Now We're Talking

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Professor of Communication at the University of Waterloo. Host of "Now We're Talking" a podcast about how to improve Communication Skills.

Robert Danisch


    • Jun 30, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 20m AVG DURATION
    • 105 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Now We're Talking

    Episode 105 - More on the inner voice, or why not to watch Fox news

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2021 19:17


    In Episode 105 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the inner voice and how to improve intrapersonal communication.

    Episode 104 - Support Responses and Shift Responses in Social Interactions

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2021 18:55


    In Episode 104 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the difference between support responses and shift responses in social interactions, and how we all might benefit from practicing support responses as we return to face-to-face social interactions.

    Episode 103 - The feel, felt, found technique for persuasion

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2021 19:12


    In Episode 103 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the "feel, felt, found" technique for persuasion and for overcoming strong objections.

    Episode 102 - Avoiding the cylce of mindless reciprocation

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2021 19:51


    In Episode 102 of Now We're Talking, we learn the dangers of the cycle of mindless reciprocation and how to avoid it.

    Episode 101 - How conflict can bring us closer together

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2021 23:50


    In Episode 101, we discuss the conditions that are necessary for engaging in the kind of conflict that will bring is closer together.

    Episode 100 - The importance of the neutral inner voice

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2021 21:57


    In Episode 100 of Now We're Talking we discuss the neutral inner voice as an important form of intrapersonal communication. Master the neutral inner voice and improve all of your communicative interactions.

    Episode 099 - Use the 10-20-30 rule to make persuasive presentations

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2021 17:31


    In Episode 099 of Now We're Talking, we review the 10-20-30 rule for making presentations and why that rule helps us to be more persuasive.

    Episode 098 - How to foster cooperation through rapport

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2021 23:08


    In Episode 098 of Now We're Talking, we discuss rapport, and how the HEAR technique can build rapport and lead to cooperation.

    Episode 097 - In order to persuade you need to have a vision

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2021 21:28


    In Episode 097 of Now We're Talking, we discuss rhetorical vision, and how to have a vision and why a vision is inspiring and persuasive and important.

    Episode 096 - Persuasion through the steel man technique

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2021 22:05


    In Episode 096 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the steel man technique for arguing and why it works better than the straw man technique or the hollow man technique.

    Episode 095 - Why Compliance Through Force Doesn't Work

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2021 21:15


    In Episode 095 of Now We're Talking we compare communication practices that attempt to gain compliance through force (like threats, intimidation, and aggression) with communication that aims at cooperation in order to persuade.

    Episode 094 - Persuasion through motivational interviewing

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2021 22:03


    In Episode 094 of Now We're Talking we discuss the process of motivational interviewing and how that process can be used to persuade people to change their minds or adopt new behaviors.

    Episode 093 - What's the Difference Between Compliance and Persuasion?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2021 20:30


    In Episode 093 of Now We're Talking we discuss the difference between compliance and persuasion, why compliance is a red flag for communication, and why persuasion is a better choice for effective communication.

    Episode 092 - How Communication Can Lead to Violence

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2021 20:47


    In Episode 092 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the five communication practices that we know can lead to violence - how to spot them and what to do about them.

    Episode 091 - The Primal Communication Circuit

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2020 21:52


    In Episode 091 of Now We're Talking we discuss the primal communication circuit and how it can bias our thinking.

    Episode 090 - Don't Tell Someone They're Crazy, Do This Instead

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2020 21:17


    In Episode 090 of Now We're Talking, we discuss why calling someone "crazy" is really ineffective and what to do instead in order to be persuasive.

    Episode 089 - How to Respond to Bear Trap Questions

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2020 20:06


    In Episode 089 of Now We're Talking, we discuss bear trap questions, questions that are designed to trip you up and make you look bad, and what to do about them.

    Episode 088 - What is the Meaning of a Mask?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2020 21:24


    In Episode 088 of Now We're Talking, we discuss why people still might not be wearing a mask and how meaning gets constructed when we introduce a new thing like a mask into our culture.

    Episode 087 - Deep Canvassing and Political Persuasion

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2020 22:24


    In Episode 087 of Now We're Talking we discuss "deep canvassing," or the only way to persuade someone that holds a radically different political view from you.

    Episode 086 - Avoiding Reactance

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2020 22:20


    In Episode 086 of Now We're Talking we review the psychological phenomenon of reactance and how it might contribute to miscommunication or failed persuasion and what we can do to avoid reactance through specific communication practices.

    Episode 085 - Tone and Paraverbal Communication

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2020 22:50


    In Episode 085 of Now We're Talking, we discuss paraverbal communication, why it's important and how to make it a more reflective part of your communication practices.

    Episode 084 - Asking strategic questions

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2020 21:15


    In Episode 084 of Now We're Talking we discuss the art of asking strategic questions and how strategic questions can transform confrontation into collaboration.

    Episode 083 - Always respond and never react

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2020 19:16


    In Episode 083 of Now We're Talking, we discuss why it's important to respond to people instead of reacting to them and how you might be responsive and not reactive.

    Episode 082 - Emotional Labeling

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2020 23:51


    In Episode 082 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the practice of emotional labeling and how to make it a reflective communication practice.

    Episode 081 - Mirroring

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2020 20:21


    In Episode 081 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the simple and extremely effective practice of mirroring, and how to use mirroring as a reflective practice.

    Episode 080 - The key to improving all of your communication

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2020 23:38


    In Episode 080 of Now We're Talking, we review the difference between pre-reflective communication practices and reflective communication practices and why it's so important to engage in reflective practices of communication.

