Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

162. Unlock Career Opportunities: How to Make the Right Moves

57 snips

Oct 1, 2024

Maggie Baird, an accomplished actress, improv teacher, and founder of Support and Feed, shares her insights on navigating careers with joy and openness. She emphasizes the power of the 'yes, and...' principle, which fosters collaboration and enhances communication. Baird also discusses the importance of empathy in education and how it can influence positive change in sectors like the music industry. Plus, she highlights her nonprofit work promoting food equity and sustainability, encouraging listeners to embrace small changes for a better future.

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ADVICE

Embrace Organic Career Growth

Let your passion and opportunities guide your career path.
Embrace new interests and experiences instead of rigidly planning changes.

ANECDOTE

Finding Confidence Through Improv

Maggie Baird's journey into improv began with a friend's show at the Groundlings, sparking a passion she'd had since childhood.
Teaching improv unlocked a hidden confidence within her, transforming her approach to auditions and life.

ADVICE

The "That's Interesting" Technique

Use "That's interesting because..." to foster engaging conversations.
This improv principle encourages building upon ideas rather than deflecting or changing the subject.

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Being present in the moment and staying open to whatever unfolds.

We all want to lead lives and careers full of joy and fulfillment. Maggie Baird certainly has, and the key, she says, is to stay open to new possibilities and “let your passion lead.”

Baird is an accomplished actress, improv teacher at the Groundlings Theater, mother to music sensations Billie Eilish and Phineas, and founder of Support and Feed, a nonprofit addressing food equity and the climate crisis. Through it all, she has embodied the improv principle of "Yes, and..." — being present in the moment and staying open to whatever unfolds. “I have done many things,” she says, “but I never approached any of them as a career change. They all came out of new interests and new experiences.”

In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Baird joins host Matt Abrahams to explore the critical role of communication in developing a career, and how improv principles can help us engage, as Baird says, “From a place of open-heartedness, appreciation, [and] collaboration.”

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Chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction
(01:52) - Career Transitions
(03:20) - Teaching and Confidence Through Improv
(05:38) - Improv as a Communication Tool
(07:20) - Structure and Freedom in Improv
(09:12) - Teaching with Empathy
(12:09) - Advocacy in the Music Industry
(14:53) - Collaboration and Positive Change
(17:42) - The Final Three Questions
(20:23) - Conclusion

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