. 2) Choose sticky metaphors to reinforce key concepts. 3) Humanize data to create value. 4). Make mission your mantra to align teams.

Talking to someone who gets defensive can be frustrating. So, what can you do? Here's how to sidestep someone's personal fortifications.

Examples of hidden ways people drain one other’s energy in social interaction—and what to do about it

I took part in a 6 week stand-up comedy course for beginners at The Comedy Store in Central London. At the end of the course, myself and the other co...

This one of a series of essays on speaking. Find more here. You’ve written a great talk, you’ve made your deck (or not!) and you’ve practiced. But have you considered how you’ll move while speaking…

Here’s what the best leaders do.

Mastering the art of public speaking has nothing to do with your personality, with overcoming shyness or learning to act confident. It's a technical skill that nearly anyone can acquire — just like cooking.

Politicians and other public figures deploy particular rhetorical devices to communicate their ideas and to convince people, and it’s time that we all learned how to use them, says speechwriter Sim…

I was enjoying a sazerac with a old friend of mine at a local watering hole. And by watering hole, I mean incredibly hip farm-to-table restaurant full of young techies because we were in Mountain V…

What does it take to become a more convincing communicator? New research suggests that linguistic mirroring — that is, adjusting your communication style to match that of your audience — is an effective tool to increase your ability to influence others. In this piece, the authors describe four key dimensions of linguistic mirroring, as well as several tactical strategies for leaders looking to win over a client, judge, or other important evaluator. Ultimately, they argue that building genuine relationships with key evaluators is the best way to gain insight into their linguistic preferences — but it’s up to all of us to make sure that we use the power of linguistic mirroring for good.

Silero Models: pre-trained speech-to-text, text-to-speech and text-enhancement models made embarrassingly simple - snakers4/silero-models

It’s Drift’s and it’s brilliant. Here’s why.

To engage leaders, colleagues, and clients, use this simple technique

If you want to help people, don’t give them advice. Do this instead.

These common expressions can cause listeners to think twice.

The way your name or a word rolls off the tongue can have some surprising effects on the judgements we make.

Many nationalities recognise that there is a tone of voice that is instantly alluring, but do some speakers have an unfair advantage?

Communicating better can help you achieve your goals and deepen your relationships.

Sometimes, it really is what you say that makes a difference.

It’s important to understand that when you, as a leader, communicate with your team, using weaker words weakens your message and blunts your ability to inspire people. It’s not enough to just throw thoughts out there and hope for the best. You need to actively recommend ideas and assert their worthiness in all of your communications. For example, consider these “power words”: “I’m proposing (not “sharing”) an idea that will make our process more efficient.” “I’m suggesting (not “sharing”) a new logo that better conveys our brand message.” “I’m recommending (not “sharing”) a campaign to make our workplace more diverse.” Ultimately, audiences respond more actively to big points than to small words, but thoughtful leaders need to assess both, knowing that the more powerfully they come across — even in small ways — the greater impact they have on the people they hope to inspire.

Assertive communication is about compromise.

Tips from a comedian and a journalist on the art of going from small talk to big ideas. Try these out at the next summer wedding reception.

Five tactics to silence the person trying to make you squirm.

Public speaking can feel like an ordeal, but take a lesson from the ancients: it’s a skill you can develop like any other

Talking out loud to oneself is a technology for thinking that allows us to clarify and sharpen our approach to a problem

When I signed up for a life of conducting orchestras, I didn’t realize I’d also need to learn how to handle enormous audiences

Have you ever found yourself counting ums and uhs?

“No speech was ever too short.”

Nonviolent communication (NVC) is a popular method of conflict resolution that privileges unbiased evidence and specificity.

Look like you‘re trusting your gut and others will trust you.

Express and receive communication empathically using the four-part Nonviolent Communication process developed by Marshall B. Rosenberg, Ph.D.

Ramona Smith used an interesting body-language technique to win the Toastmasters annual public-speaking competition last month in Chicago.