Podcasts about Fluency

In this episode, Mary Sullivan, co-founder of Sweet but Fearless talks with Kristine Frost, Founder of Shattered Glass Advisory, about the honest truth behind reaching the C-suite and why political fluency is an essential leadership skill. Drawing from more than 25 years of leading people and culture in the automotive industry, Kristine shares her journey as one of the few women in executive leadership, the importance of being in the rooms where key decisions are made, and how women can avoid getting stuck in transactional leadership by developing an enterprise mindset that helps move an organization forward. Together, Mary and Kristine explore the shift from seeking external validation to finding fulfillment from within, while discussing the resilience, pragmatism, strategic thinking, and courage required to reach the next level of leadership. Whether you're aspiring to the C-suite, navigating a career transition, or redefining success on your own terms, this conversation offers honest insights and practical wisdom to help you move forward with confidence.   ABOUT: KRISTINE M. FROST LinkedIn – Kristine M. FrostWebsite – Shattered Glass Advisory ABOUT SWEET BUT FEARLESS: Website - Sweet but Fearless LinkedIn - Sweet but Fearless

The reason misinformation, and disinformation (false information spread deliberately to deceive), travels so easily may be hiding in plain sight.It hides in simplicity.And it's amplified by the very algorithms that reward content that is easy to consume, easy to remember, and easy to share.Yet despite how profoundly this shapes the way we think, most of us have never been taught the psychology behind it. Processing fluency is one of the most powerful cognitive phenomena you've probably never heard of, and given the speed at which information now spreads online, it's remarkable that it isn't common knowledge.If you've ever wondered why misinformation spreads so easily, why simple answers are so seductive, or why the loudest voices often sound the most convincing, this episode is for you.Because sometimes, the greatest trick our brain plays on us isn't believing a lie.It's confusing easy to process with true.This episode sits very close to my heart because I think most of us have an aunt, mum, uncle, friend, or someone we love who has been influenced by misinformation. Someone who has spent their hard-earned money, changed their health behaviours, or lived with unnecessary fear because something simply sounded convincing.The truth is, none of us are immune to it. Understanding how our brains work isn't about becoming cynical. It's about becoming better equipped to recognise when we're mistaking something that feels easy to understand for something that's actually true.

Can a Punjabi course really make you fluent? Not by itself.In this episode, I explain why learning grammar rules and vocabulary isn't enough to speak Punjabi confidently. Just like reading a workout plan won't build muscle, knowing a language doesn't mean you can use it. Fluency comes from consistent practice—listening, speaking, making mistakes, and using Punjabi every day.If you've ever felt stuck despite studying, this episode will show you what actually works and how to make real progress toward speaking Punjabi like a native.This podcast is for people who want to learn real, conversational Punjabi and understand Punjabi culture.Here, you'll learn the difference between textbook Punjabi and the Punjabi people actually speak in daily life. I explain words, sentences, and expressions step by step, so even beginners can follow easily.If your goal is to speak Punjabi confidently, not just memorize grammar rules, this podcast is for you.Subscribe or follow to keep learning regularly.If you want to support my work or get extra Punjabi lessons and content, you can check out my Patreon.1 on 1 private classes/Patreon membership ⬇️ https://www.patreon.com/amrinder69 Get my Punjabi pronouns ebook ⬇️https://mailchi.mp/40bd16240e52/untitled-pageSupport through PayPal⬇️https://www.paypal.me/amrinder69Check out my Punjabi Roots & Routes podcast ⬇️https://open.spotify.com/show/033uSIpdkis1U4Zq6PHOd5?si=WUsmaGsuRt6SfefvfEVT1wCheck out The Amrinder Singh Podcast (Punjabi podcast)⬇️https://open.spotify.com/show/46YPbbiIk0BDhnO6QDSxVC?si=JBgiZf9rQMaWBnN0aM1LuA&dd=1Youtube ⬇️https://youtube.com/amrindermkInstagram ⬇️https://instagram.com/colloquial.punjabi?igshid=MDE2OWE1N2Q=Contact with me⬇️Email: amrinder.s.shergill@gmail.com Telegram : Amrinder_mk#learnpunjabi

"Listen more than you talk." "Try to be as inclusive as possible." "Transparency at all times, especially in bad times." "The founder is the mood maker." "Leadership is all about providing clarity, providing direction, but also letting the individual get to that endpoint themselves."   Sean Travers is the Founder and Representative Director of MESHD, a Tokyo-based executive search firm specialising in deep technology. The company works extensively with Japanese corporations operating in robotics, industrial automation, mobility, artificial intelligence, machine learning and other advanced engineering fields. Born in the United Kingdom and raised in Perth, Western Australia, Travers began his career selling large-scale capital equipment to the mining and resources sector. The work involved multimillion-dollar transactions, extensive travel to remote mining sites and direct negotiations with tough, highly practical decision-makers. This environment shaped his early commercial instincts, resilience and results-oriented leadership style. After marrying his Japanese wife and starting a family, Travers moved to Tokyo more than 20 years ago. With limited Japanese-language ability and few obvious career options for a foreign professional at the time, he entered recruitment. He subsequently built a career in specialist executive search, including establishing the Japan operation of a global energy recruitment company. The 2015 oil and gas downturn became a defining moment. Despite the Japan business performing well, Travers was instructed by overseas headquarters to decide within 24 hours which employees should be terminated. The experience convinced him that even a successful local leader remained vulnerable to decisions made by distant executives. He eventually launched his own company with several long-standing colleagues. Over the following decade, Travers expanded beyond conventional executive search. His businesses have helped establish and incubate specialist recruitment ventures, including firms focused on software, chemicals and hospitality. His leadership journey in Japan has required him to move from a highly directive, perfectionist management style towards a more inclusive approach built on listening, transparency, autonomy, trust and cultural adaptability.   Sean Travers' leadership journey in Japan began far from Tokyo's corporate offices. Raised in Western Australia, he learned to sell multimillion-dollar capital equipment in the mining and resources industry. Success depended on abandoning formal appearances, visiting remote worksites and earning credibility with blunt, experienced equipment operators. It was a demanding commercial education that rewarded toughness, directness and persistence. Those qualities later helped Travers succeed in executive recruitment, but they also created leadership challenges. After moving to Japan more than 20 years ago, he entered the recruitment industry and eventually took responsibility for teams and entire business operations. His initial approach was highly prescriptive. As a perfectionist, he expected employees to follow the methods that had worked for him. Team members with similar personalities often performed well, but many others struggled. Feedback from his manager and trusted friends forced Travers to reconsider his assumptions. Leadership could not be based on expecting everyone to respond to the same instructions, pressure or communication style. He gradually became more attentive to individual differences, emotional reactions and the need to adapt his expectations. This remained compatible with accountability, but it required him to separate high performance standards from unnecessarily militant behaviour. Leading Japanese employees created another layer of complexity. In meetings, employees might nod, indicate understanding and appear to agree, only for Travers to discover later that they did not understand, support or trust the direction. He learned that setting a clear objective was not enough. Leaders must ask questions that confirm understanding, create alternative channels for feedback and consult trusted internal colleagues who can explain how a message was actually received. This awareness also influenced the way he recruited people into his own company. Joining a new boutique recruitment firm involves considerable perceived risk, especially in Japan, where candidates may consult family members and carefully assess a company's stability. Travers found that trust could not be created through a single persuasive interview. Some candidates required regular discussions over 18 to 24 months before they were ready to join. Rather than continually selling the opportunity, he shared honest updates about clients, target industries, business progress and organisational challenges. His commitment to the team was tested during COVID-19. When revenues fell, Travers and his leadership group chose salary deferments rather than headcount reductions. Travers personally went without a salary for approximately two and a half years. The decision reflected both loyalty and commercial logic. Experienced recruiters require considerable time and investment before becoming productive, and rebuilding the team after the recovery would have been expensive and disruptive. Transparency became central to maintaining engagement. However, Travers does not interpret transparency as disclosing every concern to every employee. Leaders must judge which information should be shared across the organisation and which should remain within the leadership team. The purpose is to provide enough truth for employees to understand decisions without creating unnecessary fear or instability. As the company grew, Travers also had to create opportunities for quieter employees to contribute. Weekly all-hands meetings were useful, but the same confident people tended to speak. He therefore began arranging individual lunches and conversations with team members who were less likely to contribute publicly. Anonymous surveys and live digital voting also provided safer channels for candid feedback. The company's culture evolved with its needs. Its early atmosphere was highly sales-driven and dominated by aggressive dealmaking. Travers recognised that a business composed only of competitive "hunters" would struggle to attract the broader mix of people needed for sustainable growth. Team lunches, off-sites, greater financial visibility and discussions about employees' backgrounds and ambitions helped create a more balanced environment. Travers believes the founder's behaviour has a disproportionate impact in a smaller company. The founder becomes the organisation's "mood maker". A leader who arrives visibly discouraged or negative can lower the energy of the entire workplace. Leadership therefore includes the discipline to demonstrate constructive energy even during difficult periods. His advice to new foreign leaders in Japan is grounded in this experience: listen more than they talk, include people without placing them under uncomfortable pressure and remain transparent, particularly when circumstances deteriorate. Japanese-language ability helps, but it does not guarantee success. Character, attitude, discipline and the willingness to understand people matter more. Ultimately, Travers defines leadership as establishing the destination and providing the emotional support, clarity and guardrails that allow others to reach it. Leaders should give employees autonomy, trust them to perform and provide direct feedback when they deviate. The leader sets the endpoint, but the individual must have room to determine the route. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Leadership in Japan requires close attention to what is not stated directly. Travers discovered that apparent agreement in a meeting may not represent genuine understanding, commitment or trust. Japanese employees may nod, acknowledge an instruction and avoid openly challenging a senior leader, while privately remaining uncertain or unconvinced. This makes confirmation essential. A leader cannot simply deliver a clear message and assume it has landed. Questions must be used to test understanding without creating embarrassment. Trusted internal supporters can also provide valuable insight into how particular employees interpreted the discussion. Indirect feedback is especially important. Travers has used respected colleagues to speak privately with employees and uncover concerns that might never be raised in a formal meeting. This resembles a practical form of nemawashi: gathering reactions, identifying resistance and building alignment through quieter conversations before expecting visible consensus. Trust also takes time. Employees and candidates may evaluate not only the leader but also the organisation's long-term stability. Consistent behaviour, repeated contact, honest business updates and a willingness to acknowledge mistakes are more persuasive than a polished recruitment pitch or inspirational speech. Why do global executives struggle? Global executives often struggle because they transfer a leadership formula that succeeded elsewhere without adapting it to the people or context in Japan. Travers initially relied on the direct, forceful style he had developed in Western Australia. He assumed that employees would succeed by following the same methods that had produced his own results. This approach worked with a minority of employees who shared his temperament, but it was ineffective for many others. The experience demonstrated that leadership success is not automatically transferable. The leader must adjust communication, coaching and expectations according to the individual. Foreign executives may also misinterpret politeness as commitment. A meeting can appear successful because no one objects, yet employees may leave without believing in the decision. Executives who dominate discussions, speak too quickly or fail to invite quieter voices may unknowingly suppress the information they need. Another common mistake is treating Japanese-language proficiency as the primary solution. Language is useful, but a fluent executive who lacks humility, emotional intelligence or cultural awareness can still fail. Attitude and behaviour determine whether language becomes a bridge or merely another tool for issuing instructions. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Travers' experience suggests that caution in Japan is often rational rather than inherently risk-averse. A candidate considering a boutique recruitment company must evaluate whether the organisation will survive the next economic downturn. Recruitment is cyclical and frequently acts as a canary in the coal mine: hiring freezes arrive early when an industry begins to weaken. Employees may also seek advice from parents, grandparents, former colleagues or trusted senpai before changing jobs. From a Western perspective, this can look excessively conservative. From the candidate's perspective, however, employment decisions affect family stability, professional reputation and long-term security. Travers responded by extending the courtship process. Some potential hires remained in conversation with the company for 18 to 24 months. During that period, he did not merely sell the role. He provided evidence about the company's clients, industries, performance, challenges and direction. The COVID-19 response also demonstrated how leadership can reduce uncertainty. Rather than cutting employees immediately, the company introduced salary deferments and preserved the team. This decision created risk for the founder, who received no salary for approximately two and a half years, but it provided greater security for employees and positioned the organisation to recover without rebuilding its workforce. What leadership style actually works? Travers advocates an adaptive style that combines direction, accountability, empathy and autonomy. His early top-down approach was too rigid. Over time, he learned that empathy does not require abandoning standards and accountability does not require brutality. The leader must first clarify the endpoint. Employees need to understand where the organisation is today, where it intends to be in the future and which outcomes define success. The leader then provides guardrails and emotional support while allowing individuals to determine how they will reach the destination. Inclusion is also essential. Leaders should actively invite participation from people who do not naturally dominate meetings. Travers uses individual lunches, direct questions, anonymous surveys and live voting to gather ideas from a wider cross-section of the company. He also believes that leaders should explain the reasoning behind decisions, especially when acknowledging mistakes. Employees may disagree with the conclusion, but understanding the decision-making process increases respect and trust. Admitting an error does not necessarily diminish authority. When combined with ownership and a credible explanation, it can strengthen leadership credibility. How can technology help? Technology can create safer and more democratic channels for employee input. In traditional meetings, seniority, confidence and communication style can determine whose ideas are heard. The same employees may repeatedly raise their hands, while quieter people remain invisible. MESHD has used anonymous post-event surveys and real-time digital voting to overcome this limitation. Employees can express support or opposition without being identified publicly. This allows the organisation to measure sentiment more accurately and reduces the pressure to follow the most senior or outspoken person. Technology does not replace personal leadership. Travers still values one-to-one lunches, informal conversations and feedback gathered through trusted colleagues. Digital tools are most effective when they complement human relationships and provide additional routes for honest communication. The broader lesson is that decision intelligence improves when leaders diversify their information sources. Formal meetings, private conversations, anonymous data and operational results each reveal different aspects of organisational reality. Leaders who rely on only one channel risk making decisions from incomplete information. Does language proficiency matter? Japanese-language ability helps foreign leaders communicate, form relationships and understand more of what is happening around them. Travers speaks Japanese and considers it an advantage. However, he does not believe that language proficiency guarantees leadership success. Character, attitude and discipline matter more. Employees observe how a leader responds under pressure, whether commitments are honoured, whether mistakes are acknowledged and whether the leader listens sincerely. These behaviours build or destroy trust regardless of vocabulary level. A leader who speaks imperfect Japanese but demonstrates respect, curiosity and consistency may be more effective than a fluent speaker who assumes language ability provides complete cultural understanding. Fluency can help a leader access information, but it cannot substitute for humility or good judgement. Foreign executives should therefore study Japanese while also developing deeper listening skills. They need to notice hesitation, indirect disagreement and the absence of expected follow-through. Communication success should be measured by shared understanding and action, not by the leader's ability to complete a conversation in Japanese. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? Travers' central leadership lesson is that the leader provides clarity and direction without controlling every step. The organisation may be at point A today and aiming for point Z in two years. The leader must define Z, explain why it matters and create the conditions in which employees can move towards it. Those conditions include emotional support, trust, autonomy and honest feedback. Employees should know the guardrails and performance measures, but they should also have room to use their judgement. When they make mistakes, the leader must respond directly and constructively rather than taking back all control. Leadership also requires personal accountability. Travers learned to admit when decisions had produced negative consequences and to explain the reasoning that led to them. Employees generally responded with greater understanding than he expected. Finally, leadership is visible. In a smaller organisation, the founder's energy affects everyone. The leader becomes the mood maker, particularly during uncertainty. Listening, inclusion, transparency and constructive energy are therefore not occasional techniques. They are daily responsibilities that shape whether people trust the direction and choose to follow. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Ana Hernandez—SLP and founder of Adult Stuttering—about why she ditched fluency therapy and never looked back. Ana breaks down the adaptation effect, why you can't sit in the middle ground, and what it actually looks like to run an affirming stuttering session from start to finish. If stuttering has always felt like uncharted territory, this one's your map.Bullet Points to Discuss: Why the middle ground between fluency and acceptance is hurting your studentsThe adaptation effect and why fluency strategies fail in real lifeUsing the five stages of behavioral change to meet students where they areDitching “bumpy speech” and reframing how we talk about stutteringStarting sessions with a positive speaking momentHere's what we learned: You can't tell a kid their stutter is okay and drill fluency strategies in the same session.Fluency strategies don't fail because the student didn't try hard enough—they're just unreliable by design.Safety comes before progress. Some kids need the whole session just to feel okay being in the room.“Stutter” is not a bad word. “Bumpy speech” is out.If you're shifting away from fluency therapy, just tell your student. Kids love honesty.Learn more about Ana Hernandez: Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/adult-stutteringWebsite: www.adultstuttering.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/adultstuttering/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adultstuttering-ana/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adultstutteringAdult Stutter – Goals List: https://adultstuttering.myflodesk.com/slpgoals Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

