The Currency of In-Person Meetings Sky-Rockets as Deepfakes Take Hold

Artificial Intelligence has been rapidly increasing in sophistication. What seemed impossible a few years ago, is now filling our newsfeed and the easily distinguishable ‘robotic’ voices have stepped up with the advent of the ‘deepfake’ video phenom, first coined in 2017.

Deepfake, is a combination of ‘deep learning’ , a key part of the machine learning in AI and, well, ‘fake’. In other words, it is the ability to superimpose a few existing images and videos with a machine learning technique that essentially recreates fresh content as though the individuals in question were actually saying, or doing, those things.

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Rachel Cossar
Applying Design Thinking Strategies to Increase Human Connection

As human beings, 100% of our experiences have a physical component. Watching TV has a physical component; walking into a building, entering a room, having a conversation (whether in-person or over the phone/via skype) all have important physical components.

If we are ignoring the physical in these seemingly, ‘non-physical’ experiences, how much are we leaving up to chance and engrained habit?

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Rachel Cossar
What to Watch for in the Next Presidential Debates

Since televised presidential debates began in 1960 with the famous Nixon/Kennedy match, the role of nonverbal communication and presence have moved to the forefront of political leadership.

With statements and remarks flying this way and that, it can be a challenge to keep track of what each candidate answers to each question and rebuttal. However, we still come away from the event with a clearer idea of who we like, who we don’t like and…well, who left no impression on us at all.

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Rachel Cossar
Why Giving Feedback is so Challenging

Giving feedback is hard. It is one of the skills newly appointed (and even established and experienced) managers and leaders often struggle with in professional settings. It is also one of the toughest skills to master in personal relationships.

Unless you work in complete isolation, chances are you have to face the prospect of either giving, or receiving feedback on a regular basis. At the root of honest feedback is an intention to improve and strengthen relationships. It is therefore the lifeblood of any growing organization and it is imperative to understand how to navigate its murky waters with prowess.

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Rachel Cossar
It's not what you said...it's how you said it.

I am going to go ahead and bet, that at some point in your life, you have heard the words, ‘it’s not what you said, it’s how you said it’. For better or for worse, the way we deliver our messages is a powerful indicator of the impression we have on people at any given time. And yet, many important components of delivery (body language, tonality, dress) are usually left out of our education, professional training and prep work.  

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Rachel Cossar
Even Professionals Rehearse

In our fast-paced world, where information and knowledge seem to be a quick click away, it is easy to develop the tendency to expect change to happen overnight. As anyone who has been frustrated with the pace at which they get ‘used to’ a new role, a new relationship or a new project, the realization that this formula for immediacy does not work shouldn’t come as a surprise.

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Rachel Cossar
The Plague of Bad Meetings

Across the US, many workdays are filled with meetings that are discombobulated and pointless. One way to solve this is to ensure that people are coming to the table and showing up as holistic individuals, aware of themselves and aware of their fellow team members. I highlight the role of the manager in this scenario, but everyone’s presence affects everyone else’s. There is a real sense of empowerment and responsibility simply in being in the same room as your coworkers.

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Rachel Cossar
Embodying Change - The Hack that Sticks

Change. Improvement. Resolutions. This time of year is rife with expectation. Have any New Years’ resolutions? This question comes with both a feeling of momentum and anticipatory guilt at the all too probable inability to maintain our New Year-spurred efforts.
Will this year be any different? It can be, and here’s how.

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Rachel Cossar