Experts of Experience – Episode Summary

Podcast: Experts of Experience
Episode: Why Great Leaders Communicate Like Creators
Date: October 8, 2025
Host: Lacy Peace
Guest: Ben Phillips (Founder, CX Alive)

Episode Overview

In this dynamic episode, Lacy Peace sits down with Ben Phillips, founder of CX Alive, to explore why the way leaders communicate is shifting—and how adopting creator-driven communication can make or break a company’s customer and employee experience. The conversation weaves through the failures of old-school business communication (hello, endless PowerPoints), the rise of video and podcast content for teams, the role of storytelling, and the reshaping of metrics and feedback in a world supercharged by AI.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Communication Crisis in Companies

Death by PowerPoint: Too much vital info gets lost in lengthy slide decks that few remember or act on.
Modern Attention Spans: Employees (especially Millennials and Gen Z) respond better to short, punchy, relatable content rather than hour-long trainings or bloated decks.
Communication as Experience: Internal communication methods directly affect the customer experience. If staff don't “get” the CX strategy, neither will customers.

2. The Creator Approach: CX Alive’s Vision

Video-First for Internal Comms:
“We make your strategy viral through the medium of podcasting.” (A/Ben, 03:43)
- Ben’s new venture focuses on vodcasting (video podcasting) as a business communication tool to internal audiences.
- Short, mobile-friendly videos connect employees directly to company leaders and core strategies.
Storytelling Over Info-Dumping: Use memorable, relatable, actionable messaging to engage and motivate employee behavior.
The Power of Authenticity:
“I’d much rather have some raw... make it real, make it more like a little bit of a natural conversation.” (A/Ben, 26:03)

3. Techniques for Engaging, Effective Communication

Keep It Short & Repeatable:
“If it’s a three-minute video, I’ll do that... but I’m not going to do it if it’s an hour's intense training course.” (A/Ben, 08:25)
Rule of Three: Ben emphasizes using three key points for better psychological resonance and retention.
Visual Analogies: Use single, powerful images (e.g., the iceberg analogy) to tell bigger stories succinctly.
Know Your Audience: Tailor content by role and need—execs need to know different things than frontline staff.

4. Rethinking Metrics: The Great NPS Myth Bust

Problems with NPS:
“Net Promoter Score… can’t be a measure of loyalty because it’s not actually a measure of anything.” (A/Ben, 32:38)
- NPS measures intent (“how likely...”), not actual behavior.
- Still valuable as a predictor but shouldn’t be the sole key performance indicator.
CSAT is Boring:
“It flatlines at 70-80%... and it never moves and it’s boring.” (A/Ben, 34:46)
Emerging Metrics:
Focus on effort and ease (“Did you have to put in a lot of effort to get what you needed?”) instead of just outcome.

5. The Death (& Rebirth) of Surveys

Traditional Surveys Are Fading:
“You’re making business decisions off 3% of your customer base.” (A/Ben, 38:29)
- Most surveys get responses from a vocal minority; better to use unsolicited, organic feedback (reviews, social, transcripts).
AI’s Role:
“If AI can help consume that colossal amount of information and distill down for us... then that would be really valuable.” (A/Ben, 41:36)
- Real-time sentiment analysis, not just structured surveys, will drive change.

6. The Authenticity Imperative in the AI Era

With AI-generated content on the rise, audiences will crave signals of real humanity—imperfect, unscripted, and distinctly personal communication.
“I don’t even know if that’s you on screen... but if I get that WhatsApp message, I’m like, oh, this is definitely my boss... I hear her dog barking in the background...” (B/Lacy, 28:43)

