The Speak Good Podcast

For more than a year, you’ve heard a lone voice at the helm of The Speak Good Podcast, host and Chief Executive Throughliner Brad Phillips. Today, you meet Throughline Group’s other half. Listen in as partner Christina Mozaffari joins Brad to reveal six advanced public speaking tips – from how to present more effective slides to how to improve your look during a virtual presentation.

Far from a silent partner, Christina is an experienced trainer, a talented communications coach, and a self-proclaimed recovering (and Emmy award-winning) journalist who uses the best of what she learned on network news – as well as years of public speaking and media training – to help Throughline’s clients become better communicators.

After more than 10 years of working together, they still love what they do and the opportunity to find the right set of skills, techniques, and strategies for each client to excel.

GUEST: Christina Mozaffari, Partner, Throughline Group
Christina is a partner in Throughline Group, a media and presentation training firm based in New York City and Washington, D.C. She has prepared some of the nation's most-visible government agencies to excel during high-pressured crisis responses, worked with hundreds of top corporate executives and developed a particular talent for training mission-driven nonprofits. She previously worked at NBC News, where she produced stories for NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, and Hardball with Chris Matthews. As a journalist, she covered everything from the 2008 presidential campaign and Hurricane Katrina to the election of Pope Benedict in Rome and the war in Iraq. She was awarded an Emmy as part of NBC’s team coverage of 2008’s presidential election night.

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Can you apply the rules of debate to your next dinner conversation? Author and champion debater Bo Seo sees parallels between formal verbal sparring and informal chatter around the table. In this episode, we talk about his book, Good Arguments: How Debate Teaches Us to Listen and Be Heard. Bo makes the case that anyone can relay the skills needed for successful competitive debate into real-life conversations. He says one of the most important skills you can cultivate has nothing to do with the words you use, but rather the attention you bring to truly listening to what your fellow conversationalists are saying. Bo says when you make authentic connections with your verbal opponents and empathize with their stance and opinions, debate becomes transformative – an exercise that not only makes for better personal relationships but can create a more civil society. Bo shares tips and techniques on how to effectively make your case at home, work, and play.

GUEST: Bo Seo, Author, Good Arguments: How Debate Teaches Us to Listen and Be Heard
Bo Seo is simultaneously a world-class debater, a journalist, and a law student at Harvard Law School. In all those facets of his life, strong communication skills are a must. In his new book, Bo draws on his own experiences as a two-time world champion debater and a former coach of the Australian national debating team and the Harvard College Debating Union to share the most effective methods in hashing out disagreements – whether they take place on a debate stage or in a coffee shop. Bo is one of the most recognized figures in the global debate community, having won the World Schools Debating Championship and the World Universities Debating Championship. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN, the Australian Financial Review, and other publications. He’s a panelist on the prime-time Australian debate program, The Drum. Born in South Korea, he grew up in Australia before heading off to Tsinghua University in China where he received a master’s degree in public policy. He’s now studying law at Harvard Law School.

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As the former editor-in-chief of the lifestyle blog Lifehacker, Alan Henry was well aware of the power of actionable advice in helping others maximize their potential. Little did he know he’d need some of that same advice to knock down professional obstacles that he faced after becoming the editor of the Smarter Living section of The New York Times.

In this episode, Alan talks about his new book, Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized, in which he explores the struggles he faced at The Times as a person of color. Often overlooked and kept from interesting work and career-advancing opportunities, he developed a new set of work rules to allow people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ employees to have the same access to success, interesting work, and career opportunities as those with more privilege. 

Now the senior editor at WIRED, Alan shares some of the new hacks he’s learned for career advancement and offers advice to managers on how to get the most out of all of your team members.

GUEST: Alan Henry, Editor, Journalist, and Author, Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized

In his own words, Alan Henry is a writer, editor, blogger, gamer, streamer, classy geek, recovering physicist, unapologetically Black, and severely opinionated. He’s also a journalist, editor, and author of the book Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized. He’s spent his career sharing the journalism that helps readers make readers embrace technology and use it to work and live better. He’s the former editor of the productivity and lifestyle blog Lifehacker and previously worked as the Smarter Living editor at The New York Times. He is the author of the newsletter “Productivity Without Privilege,” which was launched by his  2019 New York Times piece. He’s currently the senior editor at WIRED and based in New York City.

