Speak Easy – Details, episodes & analysis

Jonny Cosgrove, founder of Cleft, discusses the company's progress and new product announcement: Amber! Cleft, designed for capturing verbal thoughts, is being complemented by a new product called Amber, focused on authoring and writing. Both products are built specifically for neurodivergent users but accessible to everyone. They aim to be assistive technology that works alongside users rather than trying to be "everything apps." The company remains committed to building software that helps people process information their own way.

• Episode 2 of Speak Easy (aka Jonny's first episode on the podcast)
• Cleft catches fire online in 2024
• Rubber Duck Debugging
• The Cleft Cookbook
• Introducting Cleft AI's next product, Amber!
  • What Cleft is to capture, Amber is for authoring

Ang Jandak discusses how business functions are interconnected, with success depending on understanding different contexts. Ang emphasizes "radical understanding" - going beyond surface-level empathy to grasp underlying experiences and barriers. For managing ideas, Ang uses multiple tools: brain dumps for rapid ideation, pen and paper for nebulous concepts, and AI as a thought partner to reveal blind spots and make connections across different domains.

Ang on LinkedIn

Listen in as Ali Greene discusses how documentation enables workplace flexibility and autonomy. She explains that good documentation reduces unnecessary meetings, prevents misalignment, and allows for asynchronous work. This empowers people to structure their work around their values and life priorities. She emphasizes starting with "messy" thoughts through methods that work for you (writing, speaking, drawing), then organizing them into clear, structured documentation that others can use.

Ali's Links:

• Remote Works Book
• LinkedIn

Listen in to this episode featuring an interview with Claire Podulka, Chief of Staff at TXI, about effective communication. Claire emphasizes that communication is a shared process involving speaking, listening, and understanding the audience's needs. She discusses her writing process, starting with verbose drafts and refining for clarity. Claire highlights TXI's approach to remote communication, using multiple formats (live presentations, recordings, transcripts) and a central knowledge base (Notion) to ensure information accessibility. She advises understanding current communication effectiveness and experimenting with incremental improvements.

Claire's links:

• LinkedIn
• TXI Website

Try Cleft!
Speak Easy is brought to you by Cleft, the easiest way to collect your thoughts. With our cross-platform applications, you can simply capture your ideas wherever you are and paste them where they belong later.

Dr. Cynthia Young discusses human-centered knowledge management, emphasizing the importance of sharing knowledge rather than hoarding it. She advocates for capturing and documenting processes, mentoring, and breaking down silos within organizations. Key points include:

1. Writing down processes and creating workflows
2. Adapting to individual learning styles
3. Iterative improvement through feedback
4. Integrating knowledge across departments
5. Encouraging a culture of knowledge sharing
6. Developing "forceful backups" to ensure continuity

Young stresses that everyone in an organization can act as a knowledge manager, contributing to a more efficient and collaborative work environment.

Cindy's links:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Threads
• Knowledge Management Bootcamp
• CJ Young Consulting

Try Cleft!

Theme Music Credits:
Song: MANSHN - Back & Forth [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds
Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/BackAndForth
Watch: http://ncs.lnk.to/BackAndForthAT/youtube

Listen in as Katie Scheuer, a learning designer at Mural, discusses effective meeting practices & collaborative work. She emphasizes starting with purpose, balancing synchronous & asynchronous work, and using visual tools for better engagement. Katie advocates for flexibility in work schedules and leveraging AI tools to enhance productivity and creativity.

Katie's Links:

• LinkedIn
• Mural
• Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Communication: Best Practices (Workplaceless)
• Allie K Miller on LinkedIn

Try Cleft!

Theme Music Credits:
Song: MANSHN - Back & Forth [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds
Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/BackAndForth
Watch: http://ncs.lnk.to/BackAndForthAT/youtubeTheme Music Credits:
Song: MANSHN - Back & Forth [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds
Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/BackAndForth
Watch: http://ncs.lnk.to/BackAndForthAT/youtube

Angela Bierman, founder of Polka Dot Innovations, discusses knowledge capture and sharing. She emphasizes the importance of building a "corporate brain" to preserve institutional knowledge, advocates for progress over perfection in documenting ideas, and explores how neurodivergent individuals can optimize their productivity. Angela also shares her cautiously optimistic view on AI in business processes.

Angela's Links:

• AngelaBierman.com
• Polka Dot Innovations
• YouTube
• TikTok
• Medium

Try Cleft!

Theme Music Credits:
Song: MANSHN - Back & Forth [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds
Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/BackAndForth
Watch: http://ncs.lnk.to/BackAndForthAT/youtube

Jonny Cosgrove, a neurodivergent entrepreneur, discusses how he manages thoughts and tasks using tools like Cleft, a note-taking app he co-founded. He emphasizes the importance of simple systems, capturing fleeting ideas, and using technology to support memory and personal growth for both work and life.

Jonny's Links:

• Cleft
• JonnyCosgrove.com
• LinkedIn
• Threads

Theme Music Credits:
Song: MANSHN - Back & Forth [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds
Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/BackAndForth
Watch: http://ncs.lnk.to/BackAndForthAT/youtube

Hello, my name is Tyler Sellhorn, and welcome to the preview episode of Speak Easy, the podcast where we discuss communication, productivity systems, capturing our thoughts, and how we share those thoughts with our future selves and others. We believe that managing our brains is core to 21st century work and we're here to learn how to do it better than we did yesterday. We hope you'll listen and follow along as we learn out loud with one another. The Speak Easy podcast is brought to you by Cleft, the easiest way to collect your thoughts. With our cross-platform applications, you can simply capture your ideas wherever you are and paste them where they belong later. Check us out at cleftnotes.com. Thanks for listening as we think aloud together!

Theme Music Credits:
Song: MANSHN - Back & Forth [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds
Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/BackAndForth
Watch: http://ncs.lnk.to/BackAndForthAT/youtube

John Lee, CEO of Work From Anywhere, discusses the importance of cultural awareness and communication in a globalized world. He emphasizes the power of deep connections, learning local languages, and understanding cultural nuances for successful communication and business interactions. Lee also highlights the benefits of workcations for both employees and companies, and the need for clear communication and understanding in a remote work environment.