7. Building a Culture of Action and Meaning

Compact Your Message:
“Memorable, relatable, actionable—otherwise, that’s just noise.” (A/Ben, 51:28)
Purposeful Incentives: Shift away from fear-based or checkbox cultures—help employees see the why of CX metrics, not just the score.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On ditching slides:
“A bullet-pointed list is a shopping list... not business action.” (A/Ben quoting Steve Jobs, 10:20)
On relevance:
“It’s about eight seconds. That’s about the average time it takes you to figure out: Is this content relevant to me?” (A/Ben, 21:45)
On emotion in business:
“The mortgage itself is not the goal... you want a safe space where you can raise your family.” (A/Ben, 17:49)
On survey bias:
“I either had a great experience... or I had a terrible experience... those people in the middle, you don’t ever hear from them.” (B/Lacy, 39:08)
On the future of feedback:
“Structured survey is staged... but consuming unsolicited information... would be equally, if not more, powerful.” (A/Ben, 39:23)
On facing AI’s hype:
“Apparently, AI is going to be running everything and transforming the world... we’re not there yet.” (A/Ben, 41:35)
On creating impact:
“Start your default day by saying, how many problems am I going to solve?... that’s the difference between just listening and sitting up, taking attention.” (A/Ben, 16:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[03:02] – Ben introduces CX Alive and the philosophy behind vodcasting
[06:53] – The origin story: Making NPS “viral” at Fujitsu
[09:42] – The Evolution of Business Communication: From slides to story
[13:20] – Ben on storytelling techniques in business context
[17:49] – The power of narrative and emotion in shaping employee buy-in
[21:45] – The eight-second rule for content relevance
[32:38] – The myth of NPS as a loyalty measure
[38:29] – The problems with surveys and the rise of unsolicited feedback
[41:36] – How AI can (and can’t) help with feedback analysis
[51:28] – Ben’s closing advice: Memorable, relatable, actionable messaging

Final Takeaways

Powerful leadership communication is moving away from volume (more slides, more surveys) toward clarity, engagement, and authenticity.
Treat employees as you would customers: craft content they actually want to consume.
AI and new feedback systems are great tools, but human connection and trust remain at the core of breakthrough customer (and employee) experiences.
Compressing smart, actionable ideas into memorable formats—video, voice, short audio—will become the norm for leading organizations.

Connect with Ben Phillips:

LinkedIn
Website: cx-alive.com

Host: Lacy Peace (Mission.org)
Guest: Ben Phillips (CX Alive)

Presented by Salesforce Customer Success

Experts of Experience – Episode Summary

Podcast: Experts of Experience
Episode: Why Great Leaders Communicate Like Creators
Date: October 8, 2025
Host: Lacy Peace
Guest: Ben Phillips (Founder, CX Alive)

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Communication Crisis in Companies

Death by PowerPoint: Too much vital info gets lost in lengthy slide decks that few remember or act on.
Modern Attention Spans: Employees (especially Millennials and Gen Z) respond better to short, punchy, relatable content rather than hour-long trainings or bloated decks.
Communication as Experience: Internal communication methods directly affect the customer experience. If staff don't “get” the CX strategy, neither will customers.

2. The Creator Approach: CX Alive’s Vision

Video-First for Internal Comms:
“We make your strategy viral through the medium of podcasting.” (A/Ben, 03:43)
- Ben’s new venture focuses on vodcasting (video podcasting) as a business communication tool to internal audiences.
- Short, mobile-friendly videos connect employees directly to company leaders and core strategies.
Storytelling Over Info-Dumping: Use memorable, relatable, actionable messaging to engage and motivate employee behavior.
The Power of Authenticity:
“I’d much rather have some raw... make it real, make it more like a little bit of a natural conversation.” (A/Ben, 26:03)

3. Techniques for Engaging, Effective Communication

Keep It Short & Repeatable:
“If it’s a three-minute video, I’ll do that... but I’m not going to do it if it’s an hour's intense training course.” (A/Ben, 08:25)
Rule of Three: Ben emphasizes using three key points for better psychological resonance and retention.
Visual Analogies: Use single, powerful images (e.g., the iceberg analogy) to tell bigger stories succinctly.
Know Your Audience: Tailor content by role and need—execs need to know different things than frontline staff.

4. Rethinking Metrics: The Great NPS Myth Bust

Problems with NPS:
“Net Promoter Score… can’t be a measure of loyalty because it’s not actually a measure of anything.” (A/Ben, 32:38)
- NPS measures intent (“how likely...”), not actual behavior.
- Still valuable as a predictor but shouldn’t be the sole key performance indicator.
CSAT is Boring:
“It flatlines at 70-80%... and it never moves and it’s boring.” (A/Ben, 34:46)
Emerging Metrics:
Focus on effort and ease (“Did you have to put in a lot of effort to get what you needed?”) instead of just outcome.