    Episode 079 - Why conflict happens: switch-tracking

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2020 21:23


    In Episode 079 of Now We're Talking we discuss switch-tracking and how it leads to conflict.

    Episode 078 - Why institutions make bad decisions: Leaders that stonewall

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2020 23:48


    In Episode 078 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the effects of stonewalling on organizational cultures and why leaders that stonewall drive poor decision-making processes.

    Episode 077 - Leadership Communication and Self-Awareness

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2020 21:30


    In Episode 077 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the importance of a high degree of self-awareness for those in leadership positions and how to communicate accurate self-awareness to others.

    Episode 076 - Strategic Communication

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2019 22:23


    In Episode 076 of Now We're Talking, we discuss strategic thinking and strategic communication, both essential abilities for anyone in a leadership position.

    Episode 075 - A Magic Question for Mitigating Anxiety

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2019 21:07


    In Episode 075 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the use of a specific question for mitigating people's emotional, anxious responses to change or uncertainty.

    Episode 074 - The Importance of Absorbing, Diffusing, and Suspending

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2019 22:15


    In Episode 074 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the importance of absorbing and diffusing emotions, especially in group work, and how we can suspend discussions to allow spaces for emotions to be heard and felt and understood, and the transformative impact of these practices on relationships.

    Episode 073 - A Four-Step Process for Persuading Difficult Audiences

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2019 21:47


    In Episode 073 of Now We're Talking we discuss a four-step process for persuading a difficult audience that is likely to resist your requests.

    Episode 072 - The Four Essential Communication Tasks for Anyone in a Managerial or Supervisory Role

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2019 21:53


    In Episode 072 of Now We're Talking we discuss the four main tasks for anyone in a managerial or supervisory position: Building through a vision; Responding to crises; Repairing, improving, maintaining, and sustaining decision-making processes; and Building and maintaining strong interpersonal bonds.

    Episode 071 - Repair Attempts, Face-Saving, and De-escalation

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2019 21:22


    In Episode 071 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the importance of diffusing negative feelings in communicative interactions, particularly through face-saving, repair attempts, and de-escalation.

    Episode 070 - Why you should ask others: What did you get out of that?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2019 20:57


    In Episode 070 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the importance of helping others improve their communication skills by asking them one important questions - "What did you get out of that?" - to help them reflect on and improve their strategic ability to produce effects on others.

    Episode 069 - Emotions Always Bias Reason

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2019 21:06


    In Episode 069 of Now We're Talking we discuss why and how emotions always bias reasoning, and how master communicators always act in response to emotions instead of ignoring them.

    Episode 068 - The Most Powerful, Dangerous, and Important Word: "We"

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2019 21:45


    In Episode 068 of Now We're Talking we talk about how the word "we" maps the world and creates forms of identification and division that can influence our communicative interactions.

    Episode 067 - What's Authenticity and How Does it Help Communication?

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2019 21:46


    In Episode 067 of Now We're Talking we discuss authenticity and how authentic and inauthentic communication affects our interactions.

    Episode 066 - Masters of Communication Control the Chain of Signification

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2019 22:01


    In Episode 066 of Now We're Talking we discuss the difference between not-at-issue content in a statement and at-issue-content, and the ways in which the social meanings of not-at-issue content help create meaning.

    Episode 065 - Good Communicators Focus on Meaning and not Information

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2019 21:22


    In Episode 065 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the difference between transmitting information and creating meaning, and why good communicators focus more on meaning and less on information.

    Episode 064 - Why and How to Stop Invalidating Others

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2019 22:24


    In Episode 064 of Now We're Talking we discuss the damage done by forms of emotional invalidation, and how to recognize when invalidation is happening and why we should try validation instead.

    Episode 063 - Why We Should Balance Warmth and Directness

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2019 22:28


    In Episode 063 of Now We're Talking we discuss the importance of balancing warmth and directness in our embodied communicative interactions and why balancing warmth and directness will have profound effects on others.

    Episode 062 - What Makes an Effective Leader?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2019 18:52


    In Episode 062 of Now We're Talking, we offer a composite picture of effective leadership by showing how a leader can balance five main relational communication practices with five main functional communication practices.

    Episode 061 - Leading by Catalyzing Effective Conversations

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2019 19:19


    In Episode 061 of Now We're Talking, we discuss how a leader can catalyze an effective deliberation and how important that skill is.

    Episode 060 - Leadership, Uncertainty, and Closure

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2019 23:16


    In Episode 060 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the importance of listening for and living in uncertainty. Leaders that seek out closure often make bad decisions, and leaders that are able to calmly live with ambiguity often make better decisions.

    Episode 059 - The Power of Acknowledging and Affirming

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2019 19:24


    In Episode 059 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the opposite of making distinctions - affirming or acknowledging a person's view of the world and how powerful those acts can be.

    Episode 058 - The Power of Making Distinctions

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2019 19:55


    In Episode 058 of Now We're Talking, we discuss the importance and the power of making careful distinctions, and how distinctions can produce effects on audiences and reframe conversations.

    Episode 057 - Trust, Ethos, and Transparency

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2019 22:47


    In Episode 057 of Now We're Talking we discuss the three main modes of producing trust, and how critical trust is to persuasion.

    Episode 056 - How to Apologize, or Why Intentions Don't Matter in Communication

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2019 19:18


    In Episode 056 of Now We're Talking we discuss the basic structure of an effective apology, and why apologies that pivot to intentions don't work. We also discuss how to produce trust after you've hurt someone.

    Episode 055 - Repetition is Persuasion

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2019 21:15


    In Episode 055 of Now We're Talking we discuss how and why repetition works so effectively as a practice of persuasion.

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