This podcast explores how reading fluency is best improved in the upper grades -- explaining when instruction should shift to Tier 2 settings and the methods and texts best used for teaching.

Are you as AI fluent as you should be? The American Bar Association's "21 Days of AI: A Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge" is a free online resource that offers a path toward becoming adept in the use of AI to enhance legal practice and professional development. In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and James Hunsberger speak with legal innovation strategist and "21 Days of AI" co-author Gabrielle Kohlmeier about the origins of the Challenge and how closing the AI knowledge gender gap was a key driver of the project. Listen and learn how the "21 Days of AI" can level the AI fluency playing field not just for women lawyers, but for anyone contending with the AI revolution in their work and personal life. With special guest: Gabrielle ZA Kohlmeier, Principal and Founder, GK Strategic Advisory, former Verizon Global Head of Legal Change Related Links: The 21 Days of AI: A Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge  The Grit and Growth Mindset Project Hosted by: Alicia Downey, Downey Law and James Hunsberger, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider

Dustin shares a snippet from his most recent updates to his procurement focused ai presentation for procurement conferences with a short clip focusing on the next frontier - an intro to agentic ai.

A conversation with Aylin Erengul Gregg and Ana Arana on supporting multilingual learners without mistaking English fluency for ability. About Aylin Erengul Gregg Aylin Erengul Gregg is an English Language Acquisition specialist with a passion for supporting multilingual learners in accessing meaningful and equitable education. Having taught in diverse international school settings, she brings a global perspective to language acquisition, identity, and classroom practice. Her work with students from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds is grounded in the belief that language learning should affirm rather than assimilate. She is the creator of the LEAVES Approach, which focuses on language, exposure, acquisition, validation, engagement, and scaffolding as a way to support multilingual learners and help educators become more language-aware in their practice. Currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Aylin continues to work with multilingual learners, supporting them to feel seen, capable, and confident as they develop English. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aylin-erengul-gregg-ma-tesol-w-app-ling-10b56915/  About Ana Arana Ana Arana is an advocate for multilingual learners who challenges the assumption that language proficiency equals intelligence. With a Master's from the University of Exeter and over a decade of experience in IB schools, she builds classrooms where students' strengths are recognised, their voices are heard, and their academic potential isn't mistaken for their English fluency. Her approach is collaborative. She works alongside colleagues to ensure language learning is part of everyday learning, not a separate activity. This advocacy extends to every student conversation, team meeting, and classroom decision. Her driving motivation is simple: to help multilingual learners build confidence, fully access the curriculum, and thrive academically and personally. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/msanaarana/  Resources https://www.leaveseal.com/ John Mikton on Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmikton/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmikton Web: beyonddigital.org Dan Taylor on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appsevents  Twitter: https://twitter.com/appdkt  Web: www.appsevents.com Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube Do a full security audit of your Workspace for free at https://workspaceaudit.com Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we'll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial

Send us Fan MailWhat if math fluency wasn't about speed... but about thinking?In this episode of the Math Chat Podcast, we're rethinking what it means to build mathematical fluency in elementary classrooms. Instead of timed tests and memorization, discover how purposeful fluency helps students develop flexible strategies, notice patterns, explain their reasoning, and build lasting mathematical understanding.You'll learn practical math fluency activities that promote reasoning, discussion, and confidence, including:Number StringsTrue or False?Which One Doesn't Belong?Choral CountingCounting CollectionsLow-prep math games that build strategy and flexibilityIf you want to create a classroom where students think, solve, talk, and make sense of mathematics every day, this episode is for you.

Should we teach reading fluency in middle school and high school? This podcast explores the differences in fluency development in the primary grades and middle school grades and explains why fluency instruction matters in the upper grades. It provides a realistic explanation of what fluency development looks like over these years.

Think fluency instruction is only for primary grades? Think again.In this episode, we're unpacking why reading fluency remains one of the most important—and often overlooked—components of literacy instruction in upper elementary. You'll learn how fluency impacts comprehension, the common signs students are struggling, and simple ways to build meaningful fluency practice into your literacy block.Plus, we'll share an easy-to-implement 5 day fluency routine that can help students become more confident, expressive, and successful readers.Fluency isn't just about reading faster, it's the bridge between decoding and comprehension.Resources & Links:The Stellar Literacy Collective stellarteacher.com/joinTier 1 Instruction That Works Workshop stellarteacher.com/workshop

In today's episode I'm talking about AI fluency and why becoming AI fluent is quickly becoming essential for your future career.I hope you enjoy it! As always you can learn more and connect with me on my website (andystorch.com) or LinkedIn. And you can find my books - Own Your Career Own Your Life and Own Your Brand, Own Your Career - on Amazon.

In this solo episode, Andy Storch makes the case for why AI fluency isn't optional — it's the new baseline for employability. While the macro debates around AI (government regulation, ethics, AGI timelines) are worth following, Andy argues that the wave is coming regardless. The real question is: will you be ready?Andy draws a powerful analogy between the early days of listing "proficient in Microsoft Office" on a résumé and what AI proficiency means for today's workforce — except the stakes are exponentially higher. He shares what he's hearing from talent development professionals, company leaders, and frontline employees, and explains why the biggest gap isn't technology — it's adoption.He also shares exciting news: Andy is launching an AI Kickstarter Workshop (available this fall) — a hands-on 90-minute session designed to get teams not just learning about AI, but actually using it and producing real output during the session.In This Episode, You'll Hear:Why the AI wave is happening whether we embrace it or not — and why that matters for L&DThe Microsoft Office analogy: how AI proficiency today mirrors a skill that once set candidates apart on résumésWhat Andy is hearing from leaders and talent development professionals about low AI adoption ratesThe "60% in the middle" — why most employees aren't anti-AI, they just don't know where to startWhy employees who avoid AI fluency risk being left behind in hiring — and what you can do about itHow organizations are paying for AI licenses that no one is using, and what to do insteadThe two types of speaking engagements Andy is now booking around AI enablement and career ownershipDetails on Andy's upcoming AI Kickstarter Workshop — a 90-minute session to get your team actually using AI toolsResources & Links Mentioned:Andy's website: andystorch.comEmail Andy directly: andy@andystorch.comAI tools mentioned: ChatGPT, Claude, GeminiWork With Andy:Ready to get your team AI-fluent? Andy is booking two types of engagements:AI Kickstarter Workshop — A 90-minute hands-on session to get your team using AI tools and producing real output. Available this fall.Career Ownership & AI Keynote — For teams that have already started AI training but need a session on owning their careers and taking advantage of the opportunities in front of them.Reach out at andy@andystorch.com or visit andystorch.com.About The Talent Development Hot Seat:Hosted by Andy Storch, this podcast connects talent development professionals with insights, ideas, and inspiration to grow their careers and their organizations. With over 600 episodes published since 2018, the Hot Seat is your resource for what's next in L&D.

