Podcasts about global english

This Jobs with Jodi Podcast episode.....Career Services Specialist Jodi Hammer chats with  Andrew Shannon and Robbieana Leung..... FEATURED GUESTS: Andrew Shannon is a member of the Outreach team at Georgetown University for the U.S. Department of State English Language Programs. He has worked in the field of English language education for 15 years as a teacher, trainer, and coordinator. Andrew's interests include Russian language and development in post-Soviet states. He was an English Language Fellow in Kyrgyzstan in 2014-2016 before moving to Kazakhstan where he taught high-school English for 3 years. Andrew entered the field of education as an Assistant Language Teacher on the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) Program and then taught in North Carolina public schools as an ESL teacher prior to his English Language Fellowship. He currently works closely to support the new Virtual English Language Educator Program.Robbieana Leung  flew before she could walk. At one month old, her first plane ride foretold a life that would span the globe. Growing up on three continents, she developed a love of people, cultural exchange, and service learning, which inspired her teaching career in 2010. With an MA in Conflict Studies & Human Rights and BA in International Studies & Intercultural Communication, she has taught English learners and teachers in Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Hawaii, the Philippines and Algeria. According to the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and Semester at Sea Alumna, to be an ESL teacher is to be a peacebuilder – and students learn best when having fun! In class, she engages minds and hearts by providing opportunities for students to learn from the world around them.As a Peace Corps Volunteer, she led her students in developing libraries and publishing a Bisaya-English children's book, “Moalboal Tales: Stories for Dreamers / Sugilanong Moalboalanon: Mga Istorya Alang Sa Mga Ngandoy.” She also implemented a Global English program on two voyages with Peace Boat, a Japan-based NGO that promotes the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2021, Robbieana joined the English Language Programs as a Virtual Fellow, where she taught Algerians learners and promoted cultural understanding. In September 2022, she looks forward to teaching in Thailand as an in-country Fellow! PODCAST HOST: Jodi Hammer is an RPCV (Ecuador, 1994–97), Job Coach, and host of the Global Reentry's Jobs with Jodi Podcast. In her role as Global Reentry Career Support Specialist with NPCA, she develops and delivers individual and group programming to foster Global Reentry's mission of providing career and transitional support to RPCVs worldwide.

Ever since T. B. Macaulay leveled the accusation in 1835 that 'a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India,' South Asian literature has served as the imagined battleground between local linguistic multiplicity and a rapidly globalizing English. In response to this endless polemic, Indian and Pakistani writers set out in another direction altogether. They made an unexpected journey to Latin America. The cohort of authors that moved between these regions include Latin-American Nobel laureates Pablo Neruda and Octavio Paz; Booker Prize notables Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Mohammed Hanif, and Mohsin Hamid.  In South Asian Writers, Latin American Literature, and the Rise of Global English (Cambridge UP, 2022), Roanne Kantor claims that they formed the vanguard of a new, multilingual world literary order. Their encounters with Latin America fundamentally shaped the way in which literature written in English from South Asia exploded into popularity from the 1980s until the mid-2000s, enabling its global visibility. Roanne L. Kantor is Assistant Professor of English at Stanford University.  Gargi Binju is a researcher at the University of Tübingen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Ever since T. B. Macaulay leveled the accusation in 1835 that 'a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India,' South Asian literature has served as the imagined battleground between local linguistic multiplicity and a rapidly globalizing English. In response to this endless polemic, Indian and Pakistani writers set out in another direction altogether. They made an unexpected journey to Latin America. The cohort of authors that moved between these regions include Latin-American Nobel laureates Pablo Neruda and Octavio Paz; Booker Prize notables Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Mohammed Hanif, and Mohsin Hamid.  In South Asian Writers, Latin American Literature, and the Rise of Global English (Cambridge UP, 2022), Roanne Kantor claims that they formed the vanguard of a new, multilingual world literary order. Their encounters with Latin America fundamentally shaped the way in which literature written in English from South Asia exploded into popularity from the 1980s until the mid-2000s, enabling its global visibility. Roanne L. Kantor is Assistant Professor of English at Stanford University.  Gargi Binju is a researcher at the University of Tübingen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latin-american-studies

Ever since T. B. Macaulay leveled the accusation in 1835 that 'a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India,' South Asian literature has served as the imagined battleground between local linguistic multiplicity and a rapidly globalizing English. In response to this endless polemic, Indian and Pakistani writers set out in another direction altogether. They made an unexpected journey to Latin America. The cohort of authors that moved between these regions include Latin-American Nobel laureates Pablo Neruda and Octavio Paz; Booker Prize notables Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Mohammed Hanif, and Mohsin Hamid.  In South Asian Writers, Latin American Literature, and the Rise of Global English (Cambridge UP, 2022), Roanne Kantor claims that they formed the vanguard of a new, multilingual world literary order. Their encounters with Latin America fundamentally shaped the way in which literature written in English from South Asia exploded into popularity from the 1980s until the mid-2000s, enabling its global visibility. Roanne L. Kantor is Assistant Professor of English at Stanford University.  Gargi Binju is a researcher at the University of Tübingen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Ever since T. B. Macaulay leveled the accusation in 1835 that 'a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India,' South Asian literature has served as the imagined battleground between local linguistic multiplicity and a rapidly globalizing English. In response to this endless polemic, Indian and Pakistani writers set out in another direction altogether. They made an unexpected journey to Latin America. The cohort of authors that moved between these regions include Latin-American Nobel laureates Pablo Neruda and Octavio Paz; Booker Prize notables Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Mohammed Hanif, and Mohsin Hamid.  In South Asian Writers, Latin American Literature, and the Rise of Global English (Cambridge UP, 2022), Roanne Kantor claims that they formed the vanguard of a new, multilingual world literary order. Their encounters with Latin America fundamentally shaped the way in which literature written in English from South Asia exploded into popularity from the 1980s until the mid-2000s, enabling its global visibility. Roanne L. Kantor is Assistant Professor of English at Stanford University.  Gargi Binju is a researcher at the University of Tübingen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

Ever since T. B. Macaulay leveled the accusation in 1835 that 'a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India,' South Asian literature has served as the imagined battleground between local linguistic multiplicity and a rapidly globalizing English. In response to this endless polemic, Indian and Pakistani writers set out in another direction altogether. They made an unexpected journey to Latin America. The cohort of authors that moved between these regions include Latin-American Nobel laureates Pablo Neruda and Octavio Paz; Booker Prize notables Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Mohammed Hanif, and Mohsin Hamid.  In South Asian Writers, Latin American Literature, and the Rise of Global English (Cambridge UP, 2022), Roanne Kantor claims that they formed the vanguard of a new, multilingual world literary order. Their encounters with Latin America fundamentally shaped the way in which literature written in English from South Asia exploded into popularity from the 1980s until the mid-2000s, enabling its global visibility. Roanne L. Kantor is Assistant Professor of English at Stanford University.  Gargi Binju is a researcher at the University of Tübingen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Roanne Kantor tells us about World Literature, in the ideas and practices of readers, writers, and scholars. Spatial metaphors like libraries, closets, and airport bookshops, help her imagine the “world” in world literature. In the episode Roanne references work by many scholars in the field, including David Damrosch's What is World Literature (Princeton UP, 2003); Debjani Ganguly's This Thing Called the World (Duke UP, 2016), and Gloria Fisk's Orhan Pamuk and the Good of World Literature (Columbia UP, 2018). In the longer version of our conversation, we talked about how little magazines from the 1970s New York literary scene, like Ed Sanders' Fuck You: A Magazine of the Arts, circulated in South Asia, inspiring avant-garde magazines like Arvind Krishna Mehrotra's damn you/a magazine of the arts. Roanne is an assistant professor of English and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. She has a brand new book, South Asian Writers, Latin American Literature, and the Rise of Global English, (Cambridge UP, 2022). If you want to learn more about the world of world lit, check it out. This week's image of an airport bookshop at the Incheon International Airport in South Korea, was photographed by Adli Wahid and made publicly available on Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons License. Music used in promotional material: ‘Six More Weeks' by Evening Fires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Roanne Kantor tells us about World Literature, in the ideas and practices of readers, writers, and scholars. Spatial metaphors like libraries, closets, and airport bookshops, help her imagine the “world” in world literature. In the episode Roanne references work by many scholars in the field, including David Damrosch's What is World Literature (Princeton UP, 2003); Debjani Ganguly's This Thing Called the World (Duke UP, 2016), and Gloria Fisk's Orhan Pamuk and the Good of World Literature (Columbia UP, 2018). In the longer version of our conversation, we talked about how little magazines from the 1970s New York literary scene, like Ed Sanders' Fuck You: A Magazine of the Arts, circulated in South Asia, inspiring avant-garde magazines like Arvind Krishna Mehrotra's damn you/a magazine of the arts. Roanne is an assistant professor of English and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. She has a brand new book, South Asian Writers, Latin American Literature, and the Rise of Global English, (Cambridge UP, 2022). If you want to learn more about the world of world lit, check it out. This week's image of an airport bookshop at the Incheon International Airport in South Korea, was photographed by Adli Wahid and made publicly available on Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons License. Music used in promotional material: ‘Six More Weeks' by Evening Fires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roanne Kantor tells us about World Literature, in the ideas and practices of readers, writers, and scholars. Spatial metaphors like libraries, closets, and airport bookshops, help her imagine the “world” in world literature. In the episode Roanne references work by many scholars in the field, including David Damrosch's What is World Literature (Princeton UP, 2003); Debjani Ganguly's This Thing Called the World (Duke UP, 2016), and Gloria Fisk's Orhan Pamuk and the Good of World Literature (Columbia UP, 2018). In the longer version of our conversation, we talked about how little magazines from the 1970s New York literary scene, like Ed Sanders' Fuck You: A Magazine of the Arts, circulated in South Asia, inspiring avant-garde magazines like Arvind Krishna Mehrotra's damn you/a magazine of the arts. Roanne is an assistant professor of English and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. She has a brand new book, South Asian Writers, Latin American Literature, and the Rise of Global English, (Cambridge UP, 2022). If you want to learn more about the world of world lit, check it out. This week's image of an airport bookshop at the Incheon International Airport in South Korea, was photographed by Adli Wahid and made publicly available on Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons License. Music used in promotional material: ‘Six More Weeks' by Evening Fires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Roanne Kantor tells us about World Literature, in the ideas and practices of readers, writers, and scholars. Spatial metaphors like libraries, closets, and airport bookshops, help her imagine the “world” in world literature. In the episode Roanne references work by many scholars in the field, including David Damrosch's What is World Literature (Princeton UP, 2003); Debjani Ganguly's This Thing Called the World (Duke UP, 2016), and Gloria Fisk's Orhan Pamuk and the Good of World Literature (Columbia UP, 2018). In the longer version of our conversation, we talked about how little magazines from the 1970s New York literary scene, like Ed Sanders' Fuck You: A Magazine of the Arts, circulated in South Asia, inspiring avant-garde magazines like Arvind Krishna Mehrotra's damn you/a magazine of the arts. Roanne is an assistant professor of English and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. She has a brand new book, South Asian Writers, Latin American Literature, and the Rise of Global English, (Cambridge UP, 2022). If you want to learn more about the world of world lit, check it out. This week's image of an airport bookshop at the Incheon International Airport in South Korea, was photographed by Adli Wahid and made publicly available on Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons License. Music used in promotional material: ‘Six More Weeks' by Evening Fires Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

Stephen Shortt, Managing Director at ETC Consult, was prior owner of Alpha College of English a school in Ireland where professionals could go to learn English. Currently he's an investor, leadership and career coach, keynote speaker, succession planner, and self-proclaimed Geek. He explains his rational for using Global English and where translation was necessary, and deep dives into his experiences in Global Marketing. His insights, experience, and go to market strategies clearly show that he thinks strategically.  Listen to this episode to learn from a true entrepreneur. Links: https://successfulsuccession.com https://careerfit.com   Connect with Wendy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendypease/ Connect with Stephen - http://shortt.me/li Music: Fiddle-De-Dee by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

Tree talks about some aspects of English across the world and what it means to be an English speaker. Did you know that you are one of more than 1.75 billion people who speak the English language?

Mahesh Ram, founder and CEO of Solvvy, set out to "give everyone back time". His company was recently acquired by Zoom to improve customer experiences using conversational AI. Mahesh was inspired by his work using speech recognition to improve business English learning at Global English. Solvvy was founded in 2015 and has raised funding from an exceptional group of investors including previous "AI and the Future of Work" guest Rory O'Driscoll from Scale Venture Partners. Listen and learn...About the three waves of chatbot technologyWhy "more deflection" doesn't need to translate into "lower satisfaction"How Calm uses Solvvy to deliver automated customer serviceWhy AI based on semantic similarity is better than traditional scripted chatbotsWhy "putting the user first" and "not hiding the live agent" is essential for gaining consumer trust in chatbotsHow to address latent bias in data used to train AI modelsWhy bots will never replace live agentsReferences in this episode...Rory O'Driscoll from Scale Venture Partners on AI and the Future of WorkSolvvy acquired by ZoomChandra Khatri from Got It AI on AI and the Future of Work 

Lalita du Perron talks to Roanne Kantor, assistant professor of English (and, by courtesy, of Comparative Literature) at Stanford, about her new book, Macaulay's shelf, Global Anglophone literature, magical realism, and other matters related to South Asia and Latin America.

