SPEAK LIKE A CEO 301: Stop Wasting Money on Bad Communication – Celeste Headlee
18 snips
Oct 2, 2025 
Celeste Headlee, a renowned TED speaker and communication expert, dives into the staggering cost of poor communication, estimated at $37 billion annually. She critiques email as inefficient and champions the power of conversation. Celeste debunks common communication myths and emphasizes the importance of listening, follow-up questions, and training. She contrasts voice with AI, urging for more human interaction. Lastly, she shares how embracing idle time can fuel creativity and improve focus. Get ready to elevate your communication game!
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The True Cost Of Bad Communication
- Poor communication costs US businesses about $37 billion a year and wastes ~18% of worker time.
- Email drives much of that inefficiency compared with phone calls or direct talk.
Pick Up The Phone, Not The Inbox
- Stop using email for everything and pick up the phone for faster resolution.
- Phone calls lower stress and take less time than long email threads.
From Opera To Journalism: Learning To Listen
- Celeste trained herself in interviewing and communication after moving from opera to journalism.
- She found mainstream communication advice to be ineffective and began testing techniques from scratch.