In today's episode I'm talking about AI fluency and why becoming AI fluent is quickly becoming essential for your future career.I hope you enjoy it! As always you can learn more and connect with me on my website (andystorch.com) or LinkedIn. And you can find my books - Own Your Career Own Your Life and Own Your Brand, Own Your Career - on Amazon.

Your Literacy Block: Part 4Fluency is more than reading fast — it's the bridge between word recognition and comprehension. In this episode of the Your Literacy Block series, Emily breaks down what reading fluency really means, why upper elementary students still need explicit fluency instruction, and three simple, research-backed activities you can start using this week.You'll learn:the 3 components of fluency: accuracy, automaticity, and prosodyHow fluency connects to Scarborough's Reading RopeWhy upper elementary teachers often overlook fluency instruction3 quick fluency activities: repeated reading (with the "One Glow, One Grow" partner routine), echo reading, and silly voicesMark your calendars! The Stellar Teacher Collective Kickoff is coming up — a live virtual training just for our Collective members. Join us July 5th - 10th as we explore the *new* Collective website and plan and prep for the school year. This is your chance to learn live, ask questions in real time, and connect with fellow upper elementary teachers in the community.Not a Collective member yet? stellarteacher.com/joinCatch up on the series:Part 1 (Comprehension)Part 2 (Word Study with Kori),Part 3 (Phonics & Phonemic Awareness).

In this episode, learn why mastering prompts and creating reusable skill files in markdown is the key to becoming AI toolproof—adapting seamlessly to any platform or software change. Perfect for educators and teachers looking to future-proof their AI fluency! Main Topics: The importance of core AI competencies beyond platform subscriptionHow prompts live independently of tools and are portableBuilding and using skill files in markdown (.md) for repeatable workflowsThe pitfalls of tying skills to specific AI platforms or subscriptionsPractical steps: creating your own skill files for lesson planning, assessment, and admin tasksOverview of the Connected PE workshops for hands-on skill file creationWhy foundational AI fluency makes teachers adaptable to fast-changing AI toolsThe value of asynchronous, self-paced courses for long-term AI competence Timestamps: 00:30 - Why your AI skill isn't about a platform, but core competencies 01:18 - The difference between tool use and prompt mastery 02:18 - Avoiding platform lock-in with plain markdown skill files 03:21 - How to keep prompts portable across AI tool changes 04:50 - Anatomy of a skill file: Title, trigger, prompt, output, variations 05:44 - Using skill files for consistent workflows in education 06:50 - Introducing the four-week Connected PE AI fluency workshop 07:50 - Building and customizing your own skill files for different use cases 08:50 - The importance of foundational skills over specific tools 10:17 - Join the upcoming workshops or contact for more info Resources & Links: https://thepegeek.com/workshops/ https://connectedpe.com/skills

ntroduction to Reading FluencyThis session focuses on fluency, one of the five core areas of reading defined by the National Reading Panel (following previous sessions on phonemic awareness and phonics/word work).Definition: Reading fluency is the ability to process text quickly.Target Audience: Fluency activities should strictly be used for students who actually need them—those who actively struggle with fluency.The Music Analogy: Fluency practice is very much like practicing musical scales. You practice scales so you don't have to read a piece of music note-by-note. While it is essential, practicing scales is only one small part of your overall practice time. Similarly, fluency instruction should only take up three to eight minutes a day of a student's total reading time.Clarifying Key TermsProsody: This is when oral reading naturally sounds like speaking, featuring correct pauses and inflections. You do not explicitly teach prosody; prosody is an effect of achieving fluency.Expression: Reading with expression is really only necessary for theater or dramatic readings. Like prosody, natural expression is an effect of fluency rather than something we teach directly.

In this episode of the Crazy Wisdom Podcast, host Stewart Alsop sits down with Larry Swanson, creator of the Knowledge Graph Insights Podcast, for their second conversation together. The two cover a wide range of interconnected topics, starting with a correction Larry makes about the true origin of the term "artificial intelligence," tracing it back to the 1956 Dartmouth Conference and its distinction from Norbert Wiener's cybernetics. From there, the conversation moves through the history and structure of knowledge graphs, ontologies, RDF (Resource Description Framework), and the W3C standards process, touching on concepts like the T-box, A-box, and C-box, as well as the 25th anniversary of the Semantic Web paper. Stewart and Larry also dig into the limitations of large language models — particularly around reasoning, confabulation, and what Larry describes as "cognitive surrender" — and why symbolic AI and knowledge engineering may hold answers that the neural network world hasn't fully embraced. The episode also ventures into consciousness, panpsychism, Michael Pollan's ideas, and Stewart's own hands-on experience vibe coding a personal chatbot to replace functionality he feels he's lost with recent changes to Claude. Larry's podcast can be found at kgi.fm.Timestamps00:00 - Stewart introduces Larry Swanson; Larry corrects the record on AI's origin, distinguishing it from Norbert Wiener's cybernetics at the 1956 Dartmouth conference.05:00 - Larry discusses interviewing semantic web paper coauthors on its 25th anniversary; RDF's hidden ubiquity compared to SIM cards powering everything invisibly.10:00 - Knowledge graphs explained through t-box terms, a-box assertions, and Dave McComb's c-box; IKEA's three-layer knowledge graph as a practical example.15:00 - Stewart connects metadata complexity to AI needs; faceted search explained as c-box attributes driving product filtering experiences.20:00 - RDF 1.2 reification standards discussed; W3C's rigorous recommendation process powering governments and enterprises worldwide through collaborative standards.25:00 - Cyc project examined as influential "successful failure"; Pat Hayes bringing description logic into semantic web; LLMs lacking true reasoning capability.30:00 - Epistemological fault lines between human and computer intelligence; cognitive surrender paper reveals no intelligence threshold protects against AI manipulation.35:00 - Stewart's Claude regression problem drives chatbot vibe coding quest; small language models and domain-specific approaches explored as alternatives.40:00 - Consciousness discussion through Michael Pollan's panpsychism lens; language versus cognition disconnect revealing LLMs as pure token-stitching without genuine thought.45:00 - Context graphs as purpose-built knowledge graphs for AI; Stewart's planning agents versus coding agents architecture and ground truth verification problem.50:00 - Docs-as-code versus code-as-docs paradigm shift; knowledge graphs as universal verifiers against validated facts; RDF 1.2 enabling provenance and degrees of certainty.55:00 - Jessica Talisman's Knowledge Graph Academy recommended for onboarding; kgi.fm podcast shared; knowledge representation community needs better abstraction for wider adoption.Key Insights1. The term "artificial intelligence" was not a marketing gimmick but was coined deliberately at the 1956 Dartmouth Conference to distinguish the work of John McCarthy from Norbert Wiener's cybernetics. The two camps represented genuinely different approaches, and the AI label was a form of intentional intellectual branding rather than empty promotion.2. The semantic web, often called the most successful failure in technology history, has quietly embedded itself everywhere despite never achieving its original vision. Technologies like RDF power metadata standards inside every Adobe product and form the invisible backbone of government systems, enterprise data infrastructure, and cultural heritage organizations worldwide.3. Knowledge graphs are best understood as an ontology combined with all the instances that populate it. The distinction between things and strings, popularized by Google in 2012, captures the core idea that knowledge representation is about concepts as distinct from the labels we give them.4. The t-box, a-box, and c-box framework offers a practical model for understanding knowledge architecture. The t-box holds terminology and concepts, the a-box holds assertions about specific instances, and the c-box manages the attributes, taxonomies, and controlled vocabularies that sit between them and enable things like faceted search.5. Large language models produce fluent, convincing output but lack genuine reasoning, epistemological grounding, or judgment. Research on cognitive surrender shows that even people who understand how LLMs work are still susceptible to being misled by their fluency, meaning intelligence and awareness offer no reliable protection against being deceived.6. The gap between language and cognition matters deeply when evaluating AI. Evidence from people with aphasia shows that thinking can occur without language, which suggests LLMs, being purely language-based systems, are missing a fundamental layer of cognition that cannot be recovered through more tokens or better training.7. Knowledge graphs and RDF-based representation are well suited to the problem of verification and grounding in AI systems. Rather than relying on vectorized embeddings of language, a knowledge graph can store validated, provenance-tracked facts with degrees of certainty, making it a natural foundation for building trustworthy AI applications.

Book a workshop for your team: https://bit.ly/4egTU9DCassie Vaughn shares her journey from customer success to AI fluency, emphasizing the importance of AI as a co-pilot, building AI agents, and redefining the customer journey in SaaS. This episode offers practical insights for CS leaders aiming to integrate AI effectively and foster a culture of experimentation and growth.Chapters:00:00 The Journey of Customer Success Leadership02:45 Transitioning to Clay: A New Chapter06:10 Redefining Customer Success Roles09:09 The Evolution of Customer Success12:03 AI Fluency in Customer Success15:04 Building AI Fluency in Teams18:05 The Role of Trusted Advisors in CS21:09 Navigating AI Challenges Together27:14 Embracing Experimentation in Customer Success29:18 Building AI Agents for Enhanced Customer Support35:51 Overcoming AI Imposter Syndrome40:37 Redefining AI Fluency in Customer SuccessConnect with Cassie Vaughn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassiebrown/Connect with Anika Zubair: Website: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikazubair/RevUP Academy™: https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/revupBook Anika as a speaker at your next team event: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/team-eventWant to be my next podcast guest apply here: https://www.thecustomersuccesspro.com/podcast-guestDownload my freebies:https://thecustomersuccesspro.com/resources

Connor Vukelich, CEO of Poppin' Jobs, argues AI is reshaping—not replacing—entry-level work. He says Gen Z must build AI fluency to stay competitive, using technology to enhance productivity rather than replace human skills. Vukelich also highlights how this shift could unlock new entrepreneurial opportunities.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

Send us Fan MailLisa Gevelber is the founder and leader of Grow with Google, Google's economic opportunity initiative focused on helping people build skills, careers, and businesses. Through Google Career Certificates and AI training programs, she has helped millions of learners develop workforce-ready skills and navigate an increasingly AI-driven economy.

In today's episode of Speak English With Tiffani, you'll learn 5 powerful ways AI can improve your English fluency—so you can sound more natural, respond faster, and speak with more confidence in real conversations. AI can be like a private coach that helps you practice without pressure, get instant feedback, and build stronger speaking habits.You'll learn how to use AI to:Rewrite your English so it sounds natural (without changing your meaning)Replace “safe” words like good, nice, and very with real native-speaker alternativesPractice follow-up questions so you stop freezing in conversationsDescribe what you see with more detail and better vocabularyGive stronger opinions with clear reasons and real examplesIf you want to sign up for the free English email newsletter, go to https://speakenglishwithtiffani.com/newsletter

Does America actually have a culture?For decades we've been told America is merely a melting pot, an economy, or an idea. But if that's true, what exactly are people assimilating into?In this Trans Tuesday episode, Chad Law explores the concept of cultural fluency and asks whether many of today's political leaders understand the culture they are attempting to govern.From I Love Lucy and shared cultural references to government grocery stores, suburbs, homeownership, abundance, choice, and the American Dream, this episode examines what makes America uniquely American—and why so many political debates feel impossible.Topics include:• Zohran Mamdani• Nithya Raman• Ilhan Omar• Abdul El-Sayed• The American Dream• Assimilation• Government grocery stores• American culture• Choice and abundance• Reagan's Shining City on a Hill

In this powerful episode of the Building Better Humans Project podcast, we delve into the importance of emotional fluency in men, challenging the common notion that a happy wife equals a happy life. We argue that this oversimplifies the complexities of relationships and instead emphasizes the need for emotional safety, connection, and growth. The conversation centers around the idea that men often struggle with accountability and growth in their relationships, leading to a lack of emotional maturity and fluency. The episode explores the concept of peace in relationships, moving beyond the idea that it's the absence of conflict or disagreement. Instead, we discuss that peace comes from being the best version of oneself, taking ownership, and doing the work to build a strong and healthy relationship. If you're looking to build a stronger, more meaningful relationship, this episode is a must-listen. The Building Better Humans Project is brought to you by ADVENTURE PROFESSIONALS. Visit www.adventureprofessionals.com.auADVENTURE WITH GLENN ONLINE MINDSET PROGRAMS 1-ON-1 MENTORINGSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If AI fluency in your organisation means learning tools, the thinking underneath is being skipped. Here I break down a 4 step framework. In this episode we cover: Why human thinking is non-negotiable with AI How vague prompts mirror vague inclusion strategies Why AI adoption has an ethos problem If you're finding that AI is … A 4 Step Framework For AI Fluency Leaders Need To Understand Read More » The post A 4 Step Framework For AI Fluency Leaders Need To Understand appeared first on Element of Inclusion.