While enjoying a late-night snack, Raúl Sánchez and Dan Bullock came to the realization everyone sees the same pattern in the stars. Other places and cultures may label it differently, yet they see the same alignment. They wanted to look at patterns in communication. As organizations become more global, communication becomes that much more important. This holds for public speaking, writing e-mails, or negotiating contracts. Sánchez and Bullock are the authors of How to Communicate Effectively with Anyone, Anywhere. They discuss what is implied in conversation/writing and who is responsible for the messaging. In the end, it isn't about us. As leaders, we are more effective if we use positive language and present the information for more than one sense (ethos, pathos, logos). In this episode, Bullock and Sánchez discuss: Overall principles of effective communication. Global English. This episode is brought to you by… Unleashing Your Remarkable Potential, Kevin's free weekly e-newsletter. It's full of articles and resources to help you become a more confident and successful leader. Book Recommendations How to Communicate Effectively with Anyone, Anywhere by Raúl Sánchez and Dan Bullock The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand Hero of a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell/li> Ultralearning: Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott Young Connect with Raúl Sánchez and Dan Bullock Connecting Globally's Website Dan Bullock's LinkedIn Raúl Sánchez' LinkedIn Connecting Globally Twitter Connecting Globally Instagram Related Podcast Episodes Connecting in a Virtual World with Nick Morgan. Connect First with Melanie Katzman. Leadership, Communication and Credibility with Jack Modzelewski. The New Global Manager with Melissa Lamson. Follow the Podcast Don't miss an episode! Follow this podcast through the options below. Apple Podcasts Stitcher TuneIn Soundcloud RSS Or your favorite podcast app. Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we'd be thrilled if you'd let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here's a quick guide for posting a review. Join Our Facebook Group Join our Facebook community to network with like-minded leaders, ask us questions, suggest guests and more. We welcome your wealth of experience and hope you will join us in sharing it with others on their leadership journey. You can join the group here: facebook.com/groups/RemarkableLeadershipPodcast/

We open the podcast with a discussion about sharing on social media. How do you strike the balance between creating a connection with an audience and oversharing? We then dive into a discussion on global English, and the unexpected difficulties English speakers face when working with a global team. Joseph also shares his experiences as a French English speaker in the corporate world. #AskJoanna: If YOU have any questions about being in a mixed-race, culture, or diet relationship, or about living abroad, please leave me a DM on Instagram. You can also email me at annanwildman@gmail.com. We'll answer it on the next episode! MY SOCIAL LINKS:Follow me on Instagram: @annawildmanTweet at me: @wildmannaEmail me: annanwildman@gmail.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/annawildman Intro/outro music by earthchain: soundcloud.com/earthchain Show Notes:  NPR's "How to Speak Bad English" episode: https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/989477444/how-to-speak-bad-english?t=1620143738017 Eleven Madison Park: https://www.elevenmadisonpark.com/

Welcome to Real Job Talk to NYU Professors Raúl Sánchez and Dan Bullock. Raúl and Dan teach a the Center for International Studies and write for the Wall Street Journey while also conducting training on international communication for organizations such as The UN and International Student group. Dan and Raúl wrote the book How to Communicate Effectively with Anyone, Anywhere to help people communicate better across geographical, language, and cultural boundaries. How did the book come up? Well, one night over Arby’s, Raúl, Dan, and Raúl’s twin (and book artist) Rod were talking about astronomy, stories, and the overview effect looking at communication when thinking of the planet as a whole vs. as separate places and cultures. Many people are working in global teams, and this book came about from the need for Global English, which takes out idioms, slang, and anything that doesn’t translate. Dan and Raúl encourage us to think about how we use language, and how hard it would be to understand something like “it blew my mind” to a second language learner. Classically, there are 3 ways to make an argument: appeal to logic, to emotion, and to credibility. These are important to include in a presentation designed to persuide a spectrum of different audiences. You have to think about culture too; 70% of the world operates in a "high-context" culture, one which is more collectivist , where people in a group are assumed to understand implicit information and context shared by the culture. On a global stage, appealing to people in these kinds of cultures, respect is important, as are knowing how to build trust and to disagree. You have to balance your implicit and explicit audiences and lead your audience on a journey through storytelling that will make the audience the hero of the story. We have schemata, or blueprints, for certain words, but our experiences and preferences shape how we experience words and stories. When we help people connect our words to our frameworks, our messages are clearer throughout. Speaking is done to persuade, entertain, or inform. Diction is important, as is making sure you’re connecting with your whole audience. You have to 1. Know your audience 2. Know your purpose 3. Know your message and 4. Know the value of your message. Carrying the value throughout will keep people engaged. In their book, Dan and Raúl talk about mirroring, and we ask about mirroring without losing yourself. It’s really about building natural rapport and connection. It’s about creating a spark that will move ideas and collaboration forwared, as well as fulfillment and service to each other. We move on to networking globally. We talk about building a network in your space, seeking out people across the globe, and then building ideas as you build out your network one person at a time. Carry out networking for discovery more than results. This helps build richer ideas and a truly global outlook. When you network for discovery, it leads to opportunities. What about when you screw up? Take the blame! Say things like, “I wasn’t clear.” Ask questions, look at body language, and know that the responsibility is on the communicator. Being direct, fact-based, and looking for connection are key to global communication. Other tips are to be explicity, not to imply; and to be aware in all communication around what we are implying. The goal is to clarify and make sure it’s a win-win for everyone in the conversation. This is an important book because it teaches us basic conversation skills that help us communicate globally and build relationships. Raúl's and Dan's book: How to Communicate Effectively With Anyone, Anywhere: Your Passport to Connecting Globally * Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlobalCommNYC * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connecting_globally/ * Website: www.globallycommunicate.com * Raúl Sánchez (co-author): https://www.linkedin.com/in/raul-h-sanchez/ * Dan Bullock (co-author): https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielbullock1/ * Rod Sánchez (illustrator): https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodasanchez/

