Welcome back to another episode of The Development Debrief! It’s Episode 153, and today we’re diving deep into the world of effective communication with our special guest, Ben Feller, who joins us for the second time. If you’re interested in looking back, he was also featured in Episode 66, a few years ago.

Here’s a powerful thought to kick things off: It’s not what you say, it’s what they hear. Ben, an expert in communications consulting within higher education, is here to explore this concept with us. We’ll be discussing the critical role of urgency and language use in making sure your message hits the mark. And stick around for a memorable segment we’re calling “The Oatmeal Story”—trust us, you won’t want to miss it! Let’s get started! 

Ben Feller is a partner at maslansky + partners, the firm that finds exactly the right words to ensure audiences will listen, care and act. An award-winning writer during his distinguished career in journalism, Ben now specializes in moving organizations from how they are known to how they want to be known. As a strategic adviser, Ben has a distinctive ability to help companies by asking the right questions and distilling their stories with clarity. His business role follows a 20-year reporting career in which he was honored as a "master of deadline reporting" and served as the Chief White House Correspondent for The Associated Press. During the presidencies of Barack Obama and George W. Bush, Ben helped lead White House coverage for the largest news organization in the world. Ben is also a writing coach, event moderator, public speaker and the author of Big Problems, Little Problems, a children's book on conquering life's frustrations that reviewers have described as "simply extraordinary." He lives in New York City.