Dr. Jerry Kane is a Professor at the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. In this episode, Jerry joins The Edge of Work Podcast to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping work, learning, and leadership faster than most organizations can keep up. Drawing on his work with students and executives, he shares why artificial intelligence is less about technology and more about building an entrepreneurial mindset that helps people experiment, adapt, and create value. Jerry also explains how organizations can move beyond fear and hype to build real AI fluency, why human skills will become even more valuable as automation grows, and what leaders can do now to help their teams prepare for what comes next.LinksDr. Kane's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geraldckane/Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-take-jobs-question-misses-whats-actually-happening-gerald-kane-bssce/?trackingId=Ychj1h8FRAGHafoDDSbv4w%3D%3D

Send us Fan MailAt some point, every conversation started sounding like a counseling session. This week on the Mike & Blaine Podcast, we talk about the rise of “therapy speak” and why words like boundaries, trauma, triggers, healing, emotional safety, and toxic behavior have completely taken over the internet, workplaces, dating, and even marketing. From HR emails that sound like wellness retreats to breakups that read like psychology textbooks, everyone suddenly seems emotionally fluent—and slightly exhausted. We break down where this trend came from, why some of it is genuinely helpful, and where it starts turning normal life into a diagnosis. Because somewhere between self-awareness and self-obsession… things got weird.As a business owner or leader, this isn't just an internet trend—it is a critical shift in workplace culture and business strategy. How do you manage team dynamics when standard professional feedback is labeled as a "boundary violation"? How does your marketing strategy adapt when platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn are dominated by emotional fluency? We dive into the tactical side of communication, exploring how to maintain high-performance leadership, set actual professional boundaries, and communicate effectively without turning your weekly sync into a group therapy session. Striking the balance between empathy and execution is the ultimate modern business tactic.We want to hear from you! Email us your thoughts, wild workplace stories, or feedback at beer@mikeandblaine.com.Listen to all our episodes and support the show at mikeandblaine.com. If you love the chaos, hit the site and buy us a beer!Learn about our businesses: • Cash Flow Mike: Training CPAs to provide effective, high-value advisory services to their clients. Learn more at cashflowmike.com • Dryrun: Cash flow forecasting and financial modeling for the office of the CFO, getting finance teams out of spreadsheets and into strategy. Learn more at dryrun.comThanks to our Beer Sponsors: • Karen Hairston from 3S Smart Consulting: 3ssmartconsulting.com • Larry Weinstein, the best CPA in Houston!• Neighbor Pat • DevinWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bqiR_qdW0Kk#TherapySpeak #MentalHealthCulture #InternetCulture #Boundaries #WorkplaceCulture #BusinessStrategy #LeadershipTactics #HRTrends #CorporateCommunication #SmallBusinessTips #TikTokTrends #LinkedIn #Instagram #TikTok #HarvardBusinessReview #Forbes #IncMagazineSupport the showCatch more episodes, see our sponsors and get in touch at https://mikeandblaine.com/

In this episode of ABA on Call, Rick Kubina and Doug Kostewicz interview a renowned Norwegian dog trainer about the science of behavior across species. Morten Egtvedt shares his journey from training search-and-rescue dogs as a teenager to helping introduce clicker training throughout Norway alongside Karen Pryor. The discussion explores how core behavioral principles such as timing, reinforcement, fluency, shaping, and criterion adjustment matter far more than any specific training technique. Morten also discusses the differences between reinforcement-based and punishment-based training, the role of motivation in learning, and why behavior analysis provides a practical framework for understanding both dogs and humans. Listeners will hear compelling parallels between animal training, education, sports performance, and everyday human interactions, while gaining insight into how fluency-based instruction creates durable, reliable behavior change. To earn CEUs for listening, click here, log in or sign up, pay the CEU fee, + take the knowledge check to generate your certificate! Don't forget to subscribe and follow and leave us a rating and review. Show Notes:    Binder, C. (1996). Behavioral fluency: Evolution of a new paradigm. The Behavior Analyst, 19(2), 163–197. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03393163 Pryor, K. (1999). Don't shoot the dog!: The new art of teaching and training (Rev. ed.). Bantam Books. Pryor, K. (2002). Clicker training for dogs. Ringpress Books. Pryor, K., & Chase, S. (2014). Training for variable and innovative behavior. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 27, 218–225.

Charlene Li is the Author of Winning with AI: The 90-Day Blueprint for Success. In this episode, Charlene joins Al to break down what it really takes for organizations to move beyond AI experimentation and start creating real business value. She explains why companies should stop thinking about AI as a separate strategy and instead use it to strengthen their existing business goals. Charlene also shares practical advice on building AI fluency across teams, avoiding common adoption traps, and helping leaders guide their organizations through change. LinksCharlene's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleneli/Charlene's Book: https://winningwithaibook.com/ 

Everyone claims they're "good with AI" on their CV. Almost no one can prove it. As AI tools proliferate across every function, talent leaders face a critical gap: we need people who don't just use AI, but wield it strategically—and we have no reliable way to identify them. Enter Zapier. The automation platform that helped democratise no-code workflows has developing and refining a practical framework for assessing AI fluency in hiring. Everyone's been talking about it. But now we've got Soeren Winter to unpack it and tell us what it means for Talent Acquisition teams.   • Redefining "AI Fluency" for Hiring • The Portfolio Approach to Assessment Distinguishing candidates who've memorized one interface from those who understand underlying AI principles and can adapt across platforms, models, and use cases • Critical Evaluation as Core Competency • Integration & Workflow Design • The Ethics & Safety Screen • Cross-Functional Translation • Learning Velocity Indicators • Practical Assessment Design • Building Internal AI Fluency Benchmarks   AI fluency is now a baseline expectation, not a differentiator—but most hiring processes haven't caught up. Organizations still screening for "AI experience" on LinkedIn are filling roles with candidates who can't deliver. Meanwhile, teams using rigorous, practical assessment frameworks are building workforces that genuinely multiply productivity. The cost of getting this wrong isn't just a bad hire; it's the opportunity cost of teams waiting months for someone to actually become useful.   We're on Friday 22nd May at 2pm BST. Register by clicking on the green button (save your spot) and follow the channel here (recommended).   Ep383 is supported by our friends at Greenhouse   AI is reshaping hiring across the UK, Ireland and Germany. But is trust keeping up?   Greenhouse surveyed over 2,200 jobseekers, recruiters and hiring managers to uncover where AI is building confidence in hiring, where it's eroding it, and what the most trusted employers are doing differently.   Download the full report

In Episode 205 of the Equipping ELLs podcast, host Beth Vaucher dives deep into one of the most foundational topics in ELL education — the five stages of language acquisition — and breaks them down in the most practical, classroom-ready way possible. This is not a repeat of what you heard in your credential program. This is a real-classroom guide to what each stage looks and sounds like on a Tuesday afternoon, what students need at each stage, and — just as importantly — what teachers should stop doing that is quietly slowing language growth.Beth begins the episode by addressing why knowing the stage names is not enough. Most ELL teachers can name the stages, but truly understanding what they look like in a real classroom is a completely different skill. When teachers do not have a clear picture of each stage, they misread their students, plan for the wrong things, and struggle to advocate confidently when homeroom teachers or admin question why a student is not producing grade-level work.The episode opens with Stage 1 Pre-Production — the silent period — and immediately reframes silence as a stage to honor rather than a problem to fix. Beth explains that a student in pre-production is taking in enormous amounts of language even without producing a single word, and that the most damaging thing a teacher can do at this stage is call on the student in front of the class. She also introduces a critical and often overlooked point: the rate of speech. As native speakers, teachers naturally speak faster than they realize, and for a student whose entire day is spent listening, a slower rate of speech directly increases vocabulary growth and listening comprehension.Stage 2 Early Production captures the joy of the first output — single words, familiar phrases, yes and no responses — and Beth shares the delight she personally feels watching newcomer students take those first steps. She emphasizes the role of sentence frames, predictable questions, and low-stakes speaking opportunities in supporting this stage, and cautions against correcting every error or demanding extended responses.Stage 3 Speech Emergence is where Beth identifies the most common teaching mistake: pulling scaffolding too soon. Because students at this stage are speaking more confidently and vocabulary is growing rapidly, it can appear that support is no longer needed. But social language and academic language develop on completely different timelines, and writing — the last language domain to develop — is just beginning to emerge. Beth explains that what these students need is not less support but different support: extended sentence frames that push complexity, academic language scaffolding, and structured writing supports like graphic organizers and mentor texts.Stage 4 Intermediate Fluency addresses the students who look almost fluent — and often exit ELL services around this level in many states. Beth makes a direct case for why homeroom teachers need to understand this stage: these students are still making significant errors, still developing academic language, and still building the deep proficiency needed for complex academic tasks. Losing support at this stage can cause students to flounder quietly, losing confidence and momentum.Stage 5 Advanced Fluency closes with Beth's reminder that language learning is a lifelong journey, and that even near-native proficiency students benefit from encouragement, celebration of wins, and continued academic vocabulary development.The episode closes with a practical three-part framework for using this information: identify your students' stages through observation, plan one lesson with multiple entry points for all stages, and communicate what you know to advocate confidently for every student in your care.Beth then invites listeners to join the free live five-day ELL challenge starting Monday May 25 — five days of step-by-step setup for next school year, over $100 in free resources, and the confidence to walk into the fall feeling ready.FREE CHALLENGE: Sign up at equippingells.com/challenge or DM the word CHALLENGE to @EquippingELLs on Instagram. Challenge starts Monday May 25.