We Make Books is hosted by Rekka Jay and Kaelyn Considine; Rekka is a published author and Kaelyn is an editor and together they are going to take you through what goes into getting a book out of your head, on to paper, in to the hands of a publisher, and finally on to book store shelves. We Make Books is a podcast for writers and publishers, by writers and publishers and we want to hear from our listeners! Send us your questions, comments, and concerns! We hope you enjoy We Make Books! Twitter: @WMBCast  |  @KindofKaelyn  |  @BittyBittyZap Instagram: @WMBCast  Patreon.com/WMBCast   Transcript (All Mistakes are Fully Rekka's Fault)   Rekka (00:00:00):Welcome back to another episode of We Make Books, a podcast about writing, publishing, and everything in between. I'm Rekka. I write science fiction and fantasy as R J Theodore. Kaelyn (00:00:09):And I'm Kaelyn Considine. I am the acquisitions editor for Parvus Press. And, uh, this is Anthologies, part two. Rekka (00:00:15):Part two, because Kaelyn was like, "Hey, you left me out. I am not gonna forgive you for this. We're going to talk about this until I have gotten to say everything I want to say about it." Kaelyn (00:00:25):I was unfairly confined somewhere and, uh, I, I missed, uh, I missed the interview last week, obviously, but, um, you know, I, I, we wanted to talk more, a little bit more about anthologies, you know, obviously, um, Rekka's interview with Julia was fantastic. A lot of great insight and information in there. Um, but that was very, you know, from the publishing side of things. So then there's the people that actually contribute to the anthologies, the writers. That's, that's a whole other kettle of fish. So we just, you know, we wanted to do another part where we talked a little bit about the other side of this. Rekka (00:01:04):Kaelyn's interest is a kind of pre-submission I would say, right? Kaelyn (00:01:08):Yes, definitely. Rekka (00:01:08):Although you have worked on an anthology, so your interest has also been post submission. Kaelyn (00:01:14):I have, uh, I have worked on an anthology. We talk a little bit about that in this episode. Um, anthology is our, you know, as the last week's episode went into great detail about very different from a novel, you know, I think we think like, Oh, whatever, it's a book. So you've got a whole bunch of authors instead of just one. Rekka (00:01:32):A WHOLE bunch of authors. Kaelyn (00:01:33):Yeah. A flock, if you will. Rekka (00:01:35):A slack of authors? Kaelyn (00:01:37):A slack of authors. Um, so you know, like, what's the difference? Why is, why is it a big deal? Anthologies are very different and they're, um, you know, even if they work out to about the same number of words and pages as a novel, I would say it's two to three times the amount of work. Rekka (00:01:57):At least. The process of editing is basically multiplied by however many authors you have on the book, because you've got to do all the direct contact things with each of them. And even though the story may only be a few thousand words, there is an entire process that has to happen for each submission. Kaelyn (00:02:14):Yeah. Rekka (00:02:14):So, so that's fun. So that was Kaelyn's favorite part of working on an apology. I'm sure. Kaelyn (00:02:20):Oh God. Rekka (00:02:21):Doing this all simultaneously with however many authors. Kaelyn (00:02:24):Yeah, yeah. It's um, it's, you know, it's different and there are certain things as a writer, if you're preparing or interested in submitting to an anthology that you should be aware of, um, you know, going into it. So, you know, that's what we wanted to take some time to talk about today. And, uh, that's what we did. Rekka (00:02:41):This is the bandaid that Kaelyn is slapping over my, my poor attempt to lead the podcast without her. Kaelyn (00:02:47):Oh no, don't be ridiculous. You did a fantastic job. Like it's to the point that I was like, I'm listening to it. I'm like, "God, I'm so mad. I missed this conversation. They had so much fun. It was awesome." So, um, but you know, we'll, we'll do something again sometime, maybe with Julia. Rekka (00:03:03):We can always talk to them about the experience of putting out 12 issues of a single themed anthology. Because Kickstarter funded the hell out of itself and it's happening. I knew it, I knew it was going to happen and I'm happy to say it did. So, um, look forward to mermaids all 2021. Kaelyn (00:03:20):Yeah. And maybe, you know, in a few months we'll check in with whatever is left of Julia and see how they're doing. Rekka (00:03:28):Yes, exactly. All right. So, um, after the music comes our conversation. Um, Kaelyn's getting the last word in on anthologies. Kaelyn (00:03:50):You know what I just realized Rekka, have we mentioned your new puppy on the podcast yet? Rekka (00:03:54):No, we have not. Because we skipped, uh, we skipped an episode and before that, like she was so new that she couldn't be out here while I was recording. Not that she's out here now, but she probably could be out here. She would just be bouncing a ball in the background. And you'd hear her nails skittering on the floor. Kaelyn (00:04:10):Aww. Yeah, Rekka I got a new puppy. Her name's Evie and she's freaking adorable. Yeah. Speaker 3 (00:04:15):She's so good. She's really smart. It's like, she's gonna probably get us in trouble someday. Kaelyn (00:04:21):Aw, well, anyway, she's adorable. And although she is uh slightly bitey, but you know. Speaker 3 (00:04:27):Little nippy. She's got these, um, her baby canine is still like stuck in there and the adult canine is coming in around it. And I can't imagine how, how much that bothers her right now, you know? Kaelyn (00:04:43):Aww, poor thing. Rekka (00:04:43):So I have sympathy for her and I look forward to the day that it's done. I keep checking her mouth every morning, going, you still have that tooth. Damn it, you still have that tooth! Kaelyn (00:04:51):Now, if it falls out, does the tooth fairy come to Evie? Rekka (00:04:54):Uh, so far, no, we've we found like four or five of the teeth. And, um, we have not given her anything special except you know, like some congratulations. Kaelyn (00:05:05):Some belly rubs. Rekka (00:05:06):Oh yeah. She gets those. She gets those for no reason. She, um, she's not like food motivated. I'm sure she could be. But when we got her, she had no expectation of treats or anything like that. So we were like, All right, cool, we're not encouraging that then. Kaelyn (00:05:19):Okay. Um, I'm very treat incentive-based as well. Rekka (00:05:24):Treat incentivized? Kaelyn (00:05:25):Yeah. Yeah. Rekka (00:05:26):I'm coffee motivated. Kaelyn (00:05:28):Um, I get myself through my day by saying, "okay, if you do all of these things, then you remember that cookie, you were saving? You can go have that cookie." Rekka (00:05:37):Oh, well that presupposes you save the cookie. Kaelyn (00:05:42):I am good at that. Rekka (00:05:43):I am not good at that. So that is why I am not treat motivated because there are none. I already ate them. Kaelyn (00:05:50):I, um, I am one of those people that like, will, you know, somebody will get me like a nice box of chocolates or something. And like, I won't open them forever. I'll like save them and save them. And then it's kind of like, "okay, I need to eat these now because they're getting to the point that I'm going to need to eat them or get rid of them." Um, but you know, I, I'm very, I'm very treat motivated. Um, anyway, so Rekka I'm back this week. Rekka (00:06:18):Yeah. Where the heck were you? You just abandoned me. Kaelyn (00:06:22):I was in the hospital. It was not fun. It was, um, it was a weird experience, which I don't need to tell you about. Um, but yeah, I, I missed the conversation about anthologies last week, which you know, I was very disappointed. I was looking forward to it. So I told Rekka, well, we're going to ha I get to have an anthology conversation too. So I'm going to, we're going to do the whole thing all over again. Speaker 3 (00:06:45):We're just going to pretend that Julia's answers are, you know, falling in and we're just going to record it so that Katelyn feels included. Right? I mean, that's, that's basically, cause I nailed it, right. Like as the standalone, like left in charge of the house. Okay. Kaelyn (00:07:00):No, you absolutely nailed it, but that doesn't matter because this is all about me. No. Um, we, uh— Rekka (00:07:06):No, but what it is all about though, is that Mermaids Monthly funded. So. Kaelyn (00:07:10):Mermaids Monthly did fund! Rekka (00:07:10):As we record it just funded overnight and we are incredibly happy to see that. So I'm looking forward to that. And I think it's telling that I had a sudden idea for a story to submit to it last night as I was getting ready for bed, that must've been the moment it funded. Cause I was just like, it just came to me. Kaelyn (00:07:27):The universe, just snapped it into your head and was like, "Rekka, write this..." Rekka (00:07:31):It was, it was waiting in its little seafoam bubble for me. And, um, the bubble popped as soon as the Kickstarter made it. Kaelyn (00:07:38):I really am disappointed. I wasn't able to make the, the interview episode. Um, it's fantastic if you haven't listened to it, absolutely go back and, uh, and listen to it. But yes, mermaids monthly has, has funded in that time. So any of our listeners that contributed thank you or we're happy that that got funded. It sounds really cool. Um, but you know, we, when we kind of talked about anthologies, I had like two areas that we wanted to cover. One was, you know, what Rekka and Julia were talking about last week, you know, the production side of an anthology, the editing, the story selection, et cetera. But you know, this is a podcast, not just about that side of things, but about the writing side of things. Rekka (00:08:19):And sometimes we do things out of order. Kaelyn (00:08:20):Sometimes we do things out of order. Frequently do things out of order. Rekka (00:08:24):That's just so you don't build up any expectations that we have to live up to. Kaelyn (00:08:28):We don't want anyone getting too comfortable here. But yeah, we wanted to just do, you know, a little bit on, uh, writing for an anthology, submitting, what to expect, you know, from the writer side of things. Julie of course had a ton of insight and information and knowledge last week about what's going on behind the scenes there. Um, but actually then, you know, figuring out like, "Hey, these anthology things sound great. Where do I get started?" Along those lines. You know, we kind of wanted to walk a few things on anthologies here from the writer side, what they are, why you should do them, and what to expect. So, um, as always, I like to start with definitions and a little bit of background. So, you know, well, I'm sure most people listening know what an anthology is. An anthology is a collection of work by different authors, writers, or contributors. Kaelyn (00:09:18):Um, anthologies actually date back quite a bit. Um, and they're primary... They were primarily poetry focused. Um, the first anthologies that we kind of accept that existed were in, uh, Japan and they were collections of poetries in like the 13th and 12th century, um, you know, printing and publishing was not really the thing that it is, but you had all of these people writing poetry and wanted to get it into one place. So that's what they did. Um, you know, in modern era, anthologies definitely were very poetry heavy, but then in the, you know— E,specially I will credit science fiction with this, um, short story, science fiction became very popular in the first half of the 1900s. And that was where we saw a lot of anthologies take off with these collections of short stories at that point. And, um, in some cases they were single author, so it wasn't really an anthology so much as a collection of short stories, but then this became more and more commonplace. Um, in some cases the anthologies were highlighted collections from magazines or periodicals where, you know, they took the best of the year or the award winners and put them together in a, in a anthology that was published. And a lot of, uh, magazines and publications still do those today. Rekka (00:10:38):Yep. I think those are some of the most commonly understood examples of anthologies is that you'll get, you know, the 2020 "best of science fiction and fantasy." Kaelyn (00:10:48):But there's more than one way to do an anthology. You know, there's um, what Julia was talking about last week, where it's a project where you're actively gathering contributors and going through a submissions process and putting something together that is specifically for an anthology, and then there's also, you know, "the best of the best for the decade" or, you know, "our top five most read stories" or something like that. Rekka (00:11:09):And we should say just real quick as an aside, those Best Ofs are according to whoever put that anthology together. They're generally the stories that were most well-read and most, uh, discussed. Kaelyn (00:11:22):Yeah. And something that you see now more and more, especially in this time of, um, you know, online publications and periodicals is, and it follows the collection of, you know, whoever is editing or curating this, maybe it was, you know, the stories that got the most views or the most talked about or whatever, and then they'll select those and publish them because, hey, people still like actual physical books. Rekka (00:11:46):We sure do. Kaelyn (00:11:47):Yep. So, but you know, it could be any, it could be an ereader version as well. You know, just going into this with the understanding of there's, there's multiple ways that anthologies appear and that content is collected for them. Um, we are primarily going to be talking about anthologies that you are specifically submitting for where there's a call for an anthology rather than "I'm gathering these things that were already published and publishing them in an anthology." Rekka (00:12:19):Hey, Parvus has done one of these. Kaelyn (00:12:20):We have, um, it was, uh, I can tell you it was an experience. So trust me, we will be, uh, I will be referencing through the, through the course of this, but, um, so, you know, let's get started with like, why are anthologies good? Why is this something that you should, you know, take the time and effort? Because let's be clear, this is a short story. And it may even be shorter than your average short story submission, but sometimes that makes it more work. Rekka (00:12:49):So you mean in terms of, um, why write for an anthology? Kaelyn (00:12:53):Yeah. Why is this something that the either average or aspiring author should be interested in participating in? Rekka (00:13:01):Um, well, why you would want to have a short story published is maybe different from why you would pick an anthology to write for exactly. Um, why you want to publish a short story is honestly, to get more of your brain juice out there. Like, you know, have more for readers, um, take a break from, you know, maybe your ultra serious Epic fantasy novel and write a really wacky little short story kind of thing. Um, I've heard recently an episode of Writing Excuses where they also said that, um, I think it was Mary Robinette Kowal who said that she discovered that she liked writing science fiction because she just sort of accidentally wrote a couple science fiction short stories, and thought that she was, you know, a fantasy and historical fantasy writer. And then somebody told her like, "you know you're good at science fiction, right? You should write more of this." Turns out that was a good choice. Kaelyn (00:14:08):Yes. Yeah. She, uh, she's won approximately all of the awards, various things since then. Rekka (00:14:16):Um, the, the idea being that you can experiment more without committing to a hundred thousand words of a novel. And when you write more and you, and you complete stories— like it's not just all the words you write that make you a better writer. It's also the story arcs that you complete the character development that you work through, the editing processes that you learn your tricks for. And this sort of lets you do that on a micro scale so that you can, you know, work those muscles with smaller reps, as opposed to, you know, having to do 20 Epic Novels before you feel like you've finally figured out your process. Kaelyn (00:15:00):Yeah. Also within that, it's giving you the ability to hone your craft. Um, what is particularly nice about an anthology and I'm gonna, I'm going to use this word. I know this is a cliched word, but I swear to God, this has layers. What is, you're getting out of an anthology from several different levels is exposure. I know. I know. Rekka (00:15:24):Oh, you said the word. Oh, I have to mute myself so I can just gag for a little bit. Kaelyn (00:15:32):So, but I'm going to use the word "exposure" in several different contexts here. Rekka (00:15:36):You better explain this. Kaelyn (00:15:37):One of the most important forms of exposure you are getting is to other writers and editors. You are getting exposure to a process of how this works on a smaller scale that is not just a novel. Um, when writing for an anthology, assuming you've been accepted, they don't just take your story and that's it. You're going to work with an editor. Um, you know, the degree and extent to which you are going to work with an editor, probably, you know, your mileage may vary, but you're absolutely going to. You're not doing this in a bubble. You're going to be interacting with other authors. You're going to have to talk with various types of editors. You know, all of the various editors we've talked about through the process here, the, you know, your, um, regular, you know, developmental and story editor, you're going to have to do line edits. Kaelyn (00:16:25):You're going to have to work with copy edits. Um, you are, depending on, you know, the involvement here and stuff you may have to review layouts. Um, especially if, you know, you've got some type of graphical intricacies going on there. Um, so this is exposing you to the publishing process on, I don't want to call it a micro scale, but in a more manageable, not as overwhelming way as it would be if maybe you were just writing to it for a novel for the first time. What is also really great about this is you are one part of a larger project. So there's a whole team of people that you're working with here that are all doing the same thing. Um, you know, it's not— You have a group of people on the publishing side that are not responsible just to you. They're responsible to everyone that is working on this. Kaelyn (00:17:18):So that means that you're probably going to be exposed to multiple people in each of those roles. And this is great because the other kind of exposure that's great here is networking exposure. You're going to meet so many people in just the course of having to do this. Um, like I said, editors, other authors, people who do, you know, probably marketing and, um, you know, publishing rights and that kind of stuff for, for this anthology. Um, it's a really great experience to—and a really great way to frankly—meet a lot of people quickly that are all interested in, in doing the same things you are. Rekka (00:18:02):That's assuming that you're not working with an anthology call that's a one-person shop. Kaelyn (00:18:08):Yes, yes. That is, that is true. We're, we're assuming a something more like even a Mermaid's Monthly where, you know, there's, there's multiple people involved in this. Um, the last layer of exposure that I'm going to expound upon here is the dirty one is the, "you're doing this for the exposure." Hopefully you're—. Rekka (00:18:27):No you're not. Get paid. Kaelyn (00:18:28):Yeah, get paid. And we're going to talk about that later. Um, but that said, the exposure is very good for this kind of thing. Um, a lot of anthologies have like cornerstone or like anchor authors and contributors that tend to be big names. If you're not a big name, having some of your work published in the same book that theirs is, that's certainly not a bad thing. Yeah. Rekka (00:18:50):Uh, there was an anthology call that, um, I wrote a story for, I already had the idea for the story. It was definitely shoehorned into their call. Um, Kaylin, you've read this one. And, uh, Kaelyn (00:19:05):Oh that one. Yes. I have read that one. Rekka (00:19:05):And so it was shoehorned into their call. So I was not surprised that it didn't make it in, but, uh, someone who's in my writing group that did make it in found out that his story was directly before a Turtledove story. So he was absolutely thrilled. So that's, you know, that's an exposure that you can't complain about. But also, he got paid, not pro rates, but he still got paid and the rights weren't, I assume over-reaching that's again, more we're going to get into. Kaelyn (00:19:36):Yeah. So when I say, you know, you're doing this for exposure, there's exposure to all different things, but let's, I know it's cliched. I know it's not a thing we like to say, but anthologies are a great way to get extra eyes on your work. Especially if they come attached to other things that maybe, you know, it's like a more well-known or prolific author at that point, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to do whatever you can to boost your visibility and getting into an anthology, especially if it's an author that you like and admire, and you want— I mean, how great does that feel to have your work showcased alongside somebody that you enjoy? Rekka (00:20:14):Or somebody that everyone knows their name or somebody that