Persuasive podcasts to perfect your communication skills

Monday, 04 March 2019

Looking for tools to help you hone your communication skills? We’ve picked some of the most enjoyable and thought-provoking podcasts out there to listen to on the go and raise your communication game. From listening more effectively to capturing attention with compelling storytelling, these bursts of inspiration will take your conversation - and connections - to a new level.

THE PUBLIC SPEAKER'S QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS

This popular podcast series offers bite-size nuggets of wisdom – no more than 11 minutes each - about all manner of communication situations from how to disagree tactfully to how to add humour to speeches. Host Lisa B. Marshall is the author of Smart Talk: The Public Speaker's Guide to Success in Every Situation and has perfected the art of quick-blast master classes in how to be effective, engaging and memorable every time you speak. As her strapline says, “it’s not about public speaking, it’s about effective communication” – and whatever aspect you’re ready to hack you’ll find it here.

THE ART OF LISTENING: HOW TO MASTER RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH COMMUNICATION

Transformation coach Chris Lee takes on the ‘art of listening’ in this ‘School Of Greatness’ podcast. Listening, he says, is the difference in how connected someone feels to you, but it also allows you to understand what’s going on with them. For Lee, listening is the ‘platform to being’, and a key emotional intelligence skill in creating relationships. The podcast whips through ten key principles to help you open up your ears – and mind – to better communication, including identifying what ‘selfish listening’ is, using the power of visualization to connect with someone’s story and connecting to the feelings behind someone’s words.

THE STORYTELLER’S SECRET: WHY SOME IDEAS CATCH ON AND OTHERS DON’T - #130

Great storytellers capture our attention and inspire us – and the ability to package ideas into a compelling story is a powerful leadership skill. Author and communications guru Carmine Gallo has worked to do this with brands including Coca Cola, Disney and Google, and discusses how good storytelling is essential in order to build strong emotional connections in this lively podcast. Using examples, he shows the impact that it can have in creating positive change, motivating a team and even recruiting the right talent. And crucially, he believes anyone can learn to be a storyteller, so there are plenty of practical tips here to practice.

THE ART OF THE INTERVIEW

Writer and journalist Cal Fussman has interviewed everyone from Jeff Bezos to Mikhail Gorbachev and knows how to build trust in conversation, even in situations where someone isn’t necessarily that open to start with. In this fascinating podcast he discusses the art of the interview; the importance of creating a feeling of safety and making people feel comfortable in order to get the best responses from them, to the tip of saving tougher questions for the end of a conversation when you’ve built rapport. With humour and insight from his career, Fussman offers useful skills to transpose to your business life and make any conversation flow – from a client pitch to an investor approach.

ASKING FOR ADVICE MAKES YOU SEEM SMARTER

Why do most of us hesitate to ask people for useful advice? Research shows that asking for advice is an ego boost to others - and that in business we actually tend to view people who seek our advice as more competent than those who forego the opportunity. People who ask more questions not only learn more information, but are more accurate in understanding the person they’re communicating with. Francesca Gino and Alison Wood Brooks from Harvard Business School turn a common block on its head and discuss why we should spend our time asking questions rather than pretending we know all the answers.