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Best of Interviewing: Ted Seides

Capital Allocators

1h 0m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

In this curated episode of Capital Allocators, Matt Breitfelder interviews host Ted Seides about the craft of interviewing, public speaking, and communication after hosting the show for nine years and evaluating managers for twenty. The conversation examines the evolution of interview preparation from rigid question lists to flexible bullet point outlines, the mechanics of active listening through mirroring and validation, and the distinct challenges of moderating panels versus presenting solo. They explain how subject matter experts often struggle with over-complication and how applying a structured framework like the rule of three and focusing on audience service transforms high-stakes communication. The episode offers concrete, actionable tactics for improving professional interactions and building feedback loops to refine communication skills over time.

  • Shift interview preparation from a rigid list of predetermined questions to a simple bullet point outline that allows you to listen actively and adapt. 9:19
  • Apply a four-part listening framework consisting of being present, mirroring, validating, and empathizing before offering any response. 14:54
  • Eliminate compound questions from your communication because respondents will almost exclusively answer only the second part. 22:38
  • Simplify complex industry knowledge by using the rule of three to make presentations and discussions digestible for audiences. 44:56

Chapters

  1. 0:06
    Show Intro and Hiring Announcement

    The episode opens with Ted Seides introducing the Capital Allocators summer series and announcing two new hiring roles.

  2. 1:48
    Sponsor Segments Begin

    AlphaSense, Morningstar, and Juniper Square sponsor messages are delivered, outlining their services for investors.

  3. 4:26
    Matt Interviews Ted on Interviewing

    Matt Breitfelder interviews Ted Seides about his experience and lessons learned in interviewing, framing the episode’s focus.

  4. 5:22
    Ted’s Podcast Genesis

    Ted explains how the podcast started serendipitously after a career shift and how it evolved into a business.

  5. 6:25
    Preparation Evolution

    Ted discusses his early preparation habits, the shift from rigid question lists to flexible, listening‑based approaches.

  6. 12:15
    Question Crafting Techniques

    Ted shares tactics for crafting powerful, open‑ended questions and avoiding compound questions that derail conversations.

  7. 14:57
    Active Listening Framework

    Ted outlines a four‑step active listening model—presence, mirroring, validation, empathy—to improve interview quality.

  8. 30:02
    Feedback Loop and Self‑Coaching

    Ted explains how recording, editing, and reviewing his own interviews created a feedback loop that sharpened his interviewing skills.

  9. 31:39
    Panel Moderation Insights

    Ted and Matt discuss the challenges of panel moderation, emphasizing preparation, chemistry, and active facilitation.

  10. 41:32
    Public Speaking and Presentation Tips

    The conversation shifts to public speaking, covering nervousness, audience focus, and the rule of three for effective messaging.

  11. 48:48
    Managing Public Speaking Anxiety

    Ted discusses techniques for acknowledging nerves, staying present, and reducing verbal fillers during high‑stakes presentations.

  12. 51:20
    Frank Sinatra’s Anxiety‑Channeling Technique

    Ted shares how Sinatra used humor and self‑deprecation to transform stage anxiety into authentic energy.

Highlights

  • 5:22

    From Investing to Interviewingstory

    The guest explains how the podcast started serendipitously after spending over twenty years in investing at Yale and Protege Partners, noting that the business model initially reminded him of the early internet where content was shared for free.

  • 7:36

    Abandoning Rigid Question Listsinsight

    The host shares an early realization during an interview with Andre Perrold where he completely missed an obvious follow-up question because he was too busy reading a long sheet of pre-written questions.

  • 14:54

    The Four-Part Listening Frameworkstrategy

    The guest breaks down the active listening process learned from hostage negotiators and therapists, which requires being present, mirroring back statements, validating the speaker, and empathizing before ever responding.

  • 22:38

    The Pitfall of Compound Questionsinsight

    The host reveals a consistent conversational flaw where people ask two questions at once, explaining that respondents almost always only answer the second part of a compound question.

  • 30:20

    Creating an Interview Feedback Loopstrategy

    The host explains that after recording and editing hundreds of podcast episodes, he was forced to create his own feedback loop by listening back to his interviews, a practice investment professionals should adopt for meetings.

  • 32:45

    Strategies for Better Panelsdebate

    The speakers discuss the challenges of panel discussions, where 100 percent of panels intended to be interactive often devolve into individual speeches, requiring active facilitation and dot-connecting.

  • 47:03

    Inverting Mindset for Public Speakinginsight

    The speakers emphasize that subject matter experts must invert their presentation mindset from expressing their own detailed knowledge to serving the psychology and needs of the audience.

Quotes

  • “The truth is, I did not find the podcast. The podcast found me.”
    Unnamed speaker · 5:22
  • “I was forced to create my own feedback loop.”
    Unnamed speaker · 30:20
  • “The other thing I like to tell people about the nervousness about public speaking is that we all practice public speaking every single day.”
    Unnamed speaker · 43:09
  • “The rule of threes applies in communicating almost anything.”
    Unnamed speaker · 44:56
  • “The first is to acknowledge that you're nervous.”
    Unnamed speaker · 49:34
  • “When you're nervous, if you try to quickly unpack where the nerves are coming from, not analyze it saying, oh, I'm nervous because of this, that, but gosh, there's a little butterfly in my stomach right now.”
    Unnamed speaker · 49:53
  • “Frank would talk about, it doesn't bother me that I have it because it's fuel.”
    Unnamed speaker · 51:47
  • “You can't do it alone. You know, there's the phrase, if you want to go fast, do it yourself. If you want to go far, go with others.”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:03:01
  • “The arc of a story is usually this happened, which led to this, but then that happened, which caused that, which caused this to happen.”
    Unnamed speaker · 54:42
  • Capital Allocators 1:11–1:47
  • AlphaSense 1:48–4:19
  • RidgeLine 28:01–29:16

About this episode

This week's Summer Series is a highly atypical episode, where I appear as the guest. Matt Breitfelder from Apollo asked to interview me about interviewing, something I learned far more from hosting the show the last nine years than I ever did while interviewing managers for 20. The conversation has been sufficiently popular that it made the Summer Series on investment process. Any leader should see for themselves the benefits of elite coaching. Try ALEX: tryalex.admiredleadership.com http://tryalex.admiredleadership.com/. Learn More Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides https://twitter.com/tseides?lang=en or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedseides/ Subscribe to the mailing list https://capitalallocators.com/ Access Transcript with Premium Membership https://capitalallocators.com/signup Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠ https://thepodcastconsultant.com/https://thepodcastconsultant.com https://thepodcastconsultant.com/⁠ https://thepodcastconsultant.com/)

Transcript

0:00
1:00:49

11,975 words · 3 speakers

Topics

  • Yale
  • New York
  • New Haven Lawn Club
  • Harvard Business School
  • Princeton

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