is going to sell the books because their name's on the cover. Kaelyn (00:20:19):Exactly. Yeah. Um, so then, you know, you're building up your writing, quote-unquote, resume. Your bibliography, but it is also, you know, there's a little bit of legitimacy that goes along with it because you went through an anthology process and it is not an easy thing to do. Um, the submissions alone can be very jarring, but, you know, then for all of the reasons I talked about with like the exposure to the different groups and because this is a large group, it can be a lot to manage. So, um... So it's, you know, getting published successfully in anthology is definitely a nice little thing to be able to tack on to, uh, your About Me section. Rekka (00:21:04):And check off on your writing career bingo card and that kind of thing. Um, and one other point is that, you know, while you're between novels or your novels are going through their, um, editing process, development process, if you are taking the time to bump stories out there into the world, and you know, there's only so much control you have over whether they're accepted because competition is fierce for these. But if you get in the habit of getting stories published, it's something that you can keep your pulse apparent to the outside world while you're working on bigger projects of your own. Kaelyn (00:21:43):Yep. All right. So all of this sounds great. You're really geared up there. "I want to, I want to go write something and get it published in an anthology." So where the heck do you find these things to submit to? Rekka (00:21:56):Um, One of the things to just do is befriend and network with a lot of other writers on Twitter. Cause a lot of anthology calls make the rounds on Twitter and you'll see them eventually. Um, and frequently if they're being funded through Kickstarter, you'll see them before the window is open so that you're not really scrambling. Yeah. Kaelyn (00:22:20):And that's, it's funny because I that's exactly what I was going to say is Google is your friend here. And so is Kickstarter. Now the thing you have to be careful about with Kickstarter is a lot of times these anthologies are either partially or completely filled out by that point. Rekka (00:22:35):Sometimes yeah. I mean, so when you are browsing Kickstarter for anthology projects, um, hopefully in the project description or in the updates, you will find the information of, um, whether that anthology is going to be opening for submissions. Sometimes they open for submissions if they reach a certain funding goal, which may not be a hundred percent, but it might be the point at which they say, "okay, now we know that we're going to move ahead enough that we're going to put out a call for people to consider submitting." Or "our stretch goal, you know, of an extra $2,000 is going to let us buy extra words and therefore extra stories." Kaelyn (00:23:15):Yeah. So, um, social media, huge. Kickstarter's definitely a good place to, you know, just look around, get some ideas. Rekka (00:23:27):Yeah Kickstarter is big about promoting anthology stories now. So it's a good place to browse and find some, and, you know, back some. If you're going to submit, I really recommend you back the, the anthology, it's not about payments. "It's going to come out of my payment or whatever." It's like, you're not even sure that you're going to be accepted, but you know, back a project you'd be excited enough about to appear in. That's just good business, that's networking positively. Kaelyn (00:23:52):So that's definitely networking as well. Along those lines, Rekka, you know, as you said, a project, you'd be excited to be in. Um, here's, here's the thing with a lot of anthologies is especially the ones where, you know, there's an open submissions process and they're gathering contributors a lot of times they're themed. Rekka (00:24:12):Right? And sometimes the theme is very specific, like "mermaids," other times the theme is more like "hope" or a certain demographic of people. Kaelyn (00:24:21):Yes. That's a good transition into, "okay, what do I submit to this? Should I take something that I already wrote that I really liked and try to fit it into this? Or do I, do I need to write something new for this?" My inclination is always try to write something new. Rekka (00:24:39):It's a good exercise at the very least. Kaelyn (00:24:41):If you just so happen upon an anthology, looking for contributors that you already have the perfect story written for. Well, then you were just very lucky and please, by all means, you know, submit your little heart out. Rekka (00:24:54):You might get some excitement about a theme topic that results in more anthologies being made on that topic. Something that, you know, people were begging for for years, and then somebody finally makes it, and then it's extremely successful, then someone else is going to be eyeballing that same theme going, "I know there are more stories here. If I give it some breathing room, you know, I could do this anthology too or very similar one." And then if you were in the pile of near misses from the first time, then, um, you know, you might find a new place for that story, but generally you've also grown maybe by a year or so. You might want to write a new one anyway. Kaelyn (00:25:36):Yeah. And so, I mean, this is good practice for short stories in general, but, you know, especially for anthologies is write to what they are asking for. Pay attention to the submissions. You know, Julia talked about this a lot in last week—or two weeks ago's episode, um, you know, and in their case, it's mermaids. If their story does not have, or is not about mermaids, then this was not going to be something that they were interested in. Um, anthologies, you know, as they are getting more and more, you know, we, we see a lot of, especially Kickstarter-funded, uh, anthologies that are very specific. And that's great because you get a whole collection of stories about one thing that everyone loves. Um, but trying to shoe horn pieces in it, especially if it's some, you know, a larger short story, slightly longer one, it's not, you know, it's not going to go well, and it's going to annoy people handling the submissions. Um, just blatantly—you know, same practice with, you know, submitting short stories to magazines and various other publications—just blatantly sending, you know, the same thing out to everybody with a little explanation that changes slightly, depending on the publication of what they're looking for, of why this is good for it is not going to, to help you here. Kaelyn (00:27:02):If you are serious about trying to get your work in an anthology, identify the anthology that you want to submit to, and then write a piece specifically for that. Rekka (00:27:13):While, at the same time, you know, Julia's advice to write a piece that's unique to you and tells your very specific angle on things. Not write exactly the correct trope filled thing that will, that someone could look at and go, "there is no way you could reject this story. It hits every button." No they could still reject it. It might be boring as heck. Kaelyn (00:27:37):Yeah. Don't, you know, don't write to requirements, but also, you know, be aware of what those requirements are and find the story, maybe the mermaid story that lives in your heart and put it on paper and send it out into the world to get published. Um, it's, it's a f— it's a weird, fine line to walk, but it is important to write well and passionately about something. If you're writing stories for anthology consideration, and you just don't really care about it, that's probably not an anthology you should be submitting to. Rekka (00:28:11):I would say that, like the story that we mentioned earlier that you've read: that was not the right story for that anthology. And I kind of knew it, but. Kaelyn (00:28:18):It was a good story though. Rekka (00:28:19):It was also like a lot of fun to write and I was backing that anthology. So I was kinda like, "yeah, I'll just toss it in there." And I don't regret it. Kaelyn (00:28:30):Nope. But you know, along those lines, um, be aware, you know, if— Julia talked a lot about this, so I won't go through too much of what a slush pile is and how this works for anthologies, but— be aware that this is a thing that is happening. If somebody opens your story and is just like "this isn't even close to what I'm looking for." If they make it past the first page, I'd be shocked. Rekka (00:28:55):Well, yeah, it's hard to say. Kaelyn (00:28:57):Yeah, it depends on how long it takes them to realize that you did not read the instructions Rekka (00:29:02):Or that you chose to disregard them. Exactly. Yeah. The guidelines are very important. They're there for a reason. And if you don't have a story that fits them and you don't want to write one, then move on to another anthology and see if you got something better for that. Kaelyn (00:29:15):And look, it's not, every anthology is going to, you know, be for you. Maybe you don't particularly like mermaids, you know, then maybe don't like write for a mermaid based anthology? You know, these anthologies get so many submissions and a good portion of them are going to be people that are just throwing mud at various walls to see what sticks, what they can get through. So some care and attention, and some indication that you are very interested in this and that you wrote something, or you had something that you think is specific and very special for this, will go a long way. Rekka (00:29:52):But yeah, I mean, in terms of writing for an anthology, the thing that I feel like people need to keep in mind is that these anthology calls never pop up when you have a spare minute. Oh no, of course. So you're going to see an anthology call and go, "I was going to revise my novel that month. And now, now we don't have, like, I can't, I must, I want to write for this." So like when an anthology call pops up and you cannot resist stealing time away from a project you were already like really committed to, that might be the anthology call that is right for you. Kaelyn (00:30:26):There is no time of year that is the anthology heavy time of year. There isn't a publishing cycle necessarily for, um, anthologies that are specifically looking for contributors. There is a time of year that anthologies will come out, but they are, you know, those Best Of kind of anthologies. Rekka (00:30:45):Right, and those are reprints. So it's not like that's work for the person who's appearing in them anyway, it's it's proofing, but that's about it. It's already been printed once, the editing's been done. They're not going to change the words if they're proving that it's a Best Of. Kaelyn (00:30:57):Yeah. I would love to tell you, like, "yes, be prepared because April may every year, this is when you start seeing all the calls for anthology contribution." That's not a thing. Rekka (00:31:06):Nope. It's when the anthology editors get all their thoughts together on paper and they come up with that budget plan Julia was talking about, and then they figure out their timing, they plan out their Kickstarter campaign, and who's going to do what and, and get their timeline in order. Then they might announce it. And then, then you hopefully have a little bit of warning, but probably not much, Kaelyn (00:31:29):Probably not too much. Rekka (00:31:30):Probably by the time you've heard of it. You're a few days into that Kickstarter campaign. Kaelyn (00:31:34):If it's something you're interested in, I'm sorry to tell you this. There is no good way to do this, except to do everything that you possibly can to stay on top of this. Rekka (00:31:42):Again, if the anthology called moves you to write something, chances are, you're not going to be able to resist anyway, I would say that's the right anthology call for you. Kaelyn (00:31:52):Rekka, as someone who's had experience doing both of these anthology and magazine and publication submissions, I imagine if you're sitting at home listening to this, it may sound like a lot of the same. Like it might sound like there's overlap here of, well, "what's the difference between submitting to an anthology versus submitting to a magazine that has a, has a call out.?" Rekka (00:32:15):I mean, there's a little bit of overlap in that you have to, you know, have a well-polished story. You have to self-edit, you know, a couple of rounds. You want to really hone that thing as much as you have time to do. Um, if you have a piece that you're just going to shop around to magazines, you have a little bit more time to do that. Um, as we mentioned, the anthology calls, uh, the windows can be a little small, so that's a little bit more pressure to get it through the editing process. Um, but as you know, Julia and I discussed last week, the editors kind of know that too. So you might get a little bit more slack for grammatical issues or, um, a bit of prose that goes awry or something that you would from a magazine. Kaelyn (00:33:01):"Prose that goes awry." Rekka (00:33:01):I think that should be the subtitle of this, uh, this, uh, entire podcast maybe, or my, or just my writing career. Rekka (00:33:09):Um, but, uh, yeah. So when you are submitting to one or the other, the first most important step is to find the guidelines and absolutely adhere to anything that is not being left up to your choice. Because there's a reason for that. And that reason is to minimize the work that's going to be done on the other end. Um, sometimes it's house style things where you see a magazine will tell you, like "we want American English spellings of everything." You know, the guidelines will have some hard specificity to them. In terms of what the story will be. The guidelines for a magazine are probably going to just maybe, um, [coughs and it sounds remarkably like "Clarkesworld'] going to tell you what not to send them. These become pet peeves of the editor, uh, that they pass down to the first readers. So that those become the first readers' pet peeves. Um, and there are certain things that are just not going to make it through. And they'll tell you that. Um, many anthologies will be less specific because of the theme. Like they already told you what the theme is and they want to see what you'll do with it, but they might tell you, for example, we will not accept any stories that, um, you know, highlight violence or, you know, racism or bigotry, things like that. Kaelyn (00:34:40):So. Well, I would say that one of the big differences to understand here is a magazine is an ongoing thing. So be it a, you know, a magazine, a periodical publication of some kind, is ongoing. So, an anthology, conversely, either you're in it, or you're not. Um, a magazine on the other hand, you know, maybe your story wasn't exactly what they were looking for right at that moment, but maybe they'll keep it in their back pocket. Maybe it's, you know, I, I think, and Rekka correct me if I'm wrong, that you have a little bit more flexibility with a magazine to use creative license in there in that maybe this isn't exactly what we need right now, but a few issues from now, this might fit very nicely with a themed issue that we're doing. Versus— Rekka (00:35:30):I think it's very rare that a magazine is going to hold your story for a future thing that they might do. Um, very frequently you are in a submissions period window. You know, the magazine will open for a certain amount of time, every certain timeframe. So for example—you have the entire gamut—uh, Clarkesworld is open all the time. You'll probably get that rejection by the end of the week, Strange Horizons is open for 24 hours once a week, except for certain, like, two weeks a year. Um, other magazines are open for like a quarter and then they close and then they open for another quarter or, you know, a month, every other month, something like that. So if you are interested in submitting for magazines, you really have to be on top of their schedules to know, if there's a magazine you want a piece to go to, when they're going to be open. Rekka (00:36:30):Because the other thing to be tricky about is not to have sent it off to a magazine that has really slow response time that makes you miss that window. Um, so magazines submissions are kind of like a balancing act. You, you want a playbook that you figure out like what your, what your process is for a story. It's very rare that I hear even for, um, a magazine that has themed quarters, for example, like Fireside will do a quarterly, uh, themes. I'm trying to think of another one I know that, I've just seen one recently where they're, um, Zombies Need Brains has a, um, a couple of, uh, when they do their Kickstarter, they announce like four themes. And so if you're submitting, you're not necessarily submitting for the next one that comes out, you're submitting based on the theme that your story is written to. But they might all be reviewed together. And then you don't find out until the beginning of that calendar year, which ones, you know, re going to be accepted. So it's, it's weird. It's tricky. Um— Kaelyn (00:37:38):That should be the tagline for this podcast. Rekka (00:37:41):I guess before we get too much further, I should talk about the Submissions Grinder? Submissions Grinder is a web app that's hosted by Diabolical Plots and, um, they themselves are a magazine. And, um, I believe they're opening soon if they haven't already. Um, but they basically have this tool online that lets everyone aggregate their, uh, submissions information for both anthologies and magazines and even some non-fiction markets. You can run a search for open markets based on your story's criteria. So for example, a 4,100 word, uh, science fiction story, and you can put that you want, you know, pay rate of 6 cents or more per word, and then it'll return all the open markets that meet those qual— You know, that a fiction story of 4,100 words might potentially be published in. And, um, and at the pay rates that you request and you can even sort by pay rate, or you can sort by rejection time, you know, response time, I should say, but let's be real. Rekka (00:38:49):So then you can, you know, log your submissions and Submissions Grinder will kind of keep people apprised of how that magazine is responding to things, the age of, um, stories that are responded to and, provided that everybody submits like keeps up to date on their, um, data entry, then you get some of that rejectomancy juice flowing because people can watch and see, you know, like, "Oh, look, the submissions that were sent in on August 12th are starting to get their responses this week," you know? Um, and so you sort of know of like, "Ooh, I didn't get the response, but everybody else did. Did I make it to another round? You know, like have I, have I made it to the next challenge? You know, the next level of slush." So yeah, that's Submissions Grinder, and it's a great tool. I definitely recommend you keep a backup of your own submissions history, just in case anything ever happened to their server. Kaelyn (00:39:46):With an anthology, you know, where there's a call for contributors, it's very possible. They may even say, "we'll let everyone know by this day." Pretty much. Or, you know, "the first round of rejections is going out this day after that." And by the way, it's very common in this process that an editor is going to want to talk to you beforehand. Um, in very rarely do, unless, you know, you were approached beforehand specifically and asked to write or contribute something to this. Um, very rarely are they just going to send you an email and be like, "Hey, we picked this. Isn't that great." Um, there's always a little bit of a vetting process that goes into this. Rekka (00:40:28):Um, It's a very brief vetting process though, as compared to like having discussions with agents and publishers, uh, it's generally, you know, you get a response that says, "we are interested in purchasing this story," you know, and then you do a little dance and you answer whatever questions they have. It's not, um, it's not hard to find out about a person online these days. So if they're vetting you for your reputation, you've probably laid it all out on Twitter for them already. Um, if they're vetting you for your experience, you know, that might be on your website. Hopefully you have a website, please have a website. Kaelyn (00:41:08):They could be vetting you to see if they're going to be good working with you because that's another thing to note here is, I had mentioned, don't expect that they're not going to want any work on your piece. Because this is an anthology and it's a shorter piece, generally speaking, they're going to be pretty happy with it, but they may want you to do some work. There may be some, I won't say significant, but there could be some sizable edits involved in this. And that's where I'm saying, you know, they're probably going to talk to you, especially if they're like, listen, we really like this story. We need you to tweak it a little bit cause, okay, maybe they want it to fit in better with the theme of the anthology. Maybe there's, you know, something in there that they're like "this just isn't going to sit well with the re with the theme for the, um, you know, the book we're putting out" so they could want to talk to you just to make sure everyone's on the same page and you're not going to stomp your feet and pout and say, "I'm not changing a single word of this." Rekka (00:42:11):Well, you have some editors who will only pick stories that don't need a lot of work because they don't have the time to deal with that. Like I said, you might have a very small team or even a team of one