Dr. Jenny Bay-Williams, Productive Ways to Build Fluency with Basic Facts ROUNDING UP: SEASON 4 | EPISODE 18 This summer we're replaying favorite listener episodes from the first four seasons of Rounding Up—like this one from Season 1. We'll return with all new episodes in early September. Ensuring students master their basic facts remains a shared goal among parents and educators. That said, many educators wonder what should replace the memorization drills that cause so much harm to their students' math identities. Today on the podcast, Jenny Bay-Williams talks about how to meet that goal and shares a set of productive practices that also support student reasoning and sensemaking.  BIOGRAPHY Jennifer Bay-Williams is a professor of mathematics education at the University of Louisville. She has authored over 40 books and 100 journal articles and book chapters that focus on making mathematics meaningful to all students. She is an international leader in the field of mathematics education, frequently speaking at state, national, and international conferences and serving on national boards.  RESOURCES "Eight Unproductive Practices in Developing Fact Fluency" article by Gina Kling and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams Math Fact Fluency: 60+ Games and Assessment Tools to Support Learning and Retention book by Jennifer M. Bay-Williams and Gina Kling Math Fact Fluency companion website by Kentucky Center for Mathematics TRANSCRIPT Mike Wallus: Welcome to the podcast, Jenny. We are excited to have you.  Jennifer Bay-Williams: Well, thank you for inviting me. I'm thrilled to be here and excited to be talking about basic facts.  Mike: Awesome. Let's jump in. So, your recommendations start with an emphasis on reasoning. I wonder if we could start by just having you talk about the why behind your recommendation and a little bit about what an emphasis on reasoning looks like in an elementary classroom when you're thinking about basic facts.  Jenny: All right, well, I'm going to start with a little bit of a snarky response: that the non-reasoning approach doesn't work.  Mike and Jenny: (laugh)  Jenny: OK. So, one reason to move to reasoning is that memorization doesn't work. Drill doesn't work for most people. But the reason to focus on reasoning with basic facts beyond that fact, is that the reasoning strategies grow to strategies that can be used beyond basic facts. So, if you take something like the making 10 idea—that 9 plus 6, you can move one over and you have 10 plus 5—is a beautiful strategy for a 99 plus 35. So, you teach the reasoning upfront from the beginning, and it sets students up for success later on.  Mike: That absolutely makes sense. So, you talk about the difference between telling a strategy and explicit instruction. And I raise this because I suspect that some people might struggle to think about how those are different. Could you describe what explicit instruction looks like and maybe share an example with listeners?  Jenny: Absolutely. First of all, I like to use the whole phrase: "explicit strategy instruction." So, what you're trying to do is have that strategy be explicit, noticeable, visible. So, for example, if you're going to do the making 10 strategy we just talked about, you might have two 10-frames. One of them is filled with nine counters, and one of them is filled with six counters. And students can see that moving one counter over is the same quantity. So, they're seeing this flexibility that you can move numbers around, and you end up with the same sum. So, you're just making that idea explicit and then helping them generalize. You change the problems up and then they come back and they're like, "Oh, hey, we can always move some over to make a ten"—or a twenty, or a thirty, or whatever you're working on. And so, I feel like, in using the counters, or they could be stacking Unifix cubes or things like that. That's the explicit instruction. It's concrete.  And then, if you need to be even more explicit, you ask students in the end to summarize the pattern that they noticed across the three or four problems that they solved. "Oh, that you take the bigger number, and then you go ahead and complete a ten to make it easier to add." And then, that's how you're really bringing those ideas out into the community to talk about.  For multiplication, I'm just going to contrast. Let's say we're doing [the] add a group strategy with multiplication. If you were going to do direct instruction, and you're doing 6 times 8, you might say, "All right, so when you see a six," then a direct instruction would be like, "Take that first number and just assume it's a five." So then, "Five eights is how much? Write that down." That's direct instruction. You're like, "Here, do this step. Here, do this step. Here, do this step." The explicit strategy instruction would have, for example—I like, for eights, boxes of crayons because they oftentimes come in eights. So, but they'd have five boxes of crayons and then one more box of crayons. So, they could see you've got five boxes of crayons. They know that fact is 40, they—if they're working on their sixes, they should know their fives. And so, then what would one more group be about?  So, just helping them see that with multiplication through visuals, you're adding on one group, not one more, but one group. So, they see that through the visuals that they're doing or through arrays or things like that. So, it's about them seeing the number of relationships and not being told what the steps are.  Mike: And it strikes me, too, Jenny, that the role of the teacher in those two scenarios is pretty different.  Jenny: Very different. Because the teacher is working very hard (chuckles) with the explicit strategy instruction to have the visuals that really highlight the strategy. Maybe it's the colors of the dots or the exact 10-frames they've picked and have they filled them or whether they choose to use the Unifix cubes and how they're going to color them and things like that. So, they're doing a lot of thinking to make that pattern noticeable, visible. As opposed to just saying, "Do this first, do that second, do that third." Mike: I love the way that you said that you're doing a lot of thinking and work as a teacher to make a pattern noticeable. That's powerful, and it really is a stark contrast to, "Let me just tell you what to do."  I'd love to shift a little bit and ask you about another piece of your work. So, you advocate for teaching facts in an order that stresses relationships rather than simply teaching them in order. I'm wondering if you can tell me a little bit more about how relationships-based instruction has an impact on student thinking.  Jenny: So, we want every student to enact the reasoning strategies. So, I'm going to go back to addition, for example. And I'm going to switch over to the strategy that I call "pretend-to-10", also called "use 10" or "compensation." But if you're going to set them up for using that strategy, there's a lot of steps to think through. So, if you're doing 9 plus 5, then in the pretend-to-10 strategy, you just pretend that 9 is a 10. So now you've got 10 plus 5 and then you've got to compensate in the end. You've got to fix your answer because it's 1 too much. And so, you've got to come back 1. That's some thinking. Those are some steps. So, what you want is to have the students automatic with certain things so that they're set up for that task. So, for that strategy, they need to be able to add a number onto 10 without much thought.  Otherwise, the strategy is not useful. The strategy is useful when they already know 10 plus 5. So, you teach them this, you teach them that relationship—10 and some more—and then they know that 9's 1 less than 10. That relationship is hugely important, knowing 9 is 1 less than 10. And so then they know their answer has to be 1 less. 9's 1 less than 10. So, 9 plus a number is 1 less than 10 plus the number. Huge idea.  And there's been a lot of research done in kindergarten on students understanding things like 7's 1 more than 6, 7's 1 less than 8. And they're predictive studies looking at student achievement in first grade, second grade, third grade. And students—it turns out that one of the biggest predictors of success is students understanding those number relationships. That 1 more, 1 less, 2 more, 2 less. Hugely important in doing the number sense.  So that's what the relationship piece is, is sequencing facts so that what is going to be needed for the next thing they're going to do, the thinking that's going to be needed, is there for them. And then build on those relationships to learn the next strategy.  Mike: I mean, it strikes me that there's a little bit of a twofer in that one. The first is this idea that what you're doing is purposely setting up a future idea, right? It's kind of like saying, "I'm going to build this prior knowledge about ten-ness, and then I'm going to have kids think about the relationship between 10 and 9." So, the care in this work is actually really understanding those relationships and how you're going to leverage them.  The other thing that really jumps out from what you said [is] this has long term implications for students' thinking. It's not just fact acquisition; it's what you said: Research shows that this has implications for how kids are thinking further down the road. Am I understanding that right?  Jenny: That's absolutely correct. So just that strategy alone. Let's say they're adding 29 plus 39. And they're like, "Oh hey, both of those numbers are right next to the next benchmark. So instead of 29 plus 39, I'm going to add 30 plus 40, [which equals] 70. And I got, I went up 2, so I'm going to come back down 2. And I know that 2 less than a benchmark's going to land on an 8." So that, again, it's coming back to this relationship of how far apart numbers are, what's right there within a set of 10, [which] helps then to generalize within tens or within hundreds.  And by the way, how about fractions?  Mike: Hmm. Talk about that.  Jenny: (laughs) It generalizes to fractions. So, let's take that same idea of adding. Let's just say it's like, 2 and seven-eighths plus 2 and seven-eighths. So, if we just pretended those were both 3s because they're both super close to 3, then you'd have 6, and then you added on two-eighths too much. So, you come back two-eighths, or a fourth, and you have your answer. You don't have to do the regrouping with fractions and all the mess that really gets bogged down. And it's a much more efficient method that, again, you set students up for when they understand these number relationships. When you get into fractions, you're thinking about, "How close are you to the next whole number?" maybe, instead of to the next tens number.  Mike: It strikes me that if you have a group of teachers who have a common understanding of this approach to facts, and everyone's kind of playing the long game and thinking about how what they're doing is going to support what's next, it just creates a system that's much more intentional in helping kids not only acquire the facts, but build a set of ways of thinking.  Jenny: Mike, that's exactly it. I mean, here we are, we're trying to make up for lost time. We never have enough time in the classroom. We want an efficient way to make sure our kids get the most learning in. And so, to me that is about investing early in the fact strategies. Because then actually when you get up to those other things that you're adding or subtracting or multiplying or whatever you're doing, you benefit from the fact that you took time early to learn those strategies. Because those strategies are now very useful for all this other math that you're doing. And then students are more successful in making good choices about how they're going to solve those problems that are, oftentimes—especially when, I like to mention fractions and decimals at least once in a basic facts talk because we get back, by the time we get into fractions and decimals—we're back to just sometimes only showing one way. The sort of standard algorithm way. When, in fact, those basic facts strategies absolutely apply to, almost always, more-efficient strategies for working with fractions and decimals.  Mike: I want to shift a little bit. One of the things that was really helpful for me in growing my understanding is the way that you talk about a set of facts that you would describe as foundational facts and another set of facts that you would describe as derived facts. And I'm wondering if you can unpack what those two subsets are and how they're related to one another.  Jenny: Yeah. So, the foundational facts are ones where automaticity is needed in order to enact a strategy. So, to me, the foundational fact strategies are their names. Like the doubling strategy—or double and double again, some people call it. Or add a group for multiplication. And the addition ones of making 10s and pretend-to-10 strategies. And in those strategies, you can solve lots of different facts. But there's too much going on (laughs) in your brain if you don't have automaticity with the facts you need.  So, for example, if you have your 6 facts, and you're trying to get your 6 facts down. And you already know your 5s, like, automaticity with your 5s, then that becomes a useful way to get your 6s. So, if you have 6 times 8, and you know 5 times 8 is 40, then you're like, "I got one more 8, [which equals] 48." That's an added group strategy.  But if you're not automatic with your 5s, this is how this sounds when you're interviewing a child. They're going to use add a group strategy, but they don't know their 5s. So, then they're like, "Let's see. 5 times 8 is 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40. Now, what was I doing?" Like, they can't finish it because they were skip-counting with their 5s. They lose track of what they're doing, is my point. So, the key is that they just know those facts that they need in order to use a strategy. And that, going back to, like, the pretend-to-10, they got to know 10 and some more facts to be successful. They have to know 9's 1 less than 10 to be successful. So, that's the idea is, if they reach automaticity with the foundational fact sets, then their brain is freed up to go through those reasoning strategies.  Mike: That totally makes sense.  I want to shift a little bit now. One of the things that I really appreciated about the article ["Eight Unproductive Practices in Developing Fact Fluency" by Gina Kling and Jennifer M. Bay-Williams] was that you made what I think is a very strong, unambiguous case for ending many of the past practices used for fact acquisition—worksheets and timed tests, in particular. This can be a tough sell because this is often what is associated with elementary mathematics, and families kind of expect this kind of practice. How would you help an educator explain the shift away from these practices to folks who are out in the larger community? What is it that we might help say to folks to help them understand this shift?  Jenny: That's a great question, and the real answer is it depends, again, on [the] audience. So, who is your audience? Even if the audience is parents, what do those parents prioritize and want for their children? So, I feel like there's lots of reasons to do it, but to really speak to what matters to them. So, I'm going to give a very generic answer here. But for everyone, they want their child to be successful. So, I feel that that opportunity to show, to give a problem, like 29 plus 29, and ask how parents might add that problem. And if they think 30 plus 30 and subtract 2 to get to the answer or whatever, then that gives this case to say, "Well this is how we're going to work on basic facts. We're building up so that your child is ready to use these strategies. We're going to start right with the basic facts, learning these strategies. These really matter." And the example I gave could be whatever fits with the level of their kid. So, it could be like 302 minus 299. It's a classic one where you don't want your child to implement an algorithm there; you want them to notice those numbers are 3 apart. And so, there's this work that begins early. So, I think that's part of it.  I think another part of it is helping people just reflect on their own learning experiences. What were your learning experiences with basic facts? And even if they liked the speed drills, they oftentimes recognize that it was not well-liked by most people. And also, then they really didn't learn strategies. So, I feel like we have to be showing that we're not taking something away; we're adding something in. They are going to become automatic with their facts. They're not going to forget them because we're not doing this memorizing that leads to a lot of forgetting. And, bonus, they're going to have these strategies that are super useful going forward.  So, to me, those are some of the really strong speaking points. I like to play a game and then just stop and pause for a minute and just say, "Did you see how hard it was for me to get you quiet? Do you see how much fun you were having?" And then I just hold up a worksheet (laughs). I'm like, "And how about this?" You know, again, that emotional connection to the experience and the outcomes.  Mike: That is wonderful.  Since you brought it up, let's talk about replacements for worksheets and timed tests.  Jenny: Mm-hmm.  Mike: So, you advocate for games, as you said, and for an activity-based approach. I think that what I want to try to do is get really specific so that if I'm a classroom teacher, and I can't see a picture of that yet, can you help paint a picture? What might that look like?  Jenny: I love that question because there's lots of good games and lots of places. But again, like I said earlier, this thinking really deeply about what game I'm choosing and for what—what do my students need to practice? And then being very intentional about game choice is really important.  So, for example, if students are working on their 10 and some more facts, then you want to play a game where all the facts are 10 and some more facts. That's what they're working on. And then maybe you mix in some that aren't. Or you play a game with that and then they sort cards and find all the, solve the 10 and some more, or there's lots of things they can do. They can play Concentration, where the fact is hidden and the answer is hidden and things like that. So, you can be very focused. And then when you get to the strategies, you want to have a game that allows for students to say, allow their strategies.  So, I'm a big fan of, like, sentence frames, for example. So, there's games that we have in our Math Fact Fluency[: 60+ Games and Assessment Tools to Support Learning and Retention] book [by Jennifer Bay-Williams and Gina Kling] that are in other places that specifically work on a strategy. So, for example, if I'm working on the pretend-to-10 strategy, I like to play the game Fixed-Addend War, which is the classic game of War, except there's an addend in the middle, and it's a 9, to start. And then each of the two players turns up a card. So, Mike, if you turn up a 7, then you're going to explain how you're going to use the pretend-to-10 strategy to add it. And I turned up a 6, so I'm going to, I'm going to do this then I'll, you can do it. So, I turned up a 6. So, I'm going to say, "Well, 10 and 6 is 16, so 9 and 6 is 1 less, [which equals] 15.' I've just explained the pretend-to-10 strategy. And then you get your turn.  Mike: And I'd say, "Well, 7 and 10, I know 7 and 10 is 17, so 7 and 9 has to be 1 less, and that's 16." Jenny: Yeah. So, your total's higher than mine. You win those two cards, you put them in your deck, and we move on. So, that's a way to just practice thinking through that strategy. Notice there's no time factor in that. You have a different card than I have. You have as much time, and we're doing think-aloud. These are all high-leverage practices. Then we get to the games where it's like, you might turn up a 6 and a 5 where you're not going to use the pretend-to-10 strategy for that. You've got to think, "Oh, that doesn't really fit that strategy because neither one of those numbers is really close to 10. Oh, hey, it's near a double; I'm going to use my doubles." So, you sequence these games to—if you start with one of those open-ended games, it might be too big of a jump because students aren't ready to choose between their strategies. They have to first be adept at using their strategies. And once they're adept at using them, then they're ready to play games where they get to choose among the strategies.  Mike: So, you're making me think a couple things, Jenny. One is, it's not just that we're shifting to using games as a venue to practice to get to automaticity. You're actually saying that when we think about the games, we really need to think about, "What are the strategies that we're after for kids?" And then make sure that the way that the game is structured, like, when you're talking about the pretend-to-10, with the fixed addend. That's designed to elicit that strategy and have kids work on developing their language and their thinking around that particularly. So, there's a level of intent around the game choice and the connection to the strategies that kids are thinking about. Am I understanding that right?  Jenny: That's it. That's exactly right. That's exactly right. And a huge—a lot of intentionality so that they have that opportunity in a no-pressure, a low-stress, think-through-the-strategy [way]. If they make a mistake, their peer or themselves usually correct it in the moment, and they get so much practice in. I mean, imagine going through half a deck of cards playing that game.  Mike: Yeah.  Jenny: That's 26 facts. And then picture those 26 facts (laughs) on a page of paper. And then—and again, in the game that you've got the added benefit of think-aloud, and then you're hearing what your peer has said.  Mike: You know, one of the things that strikes me is, if I'm a teacher, I might be thinking, like, "This is awesome, I'm super excited about it. Holy mackerel, do I have to figure these games out myself?" And I think the good news is, there's a lot of work that's been done on this. I know you've done some. Do you have any recommendations for folks? There's, of course, curriculum. But do you have recommendations for resources that you think, help a teacher think about this or help a teacher see some of the games that we're talking about?  Jenny: Well, I'm going to start with my Math Fact Fluency book because that is where we go through each of these strategies, each of the foundational facts sets and the strategies, and for each one supply a game. And then from those games they're easily adaptable to other settings. And some of the games are classic games. So, there's a game, for example, called Square Deal. And the idea is that you're covering a game board, and you're trying to make a square. So, you get a 2-by-2 grid taken, and you score a point or 5 points or whatever you want to score. Well, we have that game housed under the 10 and some more facts. So, all the answers are, like, 19, 16, 15, and the students turn over a 10 card and another card, and if it's a 10 and a 5, they get to claim a 15 spot on the game board.  Well, that game board can be easily adapted to any multiplication fact sets, any other addition [sets]. I like to do a Square Deal with 10 and some more, and then I like to do Square Deal with 9 and some more. There's my (laughs) effort, again, to come back to either pretend-to-10 or making 10. Where they're like, "Oh, I just played 10 and some more. Now we're doing the same game, but it's 9 and some more." So, I feel like there's a lot of games there. And there is a free companion website that has about half of the games ready to download in English and in Spanish.  Mike: Any chance you'd be willing to share it?  Jenny: Yeah, absolutely. So, you can just google it. The Kentucky Center for Mathematics created it during COVID-19, actually, as a gift to the math community. And so, if you type in "Kentucky Center for Math" or "KCM Math Fact Fluency companion website," it will pop up.  Mike: That's awesome.  I want to ask you about one more thing before we close because we've really talked about the replacement for worksheets, the replacements for timed tests. But there is a piece of this where people think about "How do I know?" right? "How can I tell that kids have started to build this automaticity?" And you make a pretty strong case for interviewing students to understand their thinking. I'm wondering if you could just talk again about the why behind it, and a little bit about what it might look like.  Jenny: So, first of all, timed tests are definitely a mistake for many reasons. And one of the reasons—beyond the anxiety they cause—they're just very poor assessment tools. So, you can't see if the student is skip-counting or not, for example, for multiplication facts. You can't see if they're counting by 1s for the addition facts. You can't see that when they're doing the test, and you can't assume that they're working at a constant rate; that they're just solving one every, you know, couple of seconds, which is the way those tests are designed. Because I can spend a lot of time on one and less time on the other. So, they're just not, they're just not effective as an assessment tool.  So, if you flip that. Let's say they're playing the game we were talking about earlier, and you just want to know, "Can they use the pretend-to-10 strategy?" That's your assessment question of the day. Well, you can just wander around with a little checklist (chuckles), you know? "Yes, they can." "No, they can't." And so, a checklist can get at the strategies, and a checklist can also get at the facts, like, "How well are they doing with their facts?" So, once they do some of those games that are more open-ended, you can just observe and listen to them and get a feel for that. If they're playing Square Deal with whatever fact, you know. So, what happens is, you're like, "I wonder how they're doing with their 4s. We've really been working with their 4s a lot.' Well, you can play Square Deal or a number of other games where that day you're working on 4s. The [game] Fixed-Addend War can become Fixed-Factor War, and you put a 4 in the middle. So adaptable games and then you're just listening and watching.  And if you're not comfortable with that approach, then they can be playing those games, and you can have students channeling through where you do a little mini-interview. It only takes a few questions to get a feel for whether a student knows their facts. And you can really see who's automatic and who's still thinking. So, for example, a student who's working on their 4s, if you give them 4 times 7, they might say, "28." I call that automatic. Or they might, they might do 4 times 7, and they pause, and they're like, "28." Then I'm like, "How did you think about that?" And they're like, "Well, I doubled and doubled again." "Great." So, I can mark off that they are using a strategy, but they're not automatic yet. So that to me is a check, not a star. And if I ask, "How did you do it?" And they say, "Well, I skip-counted." Well then, I'm marking down they skip-counted. Because that means they need a strategy to help them move toward automaticity. Mike: I think what strikes me about that, too, is, when you understand where they're at on their journey to automaticity, you can actually do something about it as opposed to just looking at the quantity that you might see on a timed test. What's actionable about that? I'm not sure, but I think what you're suggesting really makes the case that I can do something with data that I observe or data that I hear in an interview or see in an interview.  Jenny: Absolutely. I mean this whole different positioning of the teacher as coaching the student toward their growth; helping them grow in their math proficiency, their math fluency. You see where they're at and then you're monitoring that in order to move them forward instead of just marking them right or wrong on a timed test. I think that's a great way to synthesize that.  Mike: Well, I have to say, it has been a pleasure talking with you. Thank you so much for joining us today. Jenny: Thank you so much. I am, again, thrilled to be invited and always happy to talk about this topic.  Mike: This podcast is brought to you by The Math Learning Center and the Maier Math Foundation, dedicated to inspiring and enabling all individuals to discover and develop their mathematical confidence and ability.

