S6 E8: Using AI to Make Yourself a Better Speaker with Esha Joshi

The Inspire Podcast

AI is transforming every facet of work and life, including how we improve and build leadership communication skills. In this episode, Bart speaks with Esha Joshi, co-founder of Yoodli, an AI-powered speech coach. The Humphrey Group has partnered with Yoodli to create a unique version that not only analyzes your speaking but also incorporates The Humphrey Group's intellectual capital and guidance to enhance your leadership communication skills. In this conversation, Bart and Esha discuss her journey to founding Yoodli, her passion for helping people build their communication skills, and what the tool does. They also delve into insights from the large data sets Yoodli collects, which have helped tens of thousands of people worldwide improve their public speaking. Lastly, they explore why the partnership between human coaches and AI brings the best skill development, highlighting how each complements the other. 1:19 Welcoming Esha 2:00 Bart talks about ELI 2:49 What is Yoodli? 5:05 Esha's background 5:49 Decision to go into tech 6:47 Apple TV and Ted Lasso 7:46 The intersection of tech and entertainment 7:57 3 main passions 8:21 Teaching young girls to code 8:49 Communication skills 9:31 Bart talks about their work with women at the HG 10:27 When did you get the idea for Yoodli? 10:46 Shift to virtual communication 11:15 Poor communication skills holding back really talented people 12:09 Co-founder Varun 13:19 How do people use this technology? 14:25 Bespoke HG solution 15:08 Use it to rate your performance in live meetings 15:50 See long-term trends 16:14 Exposure therapy 17:42 Practice first with an AI but get human feedback is essential 18:33 Hearing yourself back is cringy but essential 19:13 Seeing yourself through the eyes of the audience 19:54 The power of the pause 20:47 Improve lateral thinking 21:48 Desktop app 24:05 Zack Cass 24:44 What will never be replicated by AI? 26:48 Using AI as a starting point 27:47 Inspiring ideas? Bart 30:08 What's next for Yoodli and Eli?