person, and they're not going to pick stories that they're going to have to spend intensive time working on you with. If you were submitting to a magazine and there was something they weren't happy with, chances are, unless it's very minor, you're not going to get an acceptance or even an invitation to discuss possible changes. What's more likely to happen is they'll say "revise this with this feedback and you can resubmit someday and we'd look at it again" because, um, what we haven't really touched on is that if this is one and done, generally, if your story gets rejected, you don't get to send that story back again. Kaelyn (00:42:58):Yes. That's very important to know with anthologies. Rekka (00:43:01):Anthologies and magazines magazines. Don't, you know, they may not have a long memory, but it's very possible. They also do. So you don't know, um, you don't want to take your story that was rejected and just, you know, change the characters' names and flip it back and send it again, you know, in less than six months. It's very likely they'll remember it. Um, and it's very likely it won't get any further than it did the first time, uh, you know, much less. It'll have a much shorter life span if the person who saw it, you know, already knew it was rejected right off the bat. So, um, but with an anthology call, if they do like it, you probably won't get a revise and resubmit, um, suggestion because of the timeframe you're working in. You might get an editor who really likes the story, but wants to know, would you be comfortable making these changes? Rekka (00:43:51):And if so, then they're interested in buying it. Um, and that's going to again, be a quick process. And probably as I said, not a very laborious one. I doubt they're going to want to change the theme of your story. Um, it's going to be more like, um, "this comes off as problematic," or "this is really similar to another story that I'm definitely accepting. Um, if we can tweak this detail out, it may not even be critical to the story then," you know, something like that. But it's, I really don't think you're going to get very deep changes on a call because the competition is so fierce. Now, if you somehow ended up an anthology that nobody heard about and they're grasping for, you know, to fill the word count that they wanted, then that might be a totally different process because they are, you know, a little bit more willing to work with you because they just want to put together a good anthology and they didn't get the raw meat they needed to make a proper meatloaf. Kaelyn (00:44:50):Along those lines Rekka. Uh, you know, we've talked a lot here about anthologies. They're great. They're a lot of fun. They're good for that dreaded word "exposure" and they're good for your career. And they're a good experience that said not all anthologies are created equal. Rekka (00:45:06):Explain, please. Kaelyn (00:45:07):Some are created to screw people over. Rekka (00:45:10):Same with magazines though. Kaelyn (00:45:11):Same with magazines, yes. Rekka (00:45:12):Same with publishers. Kaelyn (00:45:15):Same with publishers. Rekka (00:45:15):There who are ready to screw you over at every, every step of the way. And it really does come down to, um, being savvy, uh, knowing what your value is and, um, standing up for yourself and watching for these red flags. Kaelyn (00:45:30):That said, anthologies are something that I think specifically is very easy to get sucked into and taken advantage of. Um, for all of the reasons that we mentioned before, you know, the, you know, adding this to your, uh, your bibliography, your writing resume, um, you know, the apparent legitimacy that this affords you. A lot of people see this as an easy-in. I want to be clear, first of all, even, you know, any anthology like, especially the legitimate ones, this is not easy. There are, you know, predatory, people and publications out there that know that writers are desperate to just try to get something published and will do things to try to, well, take advantage of them there. So in terms of red flags with anthologies, this one right off the bat should be very obvious if you've ever listened to this podcast: do not pay to be in an anthology. Rekka (00:46:30):Not only that, but do you not pay to have your submission reviewed. Kaelyn (00:46:33):Across the board, do not pay to have your submission reviewed. If you really want somebody to look at your stuff that badly, take that money and go hire an editor. Never pay to have your work featured in an anthology. And this is where that exposure word comes in, where, you know, the people are going, Oh, no, but "you're paying us. But think of all this exposure you're gonna get." Rekka (00:46:50):Remember, they have no content if they don't have writers. So you should be paying them in exposure. Kaelyn (00:46:56):Yes. Um, but along those lines and tied to this, also, is be careful of your rights. Um, a legitimate anthology will have—and by the way, magazine submission, same thing—very clearly upfront, what rights the publisher is maintaining here. Now frequently, this will be something like, um, you know, publishing and electronic rights in US English or Global English or something along those lines. Um, what that means is that if you know, John Favreau picked us up and said, "Hey, this would make a great movie." That means he's still got to get the rights from you, for that movie. Speaker 3 (00:47:37):Right. Anything that's, that's not signed over to the publisher in the contract—and when I say "signed over," um, I'm hoping that you're getting paid and therefore you're selling these to the publisher. You can even request the line that say, "all other rights, not mentioned are, you know, retained by the author." That's never a bad thing to ask for. So whatever is in there is in there and that's the contract and you signed it. And that's why we call them contracts. Kaelyn (00:48:03):There are, there are theologies that are literally just a bright scraps. They are going to get as many short stories as they can publish all of them, maintain the rights, and then if you think there aren't people who work for four or with this group that will just go shop those short stories to anyone. I mean, primarily Hollywood. Rekka (00:48:24):They like short stories. Keep in mind that most of the Stephen King movies, you know, and love were probably short stories at one point. Kaelyn (00:48:31):Yeah. Rekka (00:48:32):So, um, it's, it's a very tidy way for a, for a studio to get a fully realized story that doesn't need a whole lot of editing down. Because that's the thing about short stories, they don't have all those extra moving pieces that Hollywood usually has to strip out when they convert a novel to a screenplay. So when you are selling to an anthology, especially short stories, especially when you are getting pennies per word, you want to make sure that you protect whatever value that the story can be for you otherwise. And, uh, whether that's resell value, which means that, you know, you can sell it as a reprint story and you'll get less, but magazines will buy stories that have already been published, as a reprint. And then, you know, you can just do that as many times, as long as you don't accidentally give up all your rights to that story. And, you know, without an end date, it's usually going to be sometimes it's six months. I mean, it depends how quickly the magazine tends to get its issues out. Sometimes it's six months. I've heard some of them try to go for two years, which is really on the long end of things. Generally, again, they're looking at this in terms of calendar years. So when they put your story out, that issue is quote-unquote, you know, stale in a year. So they're not going to try and hang onto those rights, other than maybe if they do a Best Of, and then it's probably even in there that they'll renegotiate at that point. Kaelyn (00:50:06):Along those lines, you know, of, um, you know, pennies per word, be aware of the comp structure. Good legitimate anthologies will be very upfront about how this works. Typically, very typical of anthologies is you were paid a certain amount upfront based on the number of words. There's a, you know, there's different rates. Um, you know, maybe hopefully you can find one that does the, uh, you know, the SFWA level pro rate. Um, but be very clear about it. Anthologies, typically do not continue to pay you based on the number of copies sold. Rekka (00:50:44):Right? There are no royalties. You're selling flat. Kaelyn (00:50:47):It's too much work for, you know, for these to handle. You are selling a flat rate, they retain certain rights to your story. You maintain the rest of them. Rekka (00:50:57):And again, anthologies make a bit of a splash when they come out, but they're not something like a novel that hits a bestseller list and then, you know, has a long tailwind. Kaelyn (00:51:09):Yeah. And if you're thinking here, "well, that doesn't sound fair. So that means like this anthology is going to make a big splash. And then, you know, the publisher is just going to keep making money, hand over fist, with it forever." Anthologies are so much more expensive than a regular novel. Um, you know, Julia talked about, you know, the, some of the budgetary concerns and everything that goes into this. Anthologies are so expensive. Um, if a publisher, especially a smaller publisher, recovers their cost on it, that is—and that's, by the way, why so many of these are done through Kickstarter because the money upfront required to get an anthology off the ground is staggering. Rekka (00:51:51):And it's probably more than that anthology will ever make just by releasing it in a quiet, traditional manner. Like Kickstarter really helps to get eyes on it. And then it helps to get people to commit to it ahead of time so that it can be funded before it even comes out. And then that might be the end of it. You know, it comes out, people already backed it. So they get their copies, and maybe there's a trickle of sales, but it's not, it's not going to really be something that is making money long-term. So don't resent the publisher for not paying you your royalties each quarter, which would end up being like 0.1 cent. Kaelyn (00:52:30):You're going to make more money off of this, selling it flat than you would in a royalty structure. If somebody is offering you a royalty structure, I would actually go so far as to say, be very dubious of that. Rekka (00:52:41):And worry about them as a human, the amount of energy that they're going to spend on this. Kaelyn (00:52:45):Yeah. Yeah. So, um, one last weird red flag, which I didn't really realize how much of a thing it was until I was doing research on this and actually came across a number of these: do not submit to anthologies that are offering prizes instead of money. Um, I was— Rekka (00:53:06):Hey, well, what if I need a blender? Kaelyn (00:53:09):Get the money from the anthology and go buy the blender. Rekka (00:53:13):And then you get to choose your blender. Kaelyn (00:53:14):Then you get to pick the blender. Um, no, I, I was, I was very surprised by how many anthologies and stories about this I came across where they're like "the prize for getting accepted by this is, you know, a thing like a physical thing, like an iPad, but like an old one that we used to be my daughter's and it's got some crayon on it and we're going to mail it to you." Um, no, but like, there's, there's this weird thing out there, and I'm not sure how much of it is genre versus, you know, other forms of anthologies and non-fiction. Um, but there's this weird thing out there where there are prizes offered instead of like monetary compensation. Um, look if you really want the crayon iPad than sure, go for it, but also avoid those. It's just, um, that's, I can't even call it an anthology. It's more of like a writing contest at that point. And I'm not sure what the prize is other than a weird iPad. Rekka (00:54:14):Yeah. That, that is more of like a County Fair level, you know, competition. Um, you're going to be up against like, if you're in genre, you might be up against memoir, you know, who knows? Kaelyn (00:54:24):Yeah. The one, um, the one other last thing I will say here, I talked kind of at the beginning of this episode about poetry and how that was really sort of the advent of anthologies. If, you know, obviously we talk about fiction. We specifically talk about genre fiction a lot on here. Um, if you are submitting poetry to an anthology—which by the way is very common and I believe like one of the more pervasive forms of anthology out there, um, is poetry—be especially careful with that with rights and everything because, um, I don't think many rights for poetry gets sold to Hollywood, but, um, poetry tends to form in collections, which is, you know, where anthology sort of sprung out from. So, um, if you are submitting poetry through an anthology, just be especially careful about that. Rights seem to be a big issue there. Because, you know, typically when you're submitting a poem, we're not talking about something that's a 20,000 word short story, we're talking about something that's maybe a few hundred words and you get paid differently and structured and everything there. So— Rekka (00:55:34):Yeah, I mean, if you ever wanted to release your own poetry books someday, you just got to make sure that you've got all your rights and if you ever released a themed poetry book, then maybe it does become a movie or a music album. I mean, you just get—make sure that in a year or so after the anthology comes out, you own that story again. Kaelyn (00:55:51):Yeah, exactly. Because poetry is, is weird with this where poetry is very short typically. And, um, it's not the same as, you know, you can just go publish a short story and put it on Amazon. It's very difficult to get people to pay for individual poems on Amazon. So, uh, anthologies are one of the main outlets there. And again, rights are always important. Kaelyn (00:56:16):Um, the last thing just to wrap up here, um, my cautionary stuff is I will—and this is something I actually have experienced in myself—is to be clear about academic versus, um, fiction and nonfiction anthologies. Because anybody who, you know, has come from academia, I'm sure you've had to do writing and research and like it's, you know, a publish-or-perish situation. Um, I've had a couple of things that I submitted to different periodicals and magazines published. Um, in those cases, the power dynamic is a little different here. Kaelyn (00:56:57):Um, you still should not be paying to have things published. That's a big no-no in academia as well, but for different reasons. Um, but the power dynamic is a little different because you are essentially trying to win a contest. You are trying to get your paper to be the most interesting, the most groundbreaking, the most, whatever to get it published. Um, so if you're thinking through this and going, "Oh, hang on a second. I submitted this stuff to this, uh, academic journal and they put me through this ringer," that is very different. That is career oriented. That is a step that depending on, you know, what your field is, you must take at certain points. I mean, if I had stayed an historian, all I'd be doing is trying to publish research papers and, uh, get books written—different kinds of books, obviously. Um, so don't, don't conflate the two it's, um, it's, it's a very different from, from fiction and nonfiction, creative writing versus academic writing. In those sometimes they do give you a prize and that's a big deal. Those are, those are the scenarios in which it's like, "Hey, and the winners getting a $50,000 grant," and then there are grad students killing each other over it. So. Rekka (00:58:12):Don't be those people though. Kaelyn (00:58:14):Yeah. Don't. We don't need any more dead grad students. Rekka (00:58:18):I mean go win the grants, but don't kill anyone to get there. Don't climb over a pile of dead bodies to get your grant. Kaelyn (00:58:24):It's the only way to get grants, Rekka. Rekka (00:58:28):Just picturing like that scene from Terminator. Kaelyn (00:58:30):Yeah. Um, that's what it felt like a lot actually. Um, it was, uh, I, I will tell you, I can't remember if I ever told this story on this, but, um, I had submitted to, um, a publication and the first thing I had to do was get... Like my university was allowed to submit a certain number of papers. So the first thing I had to do was get by like my professor's like review board and it was all supposed to be anonymous. So like I had to print this out, put it in an envelope with like a number on it. And then I was going to get, you know, notes and stuff back from them. I opened one of the envelopes and my 30 pages were in it. They had been torn to confetti. Rekka (00:59:15):Well that's something. Kaelyn (00:59:18):Um, what's really funny is that made it very obvious which professor had done that. But yes, needless to say he did not like it, but it was one of two things that I actually got published. Rekka (00:59:34):Okay, so that's a good point, to bring this back to our topic, is that what one editor hates and despises and shreds to confetti—thankfully we send digital files now and we can still send those to other editors who might also love them. Because let's be clear if you get something published in an magazine or an anthology, the editor loved it. Because the competition is so fierce, it's not just good enough. You didn't slip through the cracks and, you know, sneak by them and get in, you know, without being caught. You were chosen. Your story was chosen and it beat fierce competition to get there. So, um, don't, I, it's hard not to just remember the, the editor who tears it to confetti when you think of that story, but— Kaelyn (01:00:23):Oh, I remember, I remember that professor, he did not like me. Rekka (01:00:27):Well, but who cares? Because it was published and you didn't need him. And that's, that's how you can, you know, think about the editors that don't choose your stories. Once you, once you get to that point where your stories are getting chosen. And, you know, I've heard people call it a numbers game. I've heard people call it like, uh, you know, figuring out where your puzzle piece fits across, you know, a table of 60 or 70 puzzles. Um, but it's, it's a slog and you really, really have to give yourself credit for the successes. Because they don't come as frequently as we might like. Kaelyn (01:01:02):And that said, you know, to kind of wrap us up here, anthologies are great. And there are a lot of fun. And they're a great way to challenge yourself to maybe step out of your writing comfort zone a little bit. Especially if it's something you can get excited about. So... Rekka (01:01:18):Yeah. I, I mean, as a, as a purchaser of anthologies, I love knowing that, like, this is the theme of the whole thing. If I'm into that, this entire book should be pretty much up my alley. Or, you know, sometimes the anthologies are about a movement, and I want to support that movement and I can support that and support individual—like a whole team of individual people while supporting that. Um, and sometimes it's just like, "Oh, that's bizarre. I just want to hear 50 different ways that people will tell that story." So anthologies are super cool for readers, and you get short stories that you can put down and pick it up and leave it, you know, for a couple of months and then come back to it and your bookmark's in there, and you just read the next one. Or you jump around. I mean. Kaelyn (01:02:02):You've got options. Rekka (01:02:02):You've got options. Kaelyn (01:02:03):That's what we're getting at here. More than anything else, you've got options. Rekka (01:02:07):And as a writer who gets placed in an anthology, you get that chance to be discovered by somebody who hadn't heard of you before and picked you up because they like this theme. So another quick point then is if it, if it's a time crunch and if you're not really sure what to write and the, the anthology doesn't even work in your established genre, consider maybe not, you know, spending, putting your time into that. It might not be an investment that ends up being worth it, unless you want to try it. You know, like we said, earlier. Experiment. Yes. But, um, don't try to use anthologies as a gateway for readers to come into your existing library of work if the anthology story is great to end up nothing like the rest of your work. Kaelyn (01:02:55):Is so outside of what you typically write, yeah. Rekka (01:02:57):And again, if you're willing, if you're willing to pivot and make a change of this piece, turns into something big, totally different story. but be aware of that as you pick your anthologies that you want to participate in. And then run a search on, um, the Submissions Grinder, put your ear to the ground on Twitter and, you know, do a browse on Kickstarter and find something, and then try it. And, you know, maybe it takes 20 before you get placed in one, or maybe it's, you know, your first started or second or third one, Kaelyn (01:03:25):If it's something you're on the fence about definitely give it a shot. If nothing else, just see if, you know, just see— Someone's giving you a writing prompt, take that and run with it, see what you can do with it. If you're really like, still not sure. You know, what a great thing to do is pick up an anthology. Rekka (01:03:40):Yes. Definitely read some anthologies before you start submitting to anthologies. Same with magazines. Kaelyn (01:03:45):Use that to sort of figure out the type of anthology and genre that you would like to write to. Kaelyn (01:03:50):Bu

