The Message Makeover

In this episode of The Message Makeover, we dip into the waters of one of the most widely publicized scandals in recent US history. We interview John Vandemoer, the former sailing coach at Stanford University who was caught up in the college admissions scandal that ensnared coaches at many schools including Yale, Georgetown and USC, as well as several well-known celebrity parents. John was the among the first people indicted, and he ultimately pled guilty to a federal racketeering charge. But there is a lot to this story, and nothing is as it seems. We will also plead "guilty" to the fact that John is a friend, and that we believe his involvement in this story has been widely misunderstood. In this wide-ranging discussion, John takes inside what the US criminal justice system is really like, and how the fundraising machine at colleges and universities has become a huge business with lots of inevitable "side doors" into schools. Ultimately, John was caught in between two powerful institutions... The Justice Department, and Stanford University, one of the most high-profile academic institutions in the world. We hope you will give it a listen. #varsityblues #riggedjustice #johnvandemoer #collegesailing #admissionsscandal #collegesports #coaching -- Dean and Dan

I recently had the chance to appear as a guest on the Digital Tells podcast... Host Sam Norton and I had a great conversation about what COVID-19 could mean for your digital communication strategy... Among the topics we discussed was the crucial importance of being clear and compelling while navigating the new all-digital, sometimes-hybrid frontier we'll continue to live in. Thanks to Sam for the great discussion... Hope you enjoy. Dean

I recently had the pleasure of being a guest on the Ebb and Flow Podcast, hosted by Paul Leeming of Long River Wealth Management. In this episode, Paul and I have a wide-ranging conversation on the challenges of communication in today's world, and we broke the discussion down into four areas (all of which start with the letter “p”… I swear that was not intentional!): professional, personal, political and parental. And in each case, we kept coming back to the same core themes of great communication: listen and meet people where they are. Paul is an outstanding interviewer, and we covered a lot of ground in less than 30 minutes. This episode is called, “Learning to Speak (and Listen) All Over Again.”

This is a killer episode, we say that with great humility

In this episode we interview Chris Kelly on a range of fascinating issues, from owning an NBA team during a pandemic, to the rise of social media echo chambers and the loss of privacy, with a little bit of light politics thrown in. Currently, Chris is a co-owner of the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. Previously, Chris served as Facebook's Chief Privacy Officer and Head of Global Public Policy, among several other roles at the company. And in 2010, Chris ran as a Democratic candidate for Attorney General in the state of California, losing to the eventual winner, now Vice President Kamala Harris. All of these experiences have made Chris a widely known and well-respected expert on corporate strategy, intellectual property and privacy and data protection. He is a frequent guest on CNBC, speaking on a range of business, government, tech and privacy topics. Chris received his BA from Georgetown University, and then a JD from Harvard and an MA in Political Science from Yale.

In this episode we interview Kellie Meiman Hock on the art of international trade negotiations, and the importance of understanding and specifically preparing to communicate with understanding and empathy for the others at the table. Kellie is a Managing Partner at McLarty Associates in Washington, DC, and has had a thirty year career working in foreign trade and investment, that has included stops at the State Department, the US Trade Representative and all across the Pan-American highway. Kellie is fluent in three languages, is a graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and lives outside Washington, DC with her family.

In this episode we interview Phil Bonanno on the art (and a little bit of the science) behind understanding your customer, and figuring how to connect with them. Phil is a Client Partner at Facebook, and is responsible for working with his clients to increase their retail marketing ROI on the Facebook platform. Prior to his career at Facebook, Phil was a leading voice providing deep retail industry analysis and insights in a variety of roles. Phil received his MBA from Babson College, and lives in Melbourne, Australia.

In this episode we interview Bryan Gildenberg on the growing diversity in the United States, the current health crisis, and how both are impacting the ways we must communicate in the United States today. Bryan is the Senior Vice President of Commerce at Omnicom Retail Group, a business consultancy that is on the cutting edge of the retail research, analysis and advice. Bryan has spent the last 21 years analyzing, understanding and framing the global retail landscape for his clients. Prior to his work at Omnicom, he was the Chief Knowledge Officer at Kantar Retail, he received his MBA from Babson College, and he has a Master of Arts degree from The University of Cambridge, England.

In this episode we interview Lydia Fenet about the art of persuasion, and the ways to command attention in every room you walk into. Lyida is a Managing Director at Christie's in New York City, and is the most prominent charity benefit auctioneer in the country. To date she has raised more than $500million for charitable causes. Se is also the author of "The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You," which was published in 2019. Lydia travels around the country to speak to corporations and groups on the art of selling.

Today, we interview Dr. Steven Rogelberg about the science and occasional mania around workplace meetings. Dr. Rogelberg is a Professor of Organizational Science, Management and Psychology at UNC Charlotte. He is the author of the bestselling "The Surprising Science of Meetings" and he has authored scores of publications addressing team effectiveness, leadership, engagement, health, and employee wellbeing.

In this episode of The Message Makeover, Dan and Dean interview Bryan Gildenberg, a thought leader in the changing global retail landscape, and Chief Knowledge Officer for Kantar Consulting. We have always been amazed at Bryan's ability to explain complex ideas simply, and it's our pleasure to introduce him to you.

Dan Cooney talks with Tim about persuasion, and the importance of grounding our approach in the familiar when discussing the new and disruptive.

In this episode, Dean and Dan interview L.J. Spinnato -- Choate varsity football coach who has won 48 games and five consecutive New England prep school championships -- about communication style, information flow when things are under duress, and how to build a winning staff and culture.

In this episode, we talk to Luther Carpenter, a Senior Olympic Coach for the US Sailing Team about the art of coaching, and how your communication style has a massive impact on the results.

In this episode of Message Makeover podcast, we talk to Kate Duffy, a Second City alumnus, about the power of setting specific intentions for every single thing we do. In the podcast, Kate also shares what makes us memorable to others, how lack of confidence undermines your message and she demystifies the craft of storytelling.