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What if flow, insight, and mystical experience are different scales of the same underlying process? In this standalone Lectern episode, John Vervaeke speaks with Hüseyin and Daniel about their recently published paper on the cognitive continuum: a framework that moves from fluency to insight, flow, mystical experience, and transformation. The discussion develops Vervaeke's earlier work on relevance realization by bringing it into dialogue with the enactive approach, complex dynamic systems theory, and contemporary psychedelic research. The episode begins with the enactive critique of a simple subject-object split. Daniel explains why both self and world are groundless in the enactive sense: not nonexistent, but not pregiven independent substances either. Self and world arise relationally through embodied sensemaking. This matters because mystical experiences often involve a loosening or collapse of the ordinary self-world boundary. Hüseyin then walks through the paper's core argument. Fluency is reframed as a local form of attunement, not merely ease of information processing. Insight becomes a more global reorganization of the system. Flow becomes an insight cascade: a temporally extended state of metastable attunement. Mystical experience becomes the most global state on the continuum, where the deepest structures of self-world organization can be destabilized and reorganized. The conversation also makes a strong ethical point. Experiences that loosen ordinary constraints are not automatically good. Psychedelic states, mystical experiences, contemplative practices, and mindfulness can create epistemic vulnerability. Depending on context, they can become transformative, but they can also lead to derealization, depersonalization, false insight, spiritual bypassing, narcissism, or psychosis. Integration, practices, ethical frameworks, communities, and traditions matter because transformation is not produced by the state alone. Key Insights Mystical experience cannot be adequately explained by neurobiology alone. Enactivism challenges both naive realism and idealism by treating cognition as embodied, embedded, and relational. Relevance realization and sensemaking converge around a shared account of how cognition finds and enacts significance. Fluency is a domain-general feeling of attunement with the world. Insight is not only a representational shift; it can be a reorganization of the person-world system. Flow can be understood as a cascade of insights sustained through metastable attunement. Mystical experience may involve a globalized form of relevance realization, or even the release of relevance realization's ordinary grasping. Transformative experience requires more than destabilization; it requires viable reorganization. Context, set, setting, integration, ethical orientation, and community shape whether self-transcendent experiences help or harm. Scientific work on these topics needs reflexivity because research itself participates in the world it describes. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and episode frame 02:40 Hüseyin introduces the paper 04:40 Daniel introduces mystical experience and the self-world boundary 06:00 Groundlessness in the enactive approach 07:00 Neurocentrism and why brain-only explanations are insufficient 09:50 Self, world, and enacted sensemaking 11:30 Functionality, pathology, and the stakes of self-transcendence 13:00 From flow to mystical experience 14:20 Entropic Brain, REBUS, and psychedelic research 16:40 Organizational causality and complex systems 18:50 Fluency as local attunement 20:00 Relevance realization and sensemaking 24:50 Optimal grip and opponent processing 27:10 Complexification and cycles of destabilization and reorganization 29:10 Insight as globalized fluency 34:50 Flow as an insight cascade 37:40 Metastable attunement and flexibility 40:20 Mystical experience and psychedelic neuroimaging 42:10 REBUS, ALBUS, beliefs, and context 44:20 Global relevance realization 46:00 Meta optimal grip, decentering, and pivotal mental states 48:10 Daniel on reflexivity and mystical experience 50:00 Stephen Batchelor and enlightenment as comprehensive flow 51:20 Relevance realization realizing its own irrelevance 53:40 Knowing groundlessness and nondual awareness 55:20 Effortlessness, acceptance, and letting go 56:40 William Desmond, astonishment, and inexhaustibility 59:00 Why mystical experience is not automatically transformation 01:01:00 Hans Jonas and self-transcendence in life 01:05:10 Para-self-transcendent phenomena 01:07:00 Existential sensemaking and the person 01:08:30 Sudden transformation and self-transcendent experience 01:09:20 The crucial importance of context 01:11:30 Integration, practices, and ethical frameworks 01:12:40 Epistemic vulnerability and suggestibility 01:16:10 False fluency, false insight, and spiritual bypassing 01:19:00 The forthcoming Four Ps paper 01:21:10 Daniel's closing reflection 01:23:10 Hüseyin's closing reflection on reflexive science 01:25:10 The Blind Spot, Whitehead, and final thanks Resources Hüseyin Beyköylü, John Vervaeke, and Daniel Meling, "From Flow to Mystical Experiences: Connecting Entropy and Fluency Along the Unifying Framework of Cognitive Continuum" - https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2025.2601717 John Vervaeke, Awakening from the Meaning Crisis John Vervaeke, Seeing God Again for the First Time Entropic Brain Hypothesis REBUS model ALBUS model Hans Jonas, The Phenomenon of Life Stephen Batchelor, Alone with Others William Desmond Willoughby Britton's work on meditation-related adverse effects Frank, Gleiser, and Thompson, The Blind Spot Alfred North Whitehead Follow John Vervaeke: Website: https://johnvervaeke.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnvervaeke/videos X: https://x.com/DrJohnVervaeke Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke

