Quiet Superpowers – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we look at the superpower of listening. We spend an average of 40% of our total waking time listening. Yet we rarely consider how we can improve our listening.

The battle for our attention is only becoming more difficult in the modern world, and listening offers us a way to regain this control.

Emily Kasriel's 8-Step Process;

1 - CREATING SPACE

• This is about making time and the right environment for listening - especially in tough conversations or discussions.

2 - LISTENING TO YOURSELF

• We all carry our own baggage. And sometimes, before we can really listen to other people, we need to sit with ourselves, until our own minds can be quiet enough.

3 - BEING PRESENT

• This is about not being distracted by the many other things happening in life. This is arguably the hardest one here. Because presence isn't something you can force. Life can be really busy and hectic. And sometimes it's really difficult to not be overwhelmed. And then we're not necessarily in the right place to deeply listen to others.

4 - BEING CURIOUS

• Curiosity means that you're eager to really understand someone. And being understood is such a valuable thing.

5 - HOLDING THE GAZE

• Eye contact also helps people feel seen - quite literally... And it also conveys emotional availability.

6 - HOLDING THE SILENCE

• Silence lets the speaker process things in the space it creates. You can reflect on feelings, and have more meaningful responses.

7 - REFLECTING BACK

• This builds on the part about being curious. Because reflecting back is about understanding.

8 - GOING DEEPER

• Final step: is to really understand what's beyond the surface level, and take the experience to a new level.

https://www.emilykasriel.com/ For more info on Emily and her work - please visit her website, and I highly recommend checking out her book, Deep Listening.

Listen to the full episode to learn more!

In this episode, we look at the superpower of writing...

This might seem like an unusual topic given the first two episodes on communication and speaking, however, writing is more integral to communication than you might think.

We explore the research-backed benefits of why writing can be incredibly helpful to improving the way you communicate, and 3 writing exercises that you can use today to develop this skill.

Po Shen Loh - an American mathematician and social entrepreneur. This is a video mentioned in the podcast about what skills we can focus on now that AI exists. Highly recommend!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWYb7tImErI

As always - if you have any questions or feedback, please let me know in the comments below.

In the last episode we talked about what are your quiet superpowers. If you missed it, quiet superpowers refers to the superpower of communicating, especially if you feel or have always felt... quiet.

In this episode, we explore how to get started with building this skill of communication. We look at a research-proven method to obtain the most relevant and unique information about your own communication so you can immediately create an improvement plan.

ChatGPT Prompt to use for transcription review:

Act as an expert Communication Coach for a Principal: I will upload a spoken transcript — read it in full and produce a precise, high-value improvement report that follows these steps: (1) Clarity & Structure — identify exactly where the message is clear vs. where it becomes confusing or unfocused, show 3–6 concrete structural edits (better openings, transitions, signposting, and a stronger close) and, where useful, annotate the transcript with line/timestamp markers for each fix; (2) Conciseness & Word Choice — highlight filler words, redundancies, and long-winded stretches, and provide cleaner alternative phrasings (short, conversational, confident) for those passages; (3) Emotional Resonance & Storytelling — point to moments that land flat and recommend specific ways to add contrast, story beats, curiosity hooks, or emotional detail to make them more engaging; (4) Tone & Presence — evaluate authenticity, confidence and connection, and recommend tangible adjustments to rhythm, pacing, breath, and energy (with examples of phrasing and suggested micro-pauses); (5) Audience Connection — identify where language addresses the audience vs. talks at them, and propose exact wording swaps to make the voice more relatable and human; (6) Top Actions — give 3–5 prioritized, concrete changes that will yield the largest immediate improvement; and (7) Worked Example — include at least one short rewritten excerpt (30–60 words) showing “before → after” so I can hear what “great” sounds like. Keep all feedback actionable, kind, and specific — annotate the transcript where relevant, and finish with a 2–3 line checklist I can practice next time I speak.

Communication is a superpower. If you can hone your skill of communicating, you will be in the driver's seat of your life, and be able to navigate almost any situation.

We explore the reasons why communication is becoming ever important in today's world, and how we can all improve this skill.

Whilst this podcast is aimed towards those who have felt "quiet" their entire lives, I have studied communication extensively, and offer many practical tips to help you improve wherever you are on this journey.

If you have any suggestions, feedback, or wish to share any thoughts, please leave a comment below, or get in touch directly: guyroberts2102@gmail.com

Notes:

Vinh Giang (Communication Teacher, YouTube)

https://youtube.com/@askvinh?si=mO7wOlpBeseOuHWV

Staying consistent can feel like a never-ending battle with yourself.

In this episode, we explore why it's normal to be inconsistent often, and how to work with it more effectively.

10-Min Vocal Warmup Exercises

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R50NQPxv4ZqFiVO1eazjhmkiz3DRP1hF/view?usp=sharing

Communication Improvement Plan

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A1UnkWXM_CQf_K_0lqxJ6XjQKxj0hnXr/view?usp=sharing

In this episode, we look at the superpower of storytelling.

This is my favourite topic so far, because storytelling can be used in virtually every situation.

Telling stories teaches you to be more vulnerable with yourself and other people. It can significantly improve the relationships in your life, and give you a platform to express yourself to people - even those you already are very close with.

We explore the core ingredients of what makes a good story, how you can deliver a great story, the common mistakes to avoid in storytelling, and how you can use it to lead a more intentional and creative life.

Listen to the full episode to find out more!

This is the start of a new season of the podcast, exploring questions that quiet people (including myself!) may ask themselves. Hope you enjoy the new format!

This first episode looks into the question of what actually is quiet, and where it comes from.

Recommended book:

"Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" - Susan Cain

In this episode - we look at small talk, and how to progress from small talk into deep talk, or big talk, or however you want to call this.

I've struggled with being on both the receiving end of small talk, and feeling like I have to get good at it multiple times throughout my life. I've never quite understood it.

So I took some time to research what makes good small talk, as well as how we actually move away from it, into better, more fun, and more fulfilling conversations.

Some articles that I reference:

https://thequietlife.net/p/how-to-turn-small-talk-into-big-talk

https://hbr.org/2021/03/remote-workers-need-small-talk-too

Confidence is very often misunderstood.

There's a type of confidence that involves creating a facade to try and prove something to people, But there's also a more subtle form of confidence - quiet confidence - that means you are calm and collected during the storms.

There's a difference between being confident, and feeling confident, which we explore in this episode.

We look at practical steps you can take to build your confidence, regardless of where you're currently at with it.

Piano Improv:

Today's piano was heavily inspired by Sacrifice Piano Solo Version Seiji "Fish on Land" Ending by Keiichiro Shibuya. Recommend listening to this and similar songs if you enjoyed this one :)

As always if you have any questions, feedback, comments etc. - feel free to email me at guyroberts2102@gmail.com

In this episode, we look at the question of closeness - why we can feel it, but not always be able to express it openly.

Being close to people is one of those things that has never quite made sense to me. I had never really known if I was doing the "right" thing when I found it difficult to express. I think it's a challenge for many quiet people to be able to express this closeness without breaking your authenticity. Being able to be yourself whilst still showing to other people that you care about them, and that your quietness and/or introversion does not mean you're being distant.

Listen to the full episode where we explore this question more deeply.

As always - let me know if you have any comments or feedback for this episode. You can also email me at guyroberts21@outlook.com.

In this episode I mentioned;

• Brene Brown - who has been mentioned in previous episodes!
• Neil Strauss - American Author