LINKS:
Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized
Productivity, Without Privilege newsletter 

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A Republican and a Democrat walk into a bar. They see a liberal buying a conservative a drink, while a priest chats with a rabbi and minister. A CEO is talking with a union leader. A grandmother is there with her granddaughter, while an environmentalist is speaking to an oil company exec. “Is this a joke?” one of them asks. The bartender points to a sign above the bar. It reads: “No talking about religion or politics. It’s how we stay in business.”

That’s not how our guest Mónica Guzmán thinks we should be doing business. She believes talking openly about today’s issues brings about better solutions. Yet, she has witnessed how today’s political polarization leads to discord and strained communication among family members, friends, co-workers, and community leaders. In this episode, this director of digital and storytelling at Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to depolarize America, shares ways we can broaden our perspectives to become better listeners and better communicators. Do you want more moments of “I never thought of it that way?” We talk to Mónica about how to make those moments happen.

Guest Mónica Guzmán
Mónica Guzmán is the author of I Never Thought Of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times. She embraces conversations that encourage all participants to think about and assess their unique biases, prejudices, and feelings on matters large and small. This journalist, author, and community collaborator has worked to find the intersection between communications and personal perspectives, so as to generate a greater understanding of where we all stand in times of disruption, political polarization, and a search for truth. Guzmán also is the director of digital and storytelling at Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to depolarize America, and host of the Crosscut interview series Northwest Newsmakers. She’s a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, where she studied social and political division, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, where she studied how journalists can better meet the needs of a participatory public.

LINKS:
I Never Thought Of It That Way: How To Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times 
Braver Angels
The Reclaim Curiosity Newsletter 

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For centuries, America has put its collective faith in democracy and capitalism, social and economic systems that have been tried and tested during numerous cultural, economic, political, and civil shifts. Our guest, Jonathan Levy, has identified four distinct ages that have shaped America’s economy and led us to where we are today.

In a previous episode, Levy talked about how America rose from its agrarian beginnings to become a world economic power. In this episode, he shares how America wobbled but didn’t fall during the Great Depression, only to be hobbled once again – nearly 80 years later – during the 2008 market meltdown. 

What’s the next age? Levy theorizes where we might be headed, and the principles we might want to consider in shaping a prosperous and equitable future for all.

GUEST: Jonathan Levy is the author of Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States.
In it, he tracks the history of American economics from colonial times to the Great Recession. Throughout, he uses a historian’s eye to look at how modern economic life and American capitalism were shaped through wealth acquisition, as well as social and fiscal policies. Jonathan is a history professor at the University of Chicago, where his research and teaching spans the 19th and 20th centuries – specifically the relationships among business history, political economy, legal history, and the history of ideas and culture. He’s also a member of the  John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought at the university and the faculty director of the Law, Letters, and Society program. In 2012, he published his first book, Freaks of Fortune: The Emerging World of Capitalism and Risk in America. He lives in Chicago.

LINKS:

Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States
The Feegee Mermaid
The Great Depression
The New Deal
The gold standard
The Wagner Act

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How did America become the world’s largest economy? By constantly evolving and responding to economic disruptions, says our guest Jonathan Levy.

Across four distinct ages, the United States moved from an agrarian past to a capitalistic future, fueled by an economic system in which investors and consumers bank on future profits, while the government directs and sustains that growth through fiscal and legislative policy.

In this episode, Levy talks about that shift, as well as the impact that enslaved labor, particularly in the south, had on U.S. economic growth and accumulation of wealth. Given the breadth and depth of the economic history of America, we’ve divided our interview with Jonathan into two parts.

In Part I, Jonathan talks about America’s leap from its colonial past to its emergence as the world’s most productive economy by the early 1900s.

In Part 2, he’ll bring us through the New Deal and into our present-day boom-and-bust cycles, as well as theorize where American capitalism is headed next.