Eric Mayhew, Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder of Fluency, shares how his experience in automotive advertising inspired the creation of Fluency and its mission to eliminate repetitive AdOps work through automation. Eric dives into the difference between automation and AI, the future of agentic systems, and why human creativity still matters most in advertising. From scaling ad operations to building compliant AI workflows, this conversation explores where marketing technology is headed next. Takeaways • Automation should eliminate repetitive tasks so teams can focus on strategy and creativity. • AI and automation are complementary, but they are not the same thing. • Human oversight remains critical for compliance, governance, and brand safety. • AI is powerful, but context quality determines the reliability of outputs. • Personalization in advertising may finally become practical with AI and automation. • Agencies want customizable workflows, not one-size-fits-all automation. • Fluency focuses on deterministic workflows that execute advertiser strategies at scale. • Agentic systems will combine rule-based automation with probabilistic AI decision-making. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Eric Mayhew and Fluency 01:20 How Dealer.com Inspired the Creation of Fluency 04:07 The Real Problem with Manual AdOps Workflows 05:45 Fluency's Approach to Automation and AdOps Efficiency 07:45 Why AdOps Professionals Should Embrace Automation 10:41 The Difference Between Automation and AI 15:21 AI Risks, Hallucinations, and Governance Challenges 19:21 Where Humans Still Outperform AI 22:54 How Fluency Onboards and Automates Campaign Workflows 27:02 The Future of Agentic AI and Advertising Personalization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever had a moment where English didn't feel like work anymore… it just happened? In this episode, I'm breaking down what that “click” really feels like—because it's not random, and it's not magic. It's a progression.You'll learn the 5 stages English learners move through as fluency becomes more natural: from describing what you see, to summarizing meaning, to giving real opinions, to expressing ideas with vivid comparisons, and finally… blending it all together without thinking.If you've ever felt like you're stuck translating in your head, or like you can understand English but can't be yourself in English yet—this episode will help you recognize what stage you're in, what's supposed to feel hard right now, and what to practice next so you can keep moving forward.What You'll LearnThe 5 stages of the “English finally clicks” processWhy describing is the first real shift away from translationHow summarizing helps you keep up—even when you miss wordsThe stage where English starts sounding like you (not a textbook)How to disagree and give opinions without fearHow conceptualizing makes your English more vivid and memorableWhat it means when the “seams are gone” and you're just talkingHow to practice in a way that leads to Stage 5 naturallyKey Moments / Segment BreakdownStage 1: Describing — English matches real life in real time (quiet surprise)Stage 2: Summarizing — you catch the point instead of every word (relief)Stage 3: Giving opinions — you stop being polite-only and start being real (you return)Stage 4: Conceptualizing — you paint pictures, use comparisons, show personality (delight)Stage 5: Combining fluidly — describing + summarizing + opinion + vivid language in one flow (home)Why Stage 5 isn't a “new skill,” it's a resultHow to know what to practice based on your current stageMindset Shifts“Fluency means perfect sentences” → “Fluency means real-time meaning”“I must catch every word” → “I can understand the point”“English makes me smaller” → “My real voice belongs here too”“I need the exact word” → “I can describe and still be powerful”“The click is sudden” → “The click is built—stage by stage”Practical Takeaways (Try This Today)Stage 1 practice: Narrate what you see for 2 minutes (in your head or out loud).Stage 2 practice: Listen to a short clip and summarize it in 1–2 sentences: “Basically, it's about…”Stage 3 practice: Use one opinion starter daily: “Honestly, I think…” + one reason.Stage 4 practice: Use one comparison a day: “It's like…” / “It felt like…”Stage 5 growth: Don't force mixing—build each stage until it becomes automatic.Listener Reflection QuestionsWhich stage feels most natural for me right now?Where do I still translate the most—in speaking or listening?Do I understand English but struggle to show my personality in it?What's one daily habit I can do for my current stage this week?What would “home” in English look like for me?If you want to sign up for the free English email newsletter, go to https://speakenglishwithtiffani.com/newsletter

Episode 297: The next wave of cybersecurity hiring is sending a clear message: without AI fluency, you may not be employable. U.S. cyber pipelines are adding AI skill requirements because modern defense now includes securing AI systems themselves. From semi‑autonomous agents to fast‑moving model‑driven threats, the job is shifting fast. If you're aiming for a government or enterprise cyber role, this breakdown clarifies what real “AI fluency” means and why it's becoming a baseline skill.Then we pivot to the strange side of AI behavior and why it still matters. OpenAI models inserting goblins and gremlins into answers sparks a deeper look at alignment, training loops, and user trust. Spotify's human‑verified artist badges highlight how authenticity is becoming a product feature as AI‑generated music floods platforms. We close with the AI layoff boomerang and Sony's 30‑day license check debate, raising big questions about transparency, ownership, and the future of digital media. Tune in to TechTime Radio—where the future is now, the stories matter, and all with a little whiskey on the side.-- Full Episode Details:The next wave of cybersecurity hiring is sending a blunt message: if you don't understand AI, you may not be employable. We dig into reports that U.S. cyber pipelines are adding AI skill requirements because modern defense isn't just about protecting networks anymore. It's about using AI for defense while also securing AI systems themselves, from semi autonomous agents to fast moving model driven threats. If you're aiming for a government or enterprise cyber role, this one helps you think clearly about what “AI fluency” actually means in practice and why it's becoming a baseline skill.Then we pivot to the weird side of AI behavior and why it still matters. A story about OpenAI models that wouldn't stop inserting goblins, gremlins, and other cryptids into answers turns into a real conversation about AI alignment, training feedback loops, and the growing trust gap between users and the systems they rely on. If AI can pick up bizarre habits that fast, what else is it learning and when do those quirks become a real problem?We also talk about AI generated music and the reason Spotify is rolling out human verified badges. With AI tracks blending into TikTok trends and streaming playlists, transparency and authenticity are turning into product features. To close, we hit the AI layoff boomerang where companies cut jobs “because of AI” and then scramble to rehire, plus a heated take on Sony's 30 day license countdown for some digital games and what it means for digital ownership versus physical media. If any of these stories made you go “hmm,” subscribe, share the show, and leave a review so more people can find Tech Time Radio.Support the show

Brent Warner and Ixchell Reyes are joined by internationally recognized consultant and former teacher, Sara Davila, to explore how creative thinking strategies can boost productive fluency in language learners. From practical techniques like the Idea Box and reverse brainstorming to the role of AI as a creative partner, Sara shares actionable ideas teachers can use right away, whether low-tech or no-tech environment. If you've ever wondered how to move students from knowing English to actually using it with confidence, this episode is for you! Show notes: www.DIESOL.org/137 