Sam is teaching, managing and running training centres focused on ESL for 13 years in Asia. Boyer Education Unlimited is an institution dedicated to the growth and development of children around the globe. They are committed to building ESL into a cultural exchange that will provide students with the opportunity to improve their education at home and abroad. Sam is hoping to find investment, financial support and network connections to bring this brand all over Asia and the globe building a US Franchise with a global blend to those who desire it. Contact Sam: Facebook.com/samboyer

Luis Gonzales is a master facilitator and a global communications expert. We have some fierce hacks from Luis today which include: How his multicultural upbringing shaped his corporate career positively Why cultures play a significant part in your communication Paying attention to one conversation at a time enriches relationships Why noticing how your intuition informs conversations is critical Plus lots more hacks Join our Tribe at https://leadership-hacker.com Music: " Upbeat Party " by Scott Holmes courtesy of the Free Music Archive FMA Transcript: Thanks to Jermaine Pinto at JRP Transcribing for being our Partner. Contact Jermaine via LinkedIn or via his site JRP Transcribing Services Find out more about Luis: Fierce Inc. Website: https://fierceinc.com Luis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisgonzales/    Full Transcript Below:   ----more----   Steve Rush: Some call me Steve, dad, husband or friend. Others might call me boss, coach or mentor. Today you can call me The Leadership Hacker.   Thanks for listening in. I really appreciate it. My job as the leadership hacker is to hack into the minds, experiences, habits and learning of great leaders, C-Suite executives, authors and development experts so that I can assist you developing your understanding and awareness of leadership. I am Steve Rush and I am your host today. I am the author of Leadership Cake. I am a transformation consultant and leadership coach. I cannot wait to start sharing all things leadership with you.   We're joined on the show today by Louis Gonzales. He's a master facilitator and a global communications expert. But before we get into conversation with Luis, it's The Leadership Hacker News.   The Leadership Hacker News   Steve Rush: Did you know that in every language, there are more negative words than there are positive ones. It seems we need lots of words to describe my negative feelings, but we're content with a handful of ones to describe positive feelings. Researchers have found that most cultures have words that describe seven basic emotions. They are joy, fear, anger, sadness, disgust, shame, and guilt. So that's one positive emotion and six negative emotions. It's no wonder so many of us have a hard time keeping our negative comments in check. Over the last 10 years, I've been working with language and communication, and I've noticed a bunch of words in our vocabulary that are unhelpful and could adversely impact on you and your team's outcomes. In the news today, I've called out five that I think are most limiting negative words, and really could be avoided so that we don't hurt, belittle and intimidate those around us. Let's get into them. The first word is can't. When you tell somebody they can't do something, oftentimes they'll end up in believing you, whether you are right or wrong. This is particularly true if the person has come to trust you and to respect you and can often then limit people's behaviours. No, the word no is a mother and father all negative words and no can impact us down to our very core. In fact, research tells us that we rap more slowly to the word no than we do to the word yes. And that our brains respond differently when we're told no. This is a great reminder for us to use this word sparingly and to be thoughtful when we do use it. Failure as in you're a failure, is that ever really a reason to use this word in relation to another person? Until a few years ago, I actually used this on my website and I used the phrase failure isn't an option. Now I put success is your only option. And lo and behold, when people read it, they stay on the page longer. They recognize this as more of a positive enabler. It also stimulates better thinking. Positive beats negative, of course, in every situation. Wrong, the word wrong has its place. And sometimes there's no doubt that something is wrong. However, constantly telling someone they're doing something wrong or that their opinions are wrong are likely to drive a wedge between the two of you. Using this word assumes that only, you know, best. You have the monopoly on what's classed as a truth. So, reserve this word for when there is absolutely no doubt that it is wrong and it's accurate. And finally, the word never. Using generalizations, like always never. Often indicates that you feel very strongly something. However, it may not be an accurate analysis of the situation at all. If you want to intimidate or hurt someone, i.e. You failed everything you try then using generalizations is a great technique, but of course, if that's not your intention, it's probably best to take a different approach and get more specific. That's been The Leadership Hacker News. We'd love to hear your stories and insights, so please get in touch.   Start of Podcast Steve Rush: Luis Gonzales is a special guest on today's show. He is a master facilitator. He's an expert in workplace performance, productivity and communications. Luis welcome to the Leadership Hacker Podcast. Luis Gonzales: Thank you, Steve. It's great to be here. Steve Rush: So, you've got really fascinating backstory. Having now worked as a master facilitator at Fierce, you didn't start out life that way and a very multicultural upbringing in the city of Compton, South of LA. Tell us a little bit about the journey to Compton to where you are now? Luis Gonzales: Well many of your listeners may have heard of the city of Compton. Right now It's known for rap music and extreme gang violence, but I'll say that it was quite not like that back in the sixties and seventies, when I was growing up there, it was a very diverse community. So, I'm very fortunate to have grown up in such a diverse community as Compton. People of different colours and shades, et cetera. It also provided some challenges that I needed to work through as a young person, which made me who I am today, made me a much stronger person who I am today. It's a very working-class community. And I think what sparked me to get into what I'm into now, which is, you know, all about communication, effective communication, or as we say, fierce communication, I used to observe as a child, the different styles of communication that people from different backgrounds and races had all in the same community of Compton. And I used to kind of study that from a very I guess, immature way, you know, why do they talk like that? How is it they're communicating? And what's the actual message they're trying to deliver? How is it being received, et cetera? And again, this is in a multicultural environment. So, you could say it could be between Latin Americans, Mexican Americans, and the way they communicate and communicating with African-Americans perhaps. So, there's two different communication styles there. So, I'm really grateful that I grew up in a diverse world, a diverse neighbourhood with lots of support. Were there challenges? Absolutely. But that has also caused me to become a better communicator today. And I would say a better person overall as well in terms of my outlook on diversity, being more accepting of differences in people, et cetera. So that's a little bit about Compton, my background and how that kind of propelled me into what I'm doing now. Steve Rush: And I wonder if that time that you were growing up, Luis, you had an awareness of the different types of communication because you would have not only had the multicultural language communication was physical, but I suspect that there were a number of different nonverbal communication styles and attitudes that were playing out. It's almost like a communications apprenticeship, right?   Luis Gonzales: Absolutely. Absolutely. I'll give you a perfect example of that Steve. When I was very young, probably second grade, maybe I was seven or eight years old, one of the kids in school who was a Mexican American kid, like myself, was being scolded by the teacher, by the way, I went to Catholic School, but that's neither here nor there, but in those days there were some scolding when you misbehaved or were not behaving as you should. And the teacher was scolding this young Mexican American kid, my classmate. And I remember him looking down and looking down while he was being scolded. And the teacher kept saying, look at me, stop looking down, look at me. And he was getting in trouble because he refused to look at the teacher. And I remember telling my parents that when I went home and it was probably not at that time, I may have been too young, but later I came to understand, and my father helped me understand that's a cultural difference. That's a cultural communication style. That's nonverbal, as you said. So, I'll say in our culture and what I mean by that is, I identify as a Mexican American. So, in my Mexican background, my Mexican family culture when someone is scolded, you don't look that person in the eye, you remain humble and you tilt your head downward. In a US American context, however, that might be seen as disrespectful. And you need to look the person in the eye, who's scolding you, the older person, the elder, whoever it is. So that's one example right there of different communication style, all in English, all in the same country, all within the same overarching culture if you will. Here in Southern California. And yet there's a miscommunication that caused a breakdown in a relationship, and nobody really understood why. Steve Rush: And it's the subtle nuances and those cultural communication styles that you become successful at adapting and learning about, and indeed sharing those lessons. And we'll get onto that in a little bit more detail in a moment. Luis Gonzales: Sure. Steve Rush: When it comes to your corporate career, though, you have a great kind of story of evolution and transformation, your corporate career in the hospitality business. Just tell us a little bit about that? Luis Gonzales: Sure, I started with the Ritz Carlton Hotel, proud to say that. At the ripe age of, I think it was 20 or 21, and it was based here in the Los Angeles area, that hotel property at the time. And so, we receive a lot of high-profile guests, a lot of celebrities, princes and royalty from all over the world. You can imagine that this five-star hotel, the Ritz Carlton in the Los Angeles area, all the people that came through there, I was exposed again to all kinds of cultures and communication styles. And of course, with the Ritz Carlton, they set a very high standard for guest satisfaction, wowing the guests and all of that. And so, in order to exceed the expectations of a guest. That requires communication, that requires effective communication. And so, I was in the school, if you will, while working for the Ritz Carlton, I was in my own school of learning how to communicate across cultures, even within the Ritz Carlton, across departmental cultures, what to speak of. The various cultures that pass-through hotel that I had to interact with. And please, if you will, or, you know, exceed their expectations as we used to say. So, I learned very quickly, not a lot of people were very interested in that. But for me, I took a deep interest in that. And so, for example, one example of an aha moment, if you will, that I had. Was when I was welcoming a wedding party, I had been with the Ritz probably about eight years, by that time and a big Indian wedding party, or what I thought was an Indian wedding party was coming in, everyone dressed to the hilt, all the beautiful clothing they were wearing and all that. And when the bride and her family entered the main doors of the Ritz Carlton, and I was standing there to greet them, I folded my hands in a Namaste fashion and greeted them with Namaste. And, oh my gosh, that was one of the most embarrassing moments. And one of the best learning moments I've ever had, don't assume, they were not Indian, they were Pakistani. Steve Rush: Alright, yeah. Luis Gonzales: They were not Hindu. They were Muslim. And what an aha moment that was for me. Now anybody else, any of my colleagues at that time, might've just said, oh, sorry about that. And then moved on, but I ruminated on it. Like, what's the difference? And what made me assume that they were Indian and how can I now clue into the differences before I put my foot in my mouth and embarrass myself. So that's an example of just one example of some of the learning, the intercultural communication style, intercultural communication learning that I had just by my exposure working at the Ritz-Carlton, exposure to so many cultures. Steve Rush: And I guess, you almost have a conveyor belt of different cultures and different languages that on top of your diverse upbringing, it was just another layer of learning all the way through your career, right? Luis Gonzales: That's right, absolutely. And then not to mention on top of that communication style of the Ritz Carlton itself, they have such a genteel way, I guess this is the best way I can describe it, of communicating, whether it be hard messages to deliver, or, you know, celebratory messages or just your basic memos, just that communication style that is so smooth and gracious and concise. And I learned from that as well, in terms of, you know, another way to communicate in a business setting. Steve Rush: I'm sure you won't mind me mentioning you started out as a bus boy with the Ritz Carlton and ended up as a senior leader for the organization. Luis Gonzales: I did. Steve Rush: And at what point did you make the transition from the hospitality business to being a master facilitator? Luis Gonzales: Yeah, that's a great question. I'm glad you asked that. I was with the Ritz Carlton for a total of about 18 years. I had worked my way through the ranks, as you mentioned, starting as a bus boy slash therapist banquets, waiter, parked cars, did all kinds of things and ended up as a guest services manager, meaning in charge of all the valets and the bell persons, et cetera, and the front of the house as we used to call it. And I had reached a point where I wanted to dive more deeply into this whole idea of intercultural cross-cultural communication, global communication, something peaked my interest at that moment. And I thought to myself, okay, I've put in 18 years in the hotel industry, where is this career going? And is this what my passion is? And I think it just boiled down to that was no longer my passion. I had developed another passion and that was effective communication across borders, across cultures. Within a year, I decided to go back to grad school or go to grad school and complete my education, which I had not done. So, I quit the Ritz, and I remember when I gave my notice, they were dumbfounded. They meaning my managers at the time, my leaders, who I respected at that time, their jaws dropped like you're going to ditch a career, this awesome career that you built for yourself. Okay, good luck. I proceeded to go to the Monterey Institute of International Studies. I got my bachelor's degree in International Studies. I got my master's degree in International Relations with a focus on culture and area studies. And so, I just spearheaded into this whole world of intercultural cross-cultural communication. And that's how I got into that. One of my mentors was my professor. He owned a consultancy company, still does. Called Aperian Global. They do cross-cultural consulting. They did, at that time, I got under his wing. Long story short, that's how I got here to where I am today. I began to start training effective communication. And in particular global cross border cross-cultural communication. I eventually ended up at Microsoft in India, where I worked for two years, coaching and training, the software engineers that were at the customer help desk, if you will, when the cloud has gone down and companies need quick help with that, they would reach my team in India. And I trained them and coach them on their communication styles with US Americans and Canadians. And from there long story short, connected, a few more dots after that and got me to where I am today with Fierce Conversations. Been with them for five years. Love what I do, because it's all about effective communication in so many aspects. In so many different angles, if you will, but that's the short story, Steve. Steve Rush: That's a great story. And I love the fact that all the while through your growing up in your corporate career, and I guess it may have even been completely unconscious. You already had the foundations for a bachelor's and a master's degree right there. Luis Gonzales: Yeah, I did. But I didn't realize. It is now I'm realizing it, but yes, you're right at the time, you don't realize what you know, I guess. Steve Rush: And it's a great story. Thank you for sharing that. Luis Gonzales: Absolutely. Steve Rush: So, tell us a little bit about the work that you do with Fierce, so Fierce Conversations as you called it. Luis Gonzales: Yeah, Fierce Conversations. Let me just start with our starting point. This is a firm belief that we have, and I believe this to be true. I've witnessed and experienced this in my own life. Our careers, our companies, our relationships, heck even our lives, they either succeed or fail and it happens gradually then suddenly. And it happens one conversation at a time. So, conversations are the linchpin, the key to achieving the results that we want, achieving the relationships that we want, the goals that we want or whatever it is we say we want, it starts with a conversation and highly effective people like us. I'll include you there, Steve and I do my best to be a highly effective individual. We track the trends of our lives and we look, and we can adjust. Who do we need to have conversations with to help us achieve our goals? Where are conversations missing that need to happen to avoid any kind of mistakes or perhaps disasters? Where am I not being as candid or as forthright as I could be, or as I should be in a particular situation to help me achieve whatever goals I want. So, at the core we are all about at Fierce paying attention to our individual conversations. Because as I mentioned already, one conversation at a time, we're either moving towards the results we say we want or away from those results. We're either enriching relationships or flat-lining them, or hopefully not, but sometimes damaging them. All happening one conversation at a time. So that's our foundational belief. And from there, we take that idea and we branch out into confrontational conversations, all kinds of leadership conversations, how to have delegation conversations, how to confront when behaviour needs to change now. We talk about the idea of building emotional capital and why relationships, why strong relationships are so important to achieving our organizational goals and results. And so, we branch off in so many different directions, and now we are getting involved with effective conversations, effective communication, as it relates to diversity, equity and inclusion, because those are now topics that have bubbled up to the surface of the public discourse here in the United States, at least. Steve Rush: Great stuff, there's one thing that I'd love to dive into with you. And it's this whole principle of candid and why we struggle with having candid conversations, giving your experience in the corporate world as leaders can play out. What's the reason you find that most leaders struggle with that candid? Luis Gonzales: Most leaders in my experience, and I'm speaking from personal experience as well. In addition to my 30 plus years of just work experience, it boils down to fear-based. If I'm candid, I fear that I may be wrong. I fear that I may damage some relationships. I fear that I might be wrong and look incompetent. So many fears, if you will hold us back from being candid. From saying what we really feel and want to say. Now oftentimes, again. I'll speak for myself. Many of us, we say what we feel is expected of us, to say what we should say. What people want us to say. If you're a people-pleaser like me, you will definitely say what you think people want you to say, but that may not be the real truth. So, where that gets us into trouble is if I'm not having a candid conversation with use Steve, for example, and there are pieces missing because I'm not taking the conversation to a deeper level where it needs to go, and there are pieces missing. In other words, there are pieces of the conversation that I'm not sharing with you as I'm not being so candid with you, that leads you to perhaps start assuming. You start filling in the blanks in your own mind with your assumptions and those assumptions are often wrong. And so that leads us to more in an organization that leads us to mistakes, rework, loss of clients, duplication of efforts, and all of those have a dollar sign cost to them. So back to your question, it's fear, fear of something that holds us back from being candid. Steve Rush: It's also, sometimes, not even intentional, isn't it? Some people will, most of the time, we'll try to land some things so that they don't choose somebody else. They don't upset somebody, but in doing so run a massive risk of that kind of whole waterfall effect of other things playing out as a result of it. Luis Gonzales: Yeah, I like to say by trying to avoid, you know, whatever the issue it is that you're trying to avoid and not being candid about it, you're actually exacerbating it because it's going to explode later. I've never had an experience of not addressing an issue or a problem, and it got better on its own. So, by ignoring that, and by not being candid by withholding what we really think we should say or feel that we need to say, we're actually accelerating that undesired result that we're trying to avoid. Does that make sense? Steve Rush: Right, yeah, definitely so. there's a little part of our brain that kind of gives a little bit of a wobble when we sense somebody not being as honest as they could be with us, there is a little shift in dopamine. And that's triggered in our, what often is referred to as gut feel is its intuition, isn't it? Luis Gonzales: Yeah. Steve Rush: How do you encourage your clients and colleagues to pay attention to that intuition and to challenge where they recognize somebody is not being as candid as they should? Luis Gonzales: By getting curious. That's where I always go to. So, if you're having a conversation with someone and your intuition, your sense is telling you there's more to the story here. I feel that there's some things being withheld here. I don't feel this person is being completely honest or what have you, ask questions, do not be satisfied on the surface. And when I say ask questions, it could sound something like, tell me more about that. Help me understand how you're seeing that. I'm not sure I'm clear what I'm hearing you say, is that right? I'd like to know more about that so that you can get a more complete picture of how they're seeing things. If they're withholding being candid from you. So, you can learn more, you can provoke learning by what I call interrogating reality, interrogating their reality, not interrogating the person, but by really staying with asking questions to find out more. And I always say with leaders, I've trained, don't be satisfied on the surface. Don't be satisfied with the first response you and I will say across the board, even if someone is being candid with you and they are being forthright and you know, on the surface with you, levelling with you. Still get curious, ask questions because there are details that may come out that they may not have thought of or purposely withholding from you. So, it's always good to just start with curiosity. Steve Rush: Defiantly, I suspect also at the same time in asking more questions, you get less assumptions, right? Luis Gonzales: That's exactly right. I love that you said that because again, like I mentioned before, we, human beings tend to fill in the blanks. We make up stories and most of the time, those stories are not accurate. But we do that. It's human nature. And so, when I ask the questions, it alleviates those assumptions because now I have clarity on what's actually really going on here. I'm not making it, so you're absolutely right. Steve Rush: So, if I'm a leader and I'm communicating across a global business. How can I get more aware of how to adapt and change and modify my communication approach across a wider business? Luis Gonzales: The first thing I would recommend is if you have the opportunity to observe how different people from different cultures are communicating, that's the first step. And that's how I learned is just to sit back and watch and observe and observe how the communication is going back and forth. And then I would say, I don't know if this holds true today. And I say this because we're in a pandemic, we're all working remotely now. And I have a feeling I don't have data to back this up, but I have a feeling, our communication styles are all shifting. Even our global and cultural communication styles may be shifting as a result of us all working remotely and all being connected now on Zoom calls, et cetera. But prior to COVID I would say the second thing that I would start with is just by exploring at a very high level, what are some of the general ways or themes that cultures generally use in their communication? Are they high context? Are they low context? How do they view time? And when I say low context or high context you know, are there a lot of explanations? Do they give a lot of context? And you have to ask questions to help them get to the point or like us, US Americans, are we direct? We just get right to the point. So, it's helpful to understand that because from my experience, for example, working with Indians in India, very high context culture very averse to telling a client, a customer or a boss, no. And so you have to find out ways again, getting curious. Tell me more about that. Ask more questions to get the real answer. For example, I learned the hard way that when I was communicating with some of the Indian members of my team back in India, at Microsoft. If I would ask a question such as, will you have that ready by Friday end of day? Some of the answers I might get would be something like, we'll do our best, sir. Well, as a US American, I take that as a positive. We'll do our best. Sounds good. It sounds like they're going to pull this off, but I know I had to learn this, that's actually a no. Steve Rush: Yeah, right. Luis Gonzales: That's a subtle way of saying no. And so back to your question, first of all, observe how these conversations are going on. Anyone has an opportunity to join in that kind of a conversation via conference call or what have you to observe it, and then just do a little research on your own on the internet. There's plenty of resources out there to just see on a very high general level, what are those different communication styles that different cultures have? And especially if any of your listeners who are hearing this know that they're going to be working with or interfacing with people in a particular culture, then of course, zero in on how that culture communicates. And I will say, I don't paint a wide brush, generally speaking. That's the culture communication style, but not everybody in that culture may follow that style. So, you know, we don't want to stereotype, but those are my two suggestions. First of all, see if you can observe and see the dynamics of the conversation between people from different cultures and start doing a little exploration and research on your own into those different communication styles. Last thing I'll say is most importantly, and I almost forgot to say it Steve. It's important for us to look at our own selves. What's our communication style personally, and what's our own cultural communication style. In other words, where were we born? I was born here in the United States. I'm a very direct communicator, but I also have my own personal way of communicating. So, it's important for us to know our own communication styles and our own values that back up those communication styles, and then take a look at the other ones. Steve Rush: Whilst I suspect stereotypes on the whole people feel a little bit uncomfortable with, there are pockets of behaviours that aren't quite consistent culturally and internationally, and it's a good starting point if nothing else, right? Luis Gonzales: I agree, and you know, I think this kind of reminds me of what I mentioned a minute ago where cultural communication styles may be shifting and maybe kind of unifying. I remember it was just 10 years ago, 9 years ago at Microsoft in India, there was this term Global English. There was a thought that at some point we would all in business be speaking the standardized what they called Global English. And it was almost forced in a way, I guess you could say, you know, we're going to you know, there was a strong push for everyone across cultures, especially within Microsoft and the teams that I was working with to use this, you know, model of the Global English. Now, as I mentioned with COVID and all of us kind of communicating even more. Now, frequently, more frequently across cultures, cross borders, et cetera. I suspect again, and I don't have research to back it up, but I suspect it's accelerated that. I don't know if I'd call it Global English, but we're all settling into some norm, I guess you could say in how we gain more of, it's more of an internet communication style, I guess you could say. Steve Rush: Yeah, I observed that too. One of the things that's quite interesting that I'd love your view on right now is that we're often speaking to folk around the world now via Zoom or WebEx or MS Teams and through our laptops and devices. Do you see that being a barrier to communication? Or do you see that as an enabler? Luis Gonzales: Well, I think it's a little bit of both. At first, it's kind of a barrier and I still see the barrier, it's just a technology thing. People are still trying to understand how the technology works, what are all the buttons they need to push and the video, getting comfortable with video on all of that. So, I see it as initially a little bit of resistance perhaps, a little bit of a hindrance, and there are some challenges, but I see this as a wonderful opportunity for the world at large, for humanity to be able to now increase our understanding our cross-cultural understanding and a humanness and communication. So, I see it in the bigger picture as a plus, as a definite boon to us on the planet. But right now, I think we're still in the transition period. I did a webinar yesterday where I'm still helping people understand where the raise hand icon is, and please put your phones on mute and where the camera button is and all that. So, I think once this becomes more normal in however long of time that takes, I think we're going to see a lot more benefits than challenges. Steve Rush: I wonder also if this could be a crutch to enable some of those more candid conversations, because I'm not having to worry about the physical environment, I'm in now, I can just rely on my communication and I'm safe. Luis Gonzales: Yeah, and that's the tricky part. And I'm glad you mentioned that. I'm noticing that in the webinars that I deliver, et cetera, that some people, for whatever reason, maybe they have valid reasons for it, but see this as an opportunity to sit back, be quiet, do my work, not really engaged and just deliver what I need to deliver. I noticed that on my webinars, when people, you know, don't turn on their cameras and they don't participate. And I sense that some people may feel that this is great. This is an easy way for them to just stay below the radar, do the need full and get on with it. But I don't see that as a benefit because I know that we, as human beings are hard wired emotionally. There's research, there's Nobel prizes that have been awarded to those researchers that prove that at the core were emotional beings. We need to connect with one another and with COVID happening and us working remotely and being physically separated and being physically distance, I suspect that it's even more important for us now to really communicate, to really turn on our cameras, to really ask questions and to try our best, to give eye contact and communicate with people in as much, a way as possible that we used to when we weren't separated physically like this. Steve Rush: Yeah, and I think it's a really great observation by the way, too. It starts of course, and ends with what we've started to talk about a little earlier on, which is just conversations and the more conversations you have as you call it, your linchpin unlocks the rest of communication. Luis Gonzales: Yes. Steve Rush: So, the next part of the show, Luis, we get to turn the lens on you now and we get to hack into your leadership mind. So, first thing I'd like to ask of you is what would you say your top three leadership hacks are? Luis Gonzales: Oh, the first leadership that I have that works for me that I want to share with anybody else. We just talked about it. Connect with others, your team members, your colleagues, The people who report to you, the people who don't report to you, your leader. Connect with them on a human level. And what do I mean by connect? What do you mean by connect Luis? Just what I was saying a few minutes ago, if you're on a Zoom call, if you're on a conference call, when you have the opportunity to do so, when the kids aren't running around in the background, when your spouse is not asleep on the couch or whatever reasons you have for not turning on your camera, when you have the opportunity to do so, turn on your camera, give eye contact and connect with others around you in the organization, on your team, and get curious as I've said earlier, but not the business as usual. Get curious, not the agenda. Here's what we're here to talk about today. It's an investment in time. I know we're all busy, but spend some time at the beginning of your calls to just check in personally, just as we used to do in the office, in the coffee room, how was your weekend? How are things going with everything on your plate? What's keeping you up at night? How are the kids, all that stuff, right? Well, that's been missing. Now that we're kind of new reality. So, I encourage people to do that, connect on a human level. And we all know what that connect means with the individuals that we're connecting with. Remember the conversation is of equal value to the relationship. So, what I mean by that is. if I withhold something from the conversation, if I withhold cantor from the conversation, if I withhold curiosity from the conversation, if I will withhold going deep in our conversations, if I keep my conversations surface at a surface level, my relationship will also be surface. My relationship will not be very candid. If I'm having unreal conversations with people around me, fake conversations around me, saying what I don't really feel. Saying what I don't really think. Well, then my relationship will also be unreal. So that's my first leadership hack, connect with people. Number two, model accountability, model vulnerability. As leaders we all want our people to be accountable. We want people to take responsibility for what they're supposed to take responsibility for, but it's been my firm belief and my experience over these many years, accountability, this idea of accountability cannot be trained and it cannot be mandated. It's a personal choice that we have that we make. If it's to be it's up to me, given the current unfortunate situation, I find myself in. Given the current situation, whatever it is I find myself in, what can I do to move this in a positive direction, that is accountability, that can't be trained. It can't be mandated. It can be observed and people can see leaders model it and follow through with it. So, leaders and everybody for that matter. Model accountability, own up to where you make mistakes, jump in where you know, something needs to be done. And don't ask whose job was this? Who's accountable for this, oh, this isn't my job. This isn't my lane, stay in your lane. None of that, go for it. Do the needful, do what needs to be done. And when you model it, people will observe it. And most people will follow along with that. Third is give ownership and accountability to your people. When I say your people, this is for leaders, of course. Give ownership and accountability. And I learned that way back at the Ritz-Carlton. For example, when we were at the Ritz, if we had a dissatisfied, yes, we would call that a guest opportunity. Even when I was a bus boy, or even when I was a waiter, if a guest came up to me complaining about something, they were unhappy. I could take care of that situation and turn that guest around right then and there, it didn't matter my rank, it didn't matter my title. It didn't matter my role. That's ownership and accountability. And we were able to turn those guests around on our own without having to call a manager, going through any necessary unneeded steps, I should say. So, in the corporate world, we all have teams. We're all part of teams. If you're leader of a team, give ownership to your people, let them shine, let them rise. And sometimes even let them fall on their knees. Sometimes my leaders let me do that, but I learned that way. But celebrate the successes, give ownership, give accountability to your people, allow them to have accountability and celebrate the successes. That builds trust, that strengthens the relationship. And that is an investment in returns later on down the road. Steve Rush: Some super learning in there Luis, particularly that whole one around accountability and ownership because it doesn't cost anything, does it? Luis Gonzales: No. Steve Rush: To take on that responsibility, to get things fixed and all too often organizations handed off to somebody else. And that's where you lose impact and you lose customer relationships. Luis Gonzales: That's right, absolutely right. Steve Rush: So, the next part of this show, we call it Hack to Attack. You affectionately just referred to it as maybe fallen on your knee. So, a time in your life or your career or your work where something hasn't gone well, it's maybe not gone to plan, but as a result of the experience, we know use that as a lesson in our life that serves as well. What's your Hack to Attack? Luis Gonzales: Well, my Hack to Attack, not too long ago, I worked for an organization. It was in the last 10 years. I had a very large shoes to fill, large boots to fill, a lot of responsibilities. I was in charge of learning and development for North America and South America. Living in India, my team in the United States. So, I was reluctant to delegate. I was taking everything on my own and I was not managing my time wisely. And consequently, my health suffered after about a year and a half of that, I reached, you know, I had been burning the candle at both ends. It was awful in terms of the stress that I went through, the headaches I got, the weight that I gained, the bad skin problems that I got through all of that. But now, as I reflect on that, what have I learned from that? And what do I do differently now to avoid that? Especially with the role I have with Fierce is I delegate. There are two reasons why I delegate. Number one, obviously, to free my plate up so that I can, you know, add, you know, different types of projects or more important things onto my plate, making time for those things. But also, the flip side of that is I'm developing the people around me by delegating, giving them more responsibility. So, it's not just taking it off my plate, but it's actually with an interest to develop others. And so now I delegate a lot more than I used to. I used to be afraid to delegate. Didn't like it, but now I know how to have that conversation with people around me, they're willingly, hopefully will you know, accept what I'm offering to them as it, you know, will help them in their career. And then of course the time management falls into that as well. And that was a big challenge for me. I would say for up until about five years ago, when I joined Fierce, learn how to have a delegation conversation. Steve Rush: And sometimes it's getting into that burnout zone. That is the learnings, the real learning to make you realize that there are things that are still within your control that you can fix. Luis Gonzales: Yeah, and if I can just say this really quickly, we have so many justifications for not delegating. Some of them are valid. Like I can just do it quicker myself. It'll take time to train them to do it. So, I might as well just do it myself. They may make mistakes and I'm responsible for it. So, I might as well just do it myself and more. Steve Rush: And that not sustainable though, isn't it? That's the thing. Luis Gonzales: Nope, absolutely not. I found that out the hard way. Steve Rush: The last thing that we're going to do with you today, Luis is we're going to give you an opportunity to do some time travel and you get to go back to bump into Luis at 21 and give them some advice. What's your advice to him? Luis Gonzales: Wow, you know, I often do this, a very reflective person. So, my advice to my 21-year-old self, imagine I'm applying for a job at the Ritz Carlton man, and I'm just a young chap and I'm a little nervous about this. Here's what I would tell myself. Number one, follow your heart. Well, you know what? I always follow my heart, Steve, but I'm going to add to that. Follow your heart and don't forget, use your logic. You have logic there for a reason. So why I'm giving myself advice? My 21 self-advice on this is because I've been like a Peter pan all my life, you know, flitting about the planet and that's been great. I've had some awesome experiences. I got a great career, but I often made decisions solely based on my emotions and I didn't use logic wisely. So there has to be a balance there, at least for me. So, number one, follow your heart. But remember use your head too, heart and head are your best friends. They go together. Steve Rush: They do. Luis Gonzales: Two, stop thinking and caring about what others might think. I've always been a people pleaser and people wouldn't even think that would be advice that I would give myself because people see me as just someone who always does what he wants to do. But deep down inside myself, I know, you know, I'm always concerned about what other people might think about my decisions, my actions, et cetera. So, stop that. Just follow your passions, use your logic and go for it. The third one is you can't please everyone. So be okay with that. Steve Rush: Yeah, exactly.   Luis Gonzales: Not every everyone's going to like your decision, not everyone's going to back you up. Not everyone's going to agree with you. It's part of life. Get over it. Steve Rush: Great advice, Luis. So, I would love for our conversation to last longer and carry on. And we've had a number of conversations over the last few months and then have enjoyed immensely speaking with you. The folk, listening to us today who want to carry that conversation on with you. Where's the best place we can send them? Luis Gonzales: Please, first go to our Fierce website to the podcast tab. That's where this podcast will be hosted and others there. That's a good place to start. So, the website is www.fierceinc.com F.I.E.R.C.E.I.N.C.com from there, you'll see the resort resources tab. We have tons of resources that are free, where you can take a deeper dive into everything we've been talking about today. The second way is I'd love to connect and expand my network. Our network on LinkedIn, you can find me on LinkedIn, linkedin.com/in/Luis Gonzalez, all one word, L.U.I.S G.O.N.Z.A.L.E.S Those are the ways to connect and continue the conversation. Steve Rush: We'll make sure they're in the show notes too Luis, so that people can head straight over. Luis Gonzales: Awesome, thank you, Steve. Steve Rush: I just wanted to say, thank you ever so much, Luis for taking some time out of what is a busy time for you to join us today on the podcast. So, thanks for being on The Leadership Hacker. Luis Gonzales: Thank you for having me, Steve. It was a real pleasure. I enjoyed it. Thank you. Steve Rush: Thanks Luis.   Closing Steve Rush: I genuinely want to say heartfelt thanks for taking time out of your day to listen in too. We do this in the service of helping others, and spreading the word of leadership. Without you listening in, there would be no show. So please subscribe now if you have not done so already. Share this podcast with your communities, network, and help us develop a community and a tribe of leadership hackers.   Finally, if you would like me to work with your senior team, your leadership community, keynote an event, or you would like to sponsor an episode. Please connect with us, by our social media. And you can do that by following and liking our pages on Twitter and Facebook our handler their @leadershiphacker. Instagram you can find us there @the_leadership_hacker and at YouTube, we are just Leadership Hacker, so that is me signing off. I am Steve Rush and I have been the leadership hacker.    