GUEST:
Jonathan Levy is the author of Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States. In it, he tracks the history of American economics from colonial times to the Great Recession. Throughout, he uses a historian’s eye to look at how modern economic life and American capitalism were shaped through wealth acquisition, as well as social and fiscal policies. Jonathan is a history professor at the University of Chicago, where his research and teaching spans the 19th and 20th centuries – specifically the relationships among business history, political economy, legal history, and the history of ideas and culture. He’s also a member of the  John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought at the university and the faculty director of the Law, Letters, and Society program. In 2012, he published his first book, Freaks of Fortune: The Emerging World of Capitalism and Risk in America. He lives in Chicago.

 LINKS:
Ages of American Capitalism: A History of the United States (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/227741/ages-of-american-capitalism-by-jonathan-levy/) 

The American Civil War https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War 

The Great Depression https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/great-depression-history/ 

The New Deal https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/franklin-delano-roosevelt-and-the-new-deal/ 

The gold standard https://theconversation.com/whats-the-gold-standard-and-why-does-the-us-benefit-from-a-dollar-that-isnt-tied-to-the-value-of-a-glittery-hunk-of-metal-150340

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It’s easy to mock those spouting outlandish and off-base claims on social media networks, but are there more effective ways to counter the spread of misinformation? Our guest Rick Hasen believes there are other solutions to tackling false information – whether it’s spread unintentionally or intentionally – which could pave the way for more lasting change.

Is it a matter of personal responsibility? Legislative fixes? Media reform? And what about the responsibilities of Big Tech and social media platforms?

In this episode, we talk about his latest book, Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics – and How to Cure It, and some of the legal and political remedies he sees as potential solutions to the threat disinformation poses to our democracy and an informed electorate.

GUEST: Rick Hasen, Author, Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics – and How to Cure It

Richard “Rick” Hasen teaches law and political science at the University of California Irvine, where he also is co-director of the university’s Fair Elections and Free Speech Center. His latest book, Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics ― and How to Cure It, examines the dangers of disinformation, its viral spread, and the actors that are helping to push it into the mainstream. He is a nationally recognized expert in election law and campaign finance regulation. He has written more than 100 articles on election law issues, and remedies, in numerous publications. His op-ed and commentary works have appeared in major publications, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Slate. He is also the author of Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy and Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Distortion of American Elections.

LINKS:
Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics – and How to Cure It 
Results of YouGov poll on 2020 U.S. presidential election 
Public Research Institute poll results
Jan. 6 , 2021 invasion of U.S. Capitol

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When you think of models of clear writing and easy communication, do you think of the Federal Government? It turns out one of the leading perpetrators of the bureaucratic lingo and dense legalese that most people detest has been quietly cleaning up its act for the past 10 years.

Guests, Katherine Spivey and Katina Rae Stapleton, are federal employees who volunteer their time and expertise to help their colleagues across multiple agencies and offices create government documents and other written resources in plain language. Guided by the Plain Writing Act of 2010, they work to improve U.S. citizens’ ability to access and understand government information and services.

In this episode, we talk with them about the importance of clear communications, from everyday interactions that help make policy more understandable, to more urgent situations where words can have life-and-death consequences.

GUESTS Katherine Spivey and Katina Rae Stapleton Co-Chairs, Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN)

Katherine Spivey is co-chair of the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN), which is a community of federal employees who volunteer time and expertise to support the use of clear communication in government writing. She is a senior communications specialist for the U.S. General Services Administration’s Office of Strategic Communications and coordinates the agency’s plain language program. She also teaches plain language courses for DigitalGov University and other federal agencies. 

Katina Rae Stapleton is co-chair of the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN), where she also provides training for federal employees on how to clearly communicate with their audiences. As a program officer with the Institute of Education Services (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education, Katina oversees research training programs and provides guidance to the department on communications, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility issues. She is the co-chair of the IES Diversity Council and was secretary of the agency-wide Diversity and Inclusion Council.  