Join the channel for daily lessons: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Pbt3q-ihROg1lmmmQdU2w/join Or join the podcast for audio lessons on your favorite podcast platform: https://gne.supercast.com Gabby (00:00) If you still struggle to think 100 % in English, then this is for you. If you're new here, hi, I'm Gabby, your American English fluency coach here at Go Natural English. And today we're talking about something that can completely change your English fluency. Stop translating in your head and do this instead. Maybe this happens to you. Someone asks you a simple question in English and inside your brain, there's a whole emergency meeting happening. You hear English, you translate it into your native language, and you think of your answer in your native language, you translate it back into English, then you check the grammar, then maybe you wonder, you doubt yourself, is this natural? Is this how people really speak in real life or is this just... what I learned in my textbook, but by the time you're ready to answer, the conversation has already moved on. You lost your chance. If that sounds familiar, you are not the problem. You're not bad at English. You just were taught the wrong way. You're using a process that you learned in your classroom from your textbook that is too slow for real conversation. So today, I'm going to show you how to start thinking more directly in English. Not by forcing your brain, not by memorizing more grammar rules, but by building an English environment around your real life. And I think this is actually really fun because here's the truth. You don't start thinking in English by translating faster. It's always going to slow you down. You start thinking in English by living more of your life through English. So here, the obstacle is the way. The obstacle, English fluency, is the way. Living your life through English is the way to fluency. So now I'm gonna share concrete, specific examples that you can use to start thinking in English today. This is going to improve your fluency so much, and I'm so excited. Just before we jump in, I want to let you know about a special project that I've started and I want to invite you to join and go deeper in your fluency with me. If you enjoy these free lessons and you want daily private English lessons, join as a YouTube channel member or a private fluency podcast member, whichever you prefer. Some people prefer watching on YouTube. Some people prefer listening to the podcast. The link is in the description. You'll get short, about 15 to 20 minute daily private English lessons designed to help you immerse yourself in real English. They're conversational lessons with real learning and everyone, we do talk about vocabulary to expand the way you express yourself and real life English. This will help you to start thinking in English more naturally. And there's no big commitment. You can just try it for a month and see for yourself. Also, we've kept this super affordable because we want to help as many people as possible around the world to improve their fluency and confidence. So this is honestly one of the best ways to make English part of your everyday life. It's easy. It's simple. All you have to do is watch along with the videos that I make for you and repeat after me. Just copy and repeat me. Repeat after me. Even if you're busy, you can do this. Okay. So now let's talk about why translation keeps you stuck. This is important to understand the problem. Most people learning English were trained to treat English like a school subject. You study vocabulary, you memorize grammar rules, you translate sentences, you fill in the blanks, you answer textbook questions. Can you relate to any of this? Did you have to do this? All of that can help you build a solid foundation, but real English conversations do not sound like a textbook. And when you go from the classroom and your textbook to real life English, you can feel overwhelmed, stressed out, and honestly feel kind of bad about your English because there is a big gap. But again, it's not your fault. See, native speakers do not usually speak like your teacher. And that's why I'm here to help you understand how to bridge that gap between your old English class and real life English now. So your teacher might say, for example, what are you doing? But in real life, especially in casual American English, people often say, what are you doing? Or what are you up to? Or even what you doing? These are all ways to ask the same thing that you might not have heard or learned, but this is important to start getting familiar with how natives really speak. If your brain is waiting to hear that perfect, clear textbook English, you may not recognize real life English when you hear it. That's one reason you feel like I know English, but I still can't understand people. You may know the clean version of English. The real life gives you the connected version. So let's compare. Textbook English. What are you going to do? Real spoken English. What are you going to do? Textbook English. I do not know. Real spoken English. I don't know. Textbook English. Did you eat yet? Real spoken English. Geet yet? That one sounds funny, but yes, some people really do say it that way. Textbook English. Do you want to? Real spoken English. You wanna? Textbook English. I am going to. Real spoken English. I'm gonna. Now I'm not saying you always need to speak this casually, but you absolutely need to understand it. Because if you only study perfect textbook English, Real English will sound blurry, messy, confusing, and too fast. But it's not random. It has patterns. Native speakers connect words. We reduce sounds. We drop sounds altogether. We blend words together. So part of thinking in English is training your brain to recognize English as it is actually spoken, as you hear it, not just as it is written and as you know how to read it. So here's the big mindset shift for today. Fluency is not translation. Fluency is direct connection. You want to connect an English word with the real meaning, an English phrase with the feeling, an English sound with the situation, an English expression with real life use, not English to your native language to the meaning to your native language to English. So that middle step is what slows you down. So instead of asking, how do I translate this or how do I say this in my native language? Ask, when would I use this in English? For example, don't just translate, I'm running late. That could mean something very different if we translate this directly, literally. Connected to the situation, you're leaving the house, you're stuck in traffic. You're texting someone, you're five minutes behind schedule, that's when you say, I'm running late. Now the phrase is not just a translation, it's connected to your real life. That's how you start thinking in English, connecting real life phrases with real life situations. So now maybe you've heard people say, just immerse yourself in English, and maybe you think, okay, Gabby, but I don't live in the United States. I don't have English speaking friends. I don't work in English all day. It's okay. I get it. Immersion does not have to mean moving to another country. Immersion means creating more English contact points throughout your day. And I think this can be fun. I want you to remember this phrase, start slow and grow. You don't need to change your whole life overnight. Start with small, repeatable habits. Five minutes of journaling. listening to a song in English, one Netflix scene with English subtitles, one voice note to yourself, one short conversation, one private podcast lesson a day. The goal is not to study English for three hours once a week. The goal is to touch English every day in ways that feel meaningful, meaningful to you. Now, let me teach you five useful phrases for this topic because even as we talk about learning to think in English, we can improve your vocabulary. So number one, of course, think in English. This means you connect ideas directly in English without translating every word. For example, and please repeat after me. I'm trying to think in English instead of translating everything. Next, real life English. This means English as people actually use it in normal conversations. For example, I want to understand real life English, not just textbook English. Next, word for word translation. This means translating each individual word instead of understanding the whole idea. For example, word for word translation makes me speak too slowly. Next, daily immersion. This means surrounding yourself with English a little bit every day. For example, daily immersion helps my brain get used to English. Next, natural expression. This is a phrase that sounds normal to native speakers. For example, instead of translating from my language, I want to learn natural expressions. Now, repeat after me. I want to think in English. I want to understand real life English. Moving away from word for word translation. Daily immersion helps me improve. I'm learning natural expressions. Beautiful. Great job. Now let's learn five phrasal verbs that connect beautifully to this topic. First, to pick up. Now this has many meanings, but today we're talking about the meaning to learn something naturally. often without formal study. For example, you can pick up natural English by listening every day. This is what children do. They pick up language from hearing it again and again. Next, get used to, to become comfortable with something over time. For example, at first fast English sounds difficult, but you'll get used to it. This is huge. You don't need to understand everything in English immediately. You need repeated exposure. Next, tune in means to listen or pay attention, especially to audio or video. For example, tune into English podcasts while you're cooking or walking. Next, speak up to say something more clearly, confidently or publicly. For example, Creating a private podcast can help you speak up in English. To keep up with means to follow or understand something that's moving quickly. For example, at first it's hard to keep up with native speakers, but it gets easier. Now repeat after me. I can pick up English naturally. I'm getting used to fast English. I tune in every day. I'm learning to speak up. I can keep up with real conversations. Excellent. I love this for you. Now, here's one of the most important points in this whole episode. Do not just study English. Do things through English. There's a big, big difference. Studying English is when English is the subject. You're solely focused on English. Doing life through English is when English becomes the tool. For example, instead of only writing practice sentences in a notebook, write a real letter in English. You could write to a politician about an issue you care about. You could write to an organization you support. You could write letters to seniors in assisted living who may not have family visiting them. You could write encouraging notes to people who are lonely. You could write to inmates through a legitimate, safe letter writing program if that's something meaningful to you. I'm just sharing these examples as ways that you can use English in real life as a tool and it will help you develop your fluency and give you meaning and motivation while you do it. Now, English is not just an exercise. English is helping you express your values. That is powerful because your brain remembers language better when there's emotion, purpose, and real meaning attached to it. Now let's talk about speaking. A lot of learners say, I don't have anyone to practice with. And I understand that is a real challenge, but I also want to gently challenge you. You can create reasons to speak. You could start a YouTube channel in English. It doesn't have to be public at first. You can make all the videos private. You could start a podcast in English and not publish it until you're ready. You could record voice notes to yourself. You could explain your day in English. You could review a book, a movie, a recipe, a news story, or personal experience. The point is, at this level, give yourself a reason to keep speaking. Don't wait for an assignment from your teacher. In fact, I want to empower you through these lessons to give you ideas to use English in the real world. even if you don't feel quite ready yet. This might be the push or the sign that you've been waiting for. If you're only waiting for the perfect conversation partner, you may wait forever. But if you start speaking privately or publicly, you train your mouth, your brain and your confidence. And later when a real conversation happens, your English is already warmed up. So let's build what I call your immersion ladder. You don't need to jump from textbook exercises to full speed native conversations overnight. That's too much pressure. Instead, climb the ladder step by step. Step one, journaling. Write three sentences a day in English, in a notebook, on your phone, in a word doc. For example, today I feel a little tired, but I'm proud of myself because I practiced English. Step two, music. Listen to songs that you like in English. Look up the lyrics. Sing along. I did this a lot when I was learning Spanish. It was a huge help. Music helps with rhythm, pronunciation, connected speech, and emotional memory. Step three, Netflix or YouTube. Watch short clips in English. Don't try to understand the whole movie perfectly, but watch one scene. Repeat one line. Notice how people really speak. And step four, private speaking practice. Record yourself answering simple questions. For example, what did I do today? What am I looking forward to? What is one thing I care about? And step five, real conversations. Talk with people online, in a class, in a community, while traveling or in your workplace. Step six, travel or routine change. If possible, take a trip where you can practice English outside your normal routine in your native language. It doesn't have to be a huge, expensive trip. Even a short trip, a conference, a retreat, a meetup, or a local intentional event that you're interested in can help. Or if you're traveling internationally, go to a local event there. The key is to put yourself in a situation where English becomes useful, not just academic. It's not just about the grades. It's about how you and use English in real life. So this is exactly why I created Private Daily Lessons. If you want help making English part of your daily life, join as a YouTube channel member or a Private Fluency Podcast member. The link is in the description. You'll get daily private English lessons about 15 minutes a day so you can immerse yourself in real English consistently. This is for you if you want to think in English, understand natural American English, and build fluency without needing to sit down with a textbook for hours. No commitment. Try it for a month and see for yourself. Okay, now let's talk about what this sounds like in real life. Let's compare the translating version and the natural version. So imagine someone asks, what are you up to this weekend? A translating answer might sound like, I will make the cleaning of my house and maybe I will see a movie. It's understandable, but it sounds translated. Very strange. A more natural answer, I'm probably going to clean up around the house and maybe watch a movie. Notice, clean up around the house. Probably going to. Watch a movie. Very normal, very natural. Another example. What are you doing later? Textbook brain hears, what are you doing later? Natural answer. Not much. I might grab a dinner with a friend or I'm just taking it easy tonight or I'm catching up on some work. Now let's practice those. Not much. I might grab dinner with a friend. I'm just taking it easy tonight. I'm catching up on some work. These are the kind of phrases you want to absorb as whole chunks. Don't translate every word. Let the whole phrase speak for you. Learn the whole phrase connected to the situation. Now here's a big fluency tip. Think in chunks, not individual words. A chunk is a group of words that native speakers commonly use together. For example, I'm running late. I'll get back to you. That makes sense. I'm looking forward to it. Let me think about it. I'm not sure yet. I'm trying to figure it out. I didn't catch that. What are you up to? I'm taking it easy. When you learn chunks, you don't have to build every sentence from zero. You can pull a phrase from memory and use it. That's how real fluency feels. It's not perfect grammar construction every time. from scratch, from zero, it's having useful language ready when you need it. So instead of studying one word at a time, like late, learn I'm running late. Instead of studying the word understand, learn that makes sense. Instead of studying one word like busy, learn I've got a lot going on. That is real English. So let me tell you a quick personal story. When I was learning Portuguese, I remember feeling frustrated because I could understand my teachers pretty well. They spoke clearly, they used organized sentences, they slowed down for me, and I thought, okay, I'm getting good at this. Then I went outside into real life and suddenly I felt like I knew nothing. People were speaking fast, they were using slang, they were cutting words, they were laughing, they were talking. over each other and I remember thinking wait, did I study the wrong language? But I didn't study the wrong language. I'd studied the classroom version and now I needed the real life version. So I started listening more. I paid attention to repeated phrases. I copied what people actually said. I stopped trying to translate every single word and slowly things started to click. Not all at once, but little by little. And that is what I want for you. So don't be discouraged if real English feels fast. It's not a sign that you're failing. It's a sign that you're ready for the next level. Now let's practice. Repeat after me. I don't need to translate every word. I can connect English directly to meaning. I'm learning real life English. I'm getting used to fast English. I can pick up natural phrases by listening every day. I'm going to start slow and grow. I can make English part of my daily life. I don't just study English. I do life through English. I can write, speak, listen, and think in English every day. My fluency is growing one day at a time. Beautiful. Now let's make this practical. Here's your challenge for the next seven days. Every day, do one small thing through English. Write three sentences in English about your day. Listen to one song in English and read the lyrics. Watch one short YouTube video or a Netflix scene in English. Record a one minute voice note in English. Write a letter, comment, email, or message in English about something you care about. Repeat five natural phrases out loud. Have one real conversation, even if it's short. So do one of these things each day. Those were seven activities. You can do one each day for the next seven days. And remember, you're not trying to be perfect. You're training your brain to connect English with your real life. That's how you stop translating. So let's review what we learned today. You can expect native speakers to sound like real life English, not like your teacher or your textbook. In real life, people don't always say, what are you doing? They say, what are you doing? So if you want to understand real English, you need real English input. To think in English, you must immerse yourself in English, but start slow and grow. Use journaling, music, Netflix, YouTube, podcasts, voice notes, real conversations, and travel when possible. Don't just study English, make English a part of your daily life. Write through English, speak through English, listen through English, think through English, create through English, and most importantly, learn chunks, not just individual words. This is how your English becomes faster, smoother, and more natural. I want to leave you with this thought. You do not become fluent by translating perfectly. You become fluent by living imperfectly through English every day. So take the pressure off. You don't have to understand every word. You don't have to speak perfectly. You don't have to sound like a native speaker tomorrow, but you can take one small step today. One sentence, one song, one voice note, one conversation, one private lesson, one real life moment in English. This is how fluency grows. If you want daily support with this join as a YouTube channel member or a private fluency podcast member The link is in the description You'll get daily private English lessons about 15 minutes a day to help you immerse yourself in English Understand natural American English and start thinking in English. There's no commitment. Try it for a month and see for yourself I'm Gabby from go natural English And thank you so much for watching and learning with me today. So in the next episode, we'll keep building your real life fluency. So make sure you subscribe and turn on notifications. And remember, don't just study English, live through English.