In this episode Dr. Dash is really honest with her career journey from getting fired from a job to landing her dream job with Mercedez-Benz.We talk about:The importance of mindset work and how issues from your background can come up in your careerThe challenges of being a "recession baby" (a college graduate during the Great Recession)What it's like to live in JapanWays employers can gain the trust of their staffAnd more!Resources and Links:Dr. Ashley Dash on Facebook Schedule a Consultation with Dr. DashDownload Valerie's 5 Step Guide to Getting Future-Proof--Follow Valerie on LinkedInFollow Valerie on InstagramFollow Future-Proof Career on Facebook

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Taking out trash officials in Afghanistan said Monday that at least 21 security 00:00:04 forces were killed in the latest Taliban attacks and 00:00:07 a planned prisoner swap with the insurgent group has been delayed yet again the 00:00:12 deadliest violence occu....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Though allowing people only to leave their homes for essential jobs shopping for 00:00:03 food or medicine or for 00:00:06 a medical emergency in his daily remarks Monday World Health Organization director 00:00:11 general tensors said I'm gay breezes said that s....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Just cause. This is via way news via remote and Tommy 00:00:07 McNeill Spain has become the 3rd country to surpass China in the number of deaths 00:00:13 from the coronavirus behind the United States in Italy more than 6000 new cases 00:00:18 were confirmed on Mo....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Things on the v.o.a. 00:00:01 Global English network. This is below News I'm Gene 00:00:08 Randall they could run 00:00:09 a virus continues to wreak havoc around the world the numbers of infections and 00:00:13 deaths are stark Here's 00:00:15 a few corresponden....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 And more than $8000.00 killed Reuters a Libya chant has more the enemy is 00:00:05 a virus and now we have to do our at most to protect our people and to protect our 00:00:11 economies European Commission president Ursula Vanderlei and confirmed that the 00:00:16....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 A scathing new report reveals that dozens of 00:00:03 h HIV positive women were forced or coerced into sterilization after giving birth 00:00:08 at public hospitals in South Africa the commission for gender equality is report 00:00:13 this week says it investigat....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Deal to reduce its troops in Afghanistan only if the reduction and violence pact 00:00:05 with the Taliban is successful currently in 00:00:08 a 7 day reduction in violence period that started on forever 22nd in 1000 years of 00:00:13 war this is the 1st....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 The equipment to India's military he also spoke of another type of partnership the 00:00:04 United States Senate and they are committed to working together just stop 00:00:09 terrorists and to fight their ideology in front of 00:00:14 a crowd of more than 100000 ....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Chinese health officials said Sunday that the number of new cases of the gunfire 00:00:04 just slowed for the 3rd consecutive day we always lattice oak Chinese officials 00:00:08 said Sunday that more than 1500 people will cure and discharged from hospitals and 0....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 For the 3rd consecutive day at least $46.00 American citizens tested positive for 00:00:07 quote on 00:00:07 a virus on the diamond Prince's cruise ship which has been docked in Japan's 00:00:11 Yokohama ports since February 5th with hundreds of infected passenge....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 It has reached 908 surpassing the 20022003 SARS epidemic as millions of Chinese 00:00:07 prepare to go back to work the reports from the National Health Commission showed 00:00:12 89 deaths....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Trump wraps up their presentation in the Senate impeachment trial today or the 00:00:04 question of whether witnesses will be allowed during the proceeding still looms 00:00:08 Kemah star a member of the president's legal team called impeachment 00:00:12 a politi....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 I didn't state said. It's all on today is below 00:00:04 a Asia. North Korea fired 2 missiles up its east coast 00:00:10 Thursday the launch conses Pyongyang complained about the coming U.S....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 The launch comes as complains about upcoming U.S. 00:00:04 South Korean military exercises Bill Gallo has more on how South Korea is 00:00:10 responding South Korea's defense ministry on Thursday responded....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Mahler's spoke to members of Congress Wednesday he said is probe into Russian 00:00:04 interference in the last presidential election did not exonerate U.S. 00:00:09 President Donald Trump of allegedly trying to thwart the investigation....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON SRT, Metadata, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3, Web Video Text Tracks