LINKS:
PlainLanguage.gov
Law - https://www.plainlanguage.gov/law/
Guidelines - https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/
History/Timeline - https://www.plainlanguage.gov/about/history/
Digital.gov presence - https://digital.gov/communities/plain-language/
Center for Plain Language's Federal Report Card - https://centerforplainlanguage.org/reports/
Clarity International - https://www.clarity-international.org/
Plain International - https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/
Alan Alda – Clear + Vivid podcast, https://omny.fm/shows/clear-vivid-with-alan-alda
Scientific American Frontiers TV show https://www.amazon.com/Scientific-American-Frontiers/dp/B000H0SVZO
WIRED – 5 Levels https://www.wired.com/video/series/5-levels

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As former vice president of corporate communications for Netflix, our guest Steve Swasey had a front-row seat to Netflix’s near-disastrous decision in 2011 to split its video streaming and DVD services. The backlash was swift and threatened to sink what, to that point, had been a highly successful company. In this episode, we talk about the missteps and miscalculations that led to that decision, the subsequent reversal of that decision, and, ultimately, the measures Netflix took to get back on track. Those measures largely reflect a set of principles Steve believes help businesses succeed over time. He calls it HIT (Humility, Integrity, and Trust) and has seen it work across multiple companies and industries. We also talk about the decades he’s spent counseling senior executives on ways to better connect with their employees, customers, investors, and the marketplace, as well as how to weather professional crises. Does he believe there are CEOs willing to follow the three principles he espouses in his HIT approach? The simple answer is yes. For the longer answer, we delve into what happens when they commit to that course of action and what happens when they don’t.

GUEST: Steve Swasey, career communicator (Netflix, Kabam, Oracle), writer, and video producer

GUEST BIO:
Steve Swasey is a longtime communications specialist who has helped companies large and small shape and share their corporate narrative. He is a senior communications adviser with the media company Red Ventures and is a mentor for Road to Hire, a program that connects underrepresented youths to high-earning careers through paid technical training and college access. From 2005 to 2012, he helmed corporate communications at Netflix, and provided guidance and communications expertise during the company's challenging transition to streaming services. He has worked with the mobile game developer Kabam, and earlier in his career held roles at Oracle’s PeopleSoft, Tri-Valley Growers, E&J Gallo Winery, and PR agency Ketchum.

LINKS:
No Rules Rules, by Netflix Chairman/CEO Reed Hastings and co-author Erin Meyer
Silicon Valley's Culture Clash, by Jonathan Knee, The New York Times

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Our words are what often help us to frame whether we see the world as a set of problems or opportunities. Communications experts Jackie Stavros and Cheri Torres believe that anyone can create meaningful and productive conversations that can be catalysts for change.

It comes down to asking the right questions and approaching challenging conversations with creativity. Longtime friends and colleagues, they are co-authors of Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement.

For decades, Jackie and Cheri have counseled individuals, companies, institutions, and other organizations on how to use two simple practices to make every conversation count. In this episode, Jackie and Cheri offer the tools and techniques you need to have conversations worth having.

(Appreciative Inquiry is an approach developed by David Cooperrider. It fosters positive change in organizations and communities.)

 GUEST BIOS:
Jackie Stavros has more than 30 years of leadership, strategy, organization development and change management experience, and is the creator of SOAR – a strategy to help organizations create meaningful conversations about opportunities and positive change.  she is a professor at Michigan’s Lawrence Technological University College of Business and IT and a senior specialist in Appreciative Inquiry. Jackie earned her doctorate in management from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Her master’s in business administration comes from Michigan State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Wayne State University. She lives in Brighton, MI, with her husband, Paul, and their kids, Ally and Adam, as well as their dog, Rex.

 Cheri B. Torres specializes in leadership, team development, and whole system strategic planning. She is the lead catalyst at Collaborative by Design, a consulting firm that she founded in 2009. She’s taught thousands of trainers and teachers around the world in the use and practice of Experiential Learning, Appreciative Inquiry, and other strengths-based processes. She has worked in many sectors, including corporate, government, education, and nonprofit, focusing on shared leadership, teamwork, and collective impact. She holds a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Tennessee, as well as a master’s in transpersonal psychology. She lives in Asheville, NC, with her husband Michael, and their dog, Annabelle, and cat, Ziggy. 

 LINKS:
Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement

Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive Paperback, by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert Cialdini

The Petrified Wood Principle

 
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