Becky Buckman hosts David Krane, CEO and Managing Partner of the venture capital firm GV, formerly known as Google Ventures, for a discussion about the importance of thoughtful communications in the launch of any new tech company. Despite the tectonic changes in the media landscape, great comms still neesd to come directly from the founder, in his or her authentic voice, according to David. He should know: David formerly led Google’s global communications and public affairs group and served on the company’s senior leadership team before moving to GV. His insights demonstrate how useful his “Act One” career was to his success in “Act Two,” when he moved into venture capital. Storytelling has never been more important to a company’s success, and David explains why.

David goes into detail about the importance of what he calls the “Hello, world” moment for any new enterprise: The moment a founder explains “Here’s who we are, and here’s why you should care.” He talks through his experience helping iconic companies like Nest manage these moments and offers advice for founders navigating their own launches. Finally, David offers anecdotes from his days in Google’s comms and public affairs group, when he lured reporters to the Google cafeteria to celebrate the launch of the company’s first international interfaces (with international breakfasts!), and also the broader importance of internal communications to companies today. Keeping focus on the mission and purpose of a company internally is expensive but vital, according to David. David shares his comms and storytelling wisdom with the companies in which GV invests today.

“When the product kicks ass, the story kicks ass.” - David Krane

Join technology comms pros Becky Buckman and Keyana Corliss as they cut to the heart of today’s tech-news cycle and the general craziness that is high-tech corporate communications right now. With a short, not-too-serious take on the industry - with plenty of humor and irony thrown in - they’ll bring you the best in the biz, across comms and media together, for one-of-a-kind insights and perspectives you won’t hear anywhere else!

About David Krane:

David is the CEO & managing partner at GV and oversees the fund’s global activities. He invests in a wide range of technology companies including Uber, StockX, Nest, and Blue Bottle Coffee. David’s Google career began more than 20 years ago, as director of Global Communications and Public Affairs. In this role, David served as a member of the senior leadership team to grow Google from a small startup to a multibillion-dollar global enterprise.

David’s prior career experience spanned both startup and public companies, including Apple, QUALCOMM, Four11 (now Yahoo! Mail), and two computer security software developers.

David is also on the board of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM), a member of Young President’s Organization (YPO), and a long-time advisor to the Stanford Graduate School of Business. David received his Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Indiana University Bloomington. As a proud Hoosier alumnus, he has served on the Dean’s advisory board for the IU School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. David resides in the Bay Area with his wife, three children, and their two labradoodles.

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Contact David...

Keyana Corliss and Becky Buckman welcome veteran technology-comms executive and founder of communications coaching practice poseycorp, Lisa Poulson, to the show. Lisa shares stories and insight from decades of work in the comms industry, weighing in on issues like getting nerdy engineers to stay on message; how much interview prep is too much prep; and how the current AI boom, PR-wise, is similar to the dawn on the Internet. Join Keyana and Becky as they learn about everything from executive “Simba moments” to “the river of money”--the key to getting reporters to actually cover your news–from Lisa.

Lisa Poulson likens today’s tech-PR landscape to the period between 1995 to 2008, when the Internet first came on the scene and software like Java fundamentally changed how people could work and live online. But now, as then, most reporters aren’t as interested in technology products as they are about how those products will make or lose companies money and impact the overall market. Lisa offers tips for getting executives to relay those higher-level, market-oriented messages in interviews–and finding alternate communications outlets (whitepapers, podcasts) for those who can’t. She says many PR pros over-coach their executives and give them overly long briefing documents that they’ll never read, which is why it’s important to keep it brief and coach executives on a handful of pithy sound bites. Lisa admires executives like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai for their communications discipline, and in this humorous and detailed episode, she has lots of advice for helping your spokespeople refine their PR skills as well.

“But you know what I would say to a certain person, depending on how old they are and how sophisticated they are, I would say, look, the only reason people cared to write about Java, it wasn't because it was an object-oriented programming language, it's because it blew up Microsoft's monopoly in software. It was not a technology story. It was a business story. Because it changed where money was being spent. … and right now with generative AI, what are half the stories about? Who's going to lose jobs. What new companies are going to be incredibly successful every time Anthropic gets more money thrown at them out of a t-shirt cannon by Amazon or Google, that's a news story. So the money is what matters.” - Lisa Poulson

Join technology comms pros Becky Buckman and Keyana Corliss as they cut to the heart of today’s tech-news cycle and the general craziness that is high-tech corporate communications right now. With a short, not-too-serious take on the industry - with plenty of humor and irony thrown in - they’ll bring you the best in the biz, across comms and media together, for one-of-a-kind insights and perspectives you won’t hear anywhere else!

About Lisa Poulson:

Lisa Poulson, poseycorp’s principal, helps innovators scale by becoming great communicators, because great communicators create the change they want to see in the world.

Lisa, who has shepherded fundamental innovations from the incubator to the global stage, loves working with leaders who must scale fast and publicly. With incisive, actionable advice, she will help you build the skills to connect, persuade and lead. Because every effective leader must become a great communicator.

Lisa pairs the principles and practices of executive coaching with 30 years of experience in technology communications – a rare and powerful combination. Lisa brings empathy, candor, vision and grit to helping her clients become effective leader/communicators and fluent evangelists.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• The River of Money by Lisa Poulson

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Contact Rebecca Buckman...

Keyana Corliss and Becky Buckman welcome Stanford University School of Business lecturer, communications expert, and author Matt Abrahams to Just Checking In. Host of the podcast ‘Think Fast, Talk Smart’, Matt Abrahams just released his new book, “Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot”. In the business world, communication doesn’t just happen in planned presentations and pitches, but also in spontaneous interaction, and Matt holds the keys for unlocking that ability in everyone.

The first barriers speakers need to overcome are anxiety and mindset, which Matt assures listeners is not as daunting as it sounds. It’s the little steps that count towards making us comfortable in the moment. Matt shares one of his warm-up tongue twisters with Keyana before emphasizing that internal-facing communication is just as important as the external speaking we constantly prepare for. From lessons imparted by a Lego executive to the wins Matt has seen companies achieve with communication guidance, this episode reveals the key takeaways that communications professionals should adopt for greater success.

“Many of us feel threatened when we're put on the spot and that makes us defensive. We get tighter, our answers are shorter, our tone is more curt. Yet if we see [speaking situations] as opportunities, it fundamentally changes the way we interact. It actually brings us forward. We're more big in our body posture and our gestures. Our answers are more in-depth and our tone is more collaborative.” Matt Abrahams

Join technology comms pros Becky Buckman and Keyana Corliss as they cut to the heart of today’s tech-news cycle and the general craziness that is high-tech corporate communications right now. With a short, not-too-serious take on the industry - with plenty of humor and irony thrown in - they’ll bring you the best in the biz, across comms and media together, for one-of-a-kind insights and perspectives you won’t hear anywhere else!

About Matt Abrahams:

Matt Abrahams is a leading expert in communication with decades of experience as an educator, author, podcast host, and coach. As a lecturer in organizational behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting. He received Stanford GSB’s Alumni Teaching Award in recognition of his teaching students around the world.

When he isn’t teaching, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and communication consultant. He has helped countless presenters improve and hone their communication, including some who have delivered IPO road shows as well as TED, World Economic Forum, and Nobel Prize presentations. His online talks garner millions of views and he hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast. He is the author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot. His previous book Speaking Up without Freaking Out: 50 Techniques for Confident and Compelling Presenting has helped thousands of people manage speaking anxiety and present more confidently and authentically.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Think Fast, Talk Smart the Podcast
• “Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot” by Matt Abrahams
• “Speaking Up without Freaking Out: 50...