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 The current vice president presidential candidate. 00:00:08 Yeah I. Think you. Just have to downtown Molong is the 00:00:15 director of published day of the opposition united transformation move my party of 00:00:19 Malawi into Africa at restitution gains tractio....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON SRT, Metadata, Ogg Vorbis, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Underwood is seeking millions of dollars in penalties she also wants an order 00:00:03 barring Trump and his eldest children from running any other charity lawyers for 00:00:07 the Foundation say its infractions were minor and that the Trumps wanted to shut 00:00....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON SRT, Metadata, Ogg Vorbis, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Terrorism filtration and either direction the massive army led construction effort 00:00:04 to fence the entire two thousand six hundred eleven kilometer western frontier and 00:00:09 build a new outpost as well as forts went to action more than 00:00:12 a year a....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON SRT, Metadata, Ogg Vorbis, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 As forts went into action more than 00:00:01 a year ago Afghan Taliban stormed Gazan the city almost one hundred fifty 00:00:06 kilometers southwest of Kabul Thursday night V.O.A....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON SRT, Metadata, Ogg Vorbis, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Already the president wants the Space Force to be 00:00:02 a separate but equal military service it's complicated and 00:00:06 a pricey prospect one Congress would have to approve the administration says it 00:00:11 will outline 00:00:12 a budget next year Saugor....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON SRT, Metadata, Ogg Vorbis, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Elections in November at least three people were killed in Zimbabwe's capital 00:00:04 Wednesday as soldiers and police fired on protesters demanding the release of 00:00:09 presidential election results Anita Powell has more from Harare....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON SRT, Metadata, Ogg Vorbis, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 Dossier She also says Trump is following the bank fraud and tax evasion trial of 00:00:04 his former campaign chairman and that he believes Paul Mann A Ford is being treated 00:00:08 unfairly on one Levinson Meanwhile the Senate intelligence committee heard 00:00....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, Item Tile, JSON SRT, Metadata, Ogg Vorbis, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3

On this episode, I Zoom in Miri Rodriguez and we chat about Storytelling. Miri Rodriguez is a Storyteller for IT Showcase. She is a creative journalist and content advocate developing stories across key technology trends, evangelizing brand narrative and showcasing how Microsoft is digitally transforming. Prior to this, Miri led three social care teams in CSS responding to thousands of customer inquiries via social channels in Global English, Spanish and Portuguese. Her work was recognized as Best Practice at the annual Microsoft Think Tank Summit and won her a marketing award for effectively engaging partnerships with internal teams to drive a unified social voice and customer experience. She was selected twice to participate in Microsoft's prestigious program #MySkills4Africa where she volunteered her social expertise to train and coach Social Enterprise leaders in Swaziland and Morocco to effectively launch their social programs. Her award-winning career includes 15+ years in Marketing, Operations and Customer Experience. She is the mother of 2 boys and an American Bulldog. Her philanthropic work includes volunteering as business consultant and student coach at Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, board of directors membership at Trade+Impact social enterprise organization and personal brand coaching for professionals of all ages and backgrounds. Please connect with Miri on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiriRod Follow Miri on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirirodriguez/

Closed captions transcript: 00:00:00 That included the country's top Court throwing out the results of one vote and an 00:00:04 opposition boycott 00:00:05 a crowd of sixty thousand people packed Nairobi's Castle Ronnie stadium for the 00:00:11 ceremony before it began police fired tear gas to try t....This item has files of the following types: ASR, Columbia Peaks, JPEG Thumb, JSON SRT, Metadata, Ogg Vorbis, PNG, Spectrogram, Speech Confidence JSON, Speech VS Music JSON, SubRip, VBR MP3

Miri Rodriguez is the Social Media and Communities Lead for Microsoft Americas. She manages three social care teams responding to thousands of customer inquiries via social channels in Global English, Spanish and Portuguese. Her work was recently recognized as Best Practice at the annual Microsoft Think Tank Summit for effectively engaging partnerships with internal teams to drive a unified social voice and customer experience. Her extensive career includes 15+ years in Marketing, Operations and Customer Experience. LinkedIn Website: www.linkedin.com/in/mirirodriguez  Twitter: @MiriRod  

Dean Longmore is the Lead Learning and Content Designer for Global English, and the Designer/Programmer of the iOS title Station Stop. Dean was a Game Designer for Team Bondi, where he worked on the Rockstar Games published title L.A.Noire. He was the Lead Content Designer at IntoScience working across science education based games, and was also the Lead Game Designer at Saudi Arabian studio Semaphore.

Episode 135 features Miri Rodriguez, Sr. Lead for Social and Communities Support at Microsoft recorded at Social Media Strategies Summit in San Francisco. Miri leads three teams of social care specialists for Microsoft products in Global English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Her teams handle social customer care for all products and services except XBox. View the show notes: http://www.socialbusinessengine.com/podcasts/microsoft-handled-social-care-largest-product-launch

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Language and reading, are universal skills required by everyone across the world. And with English being such a dominant language across the globe, there's an increasing number of people looking for ways to improve their English literacy (especially for children), either because they have specific special needs, or because they need to improve their English for business reasons, or because for whatever reason there is an imperative to learn English. Peter Carabi, vice president of Global Business Development for Scientific Learning is in the privileged position of being able to witness the effects of the Fast ForWord products as they help people with their language skills and provide them with new opportunities, often completely changing the trajectory of young peoples' lives. The program is based on neuroscience, and the concept that the brain is not fixed, but plastic, and has the capability to change itself. Peter describes it as one of the things that can give us all hope. I caught up with Peter at the biannual LearnFast summit in January 2016, on a sunny day in Manly on Sydney Harbour. To leave a comment on this podcast, send us an email to feedback@learnfastgroup.com.au To find out more about LearnFast, visit http://www.learnfasthome.com.au

In this interview with Heather Hansen, discover how to speak English with greater clarity and confidence after you learn: Heather’s 4-step Mindset Makeover System so you can *think* like a confident communicator The one simple question to ask yourself so you can overcome your fears and speak up successfully 3 speaking secrets to ensure you are understood by everyone, everywhere, every time

Follow along on the website: Parentheses and Subject-Verb Agreement http://j.mp/1FWMySM Global English http://j.mp/19U43aG Stand in Line or Stand on Line? http://j.mp/1bxpONX Try our iOS game, Grammar Pop http://j.mp/1H5YiSj

Transcript -- The future of English and the many hybrids that have been created. Should we still call it English?

The future of English and the many hybrids that have been created. Should we still call it English?

Transcript -- The future of English and the many hybrids that have been created. Should we still call it English?

The future of English and the many hybrids that have been created. Should we still call it English?