5. The Death (& Rebirth) of Surveys

Traditional Surveys Are Fading:
“You’re making business decisions off 3% of your customer base.” (A/Ben, 38:29)
- Most surveys get responses from a vocal minority; better to use unsolicited, organic feedback (reviews, social, transcripts).
AI’s Role:
“If AI can help consume that colossal amount of information and distill down for us... then that would be really valuable.” (A/Ben, 41:36)
- Real-time sentiment analysis, not just structured surveys, will drive change.

6. The Authenticity Imperative in the AI Era

With AI-generated content on the rise, audiences will crave signals of real humanity—imperfect, unscripted, and distinctly personal communication.
“I don’t even know if that’s you on screen... but if I get that WhatsApp message, I’m like, oh, this is definitely my boss... I hear her dog barking in the background...” (B/Lacy, 28:43)

7. Building a Culture of Action and Meaning

Compact Your Message:
“Memorable, relatable, actionable—otherwise, that’s just noise.” (A/Ben, 51:28)
Purposeful Incentives: Shift away from fear-based or checkbox cultures—help employees see the why of CX metrics, not just the score.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On ditching slides:
“A bullet-pointed list is a shopping list... not business action.” (A/Ben quoting Steve Jobs, 10:20)
On relevance:
“It’s about eight seconds. That’s about the average time it takes you to figure out: Is this content relevant to me?” (A/Ben, 21:45)
On emotion in business:
“The mortgage itself is not the goal... you want a safe space where you can raise your family.” (A/Ben, 17:49)
On survey bias:
“I either had a great experience... or I had a terrible experience... those people in the middle, you don’t ever hear from them.” (B/Lacy, 39:08)
On the future of feedback:
“Structured survey is staged... but consuming unsolicited information... would be equally, if not more, powerful.” (A/Ben, 39:23)
On facing AI’s hype:
“Apparently, AI is going to be running everything and transforming the world... we’re not there yet.” (A/Ben, 41:35)
On creating impact:
“Start your default day by saying, how many problems am I going to solve?... that’s the difference between just listening and sitting up, taking attention.” (A/Ben, 16:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[03:02] – Ben introduces CX Alive and the philosophy behind vodcasting
[06:53] – The origin story: Making NPS “viral” at Fujitsu
[09:42] – The Evolution of Business Communication: From slides to story
[13:20] – Ben on storytelling techniques in business context
[17:49] – The power of narrative and emotion in shaping employee buy-in
[21:45] – The eight-second rule for content relevance
[32:38] – The myth of NPS as a loyalty measure
[38:29] – The problems with surveys and the rise of unsolicited feedback
[41:36] – How AI can (and can’t) help with feedback analysis
[51:28] – Ben’s closing advice: Memorable, relatable, actionable messaging

Final Takeaways

Powerful leadership communication is moving away from volume (more slides, more surveys) toward clarity, engagement, and authenticity.
Treat employees as you would customers: craft content they actually want to consume.
AI and new feedback systems are great tools, but human connection and trust remain at the core of breakthrough customer (and employee) experiences.
Compressing smart, actionable ideas into memorable formats—video, voice, short audio—will become the norm for leading organizations.

Connect with Ben Phillips:

LinkedIn
Website: cx-alive.com

Host: Lacy Peace (Mission.org)
Guest: Ben Phillips (CX Alive)

Presented by Salesforce Customer Success

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Why Great Leaders Communicate Like Creators

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Summary

Experts of Experience – Episode Summary

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Communication Crisis in Companies

2. The Creator Approach: CX Alive’s Vision

3. Techniques for Engaging, Effective Communication

4. Rethinking Metrics: The Great NPS Myth Bust

5. The Death (& Rebirth) of Surveys

6. The Authenticity Imperative in the AI Era

7. Building a Culture of Action and Meaning

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Final Takeaways

Summary

Experts of Experience – Episode Summary

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Communication Crisis in Companies

2. The Creator Approach: CX Alive’s Vision

3. Techniques for Engaging, Effective Communication

4. Rethinking Metrics: The Great NPS Myth Bust

5. The Death (& Rebirth) of Surveys

6. The Authenticity Imperative in the AI Era

7. Building a Culture of Action and Meaning

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Final Takeaways