Elite Business Connector Podcast
If you're in the people business then this podcast is for you. Learn how to develop and master business social skills. This podcast has both content-driven and interview-driven episodes to keep the podcast creative. High energy, fast-paced, and practical.
Episodes
49 episodes
The Interviewer's Edge: How Suzy Kolber Applies Pro Sports Prep to the 1st 5 Minutes - 048
In this episode, Bryan Buckley sits down with Suzy Kolber, who spent nearly 30 years at ESPN as an anchor, sideline reporter, and one of the most trusted interviewers in sports. From prepping NFL Draft prospects to saving a live broadcast when ...
Book Breakdown: Humor, Seriously - 047
In this episode, Bryan Buckley does another Book Breakdown, this time on Humor, Seriously by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas. Most professionals think being serious shows competence, but the research says the opposite: humor works as...
Interview Mashup: Session Two (with Joshua Bandoch, Andrea Waltz, Alan Stein, Jr & J.R. Briggs)-046
In this episode, we've mashed up the best moments from four powerhouse conversations — Alan Stein Jr. on mastering the basics and navigating life's "next plays," Andrea Waltz on reframing rejection and following up without fear, J.R. Briggs on ...
Read the Room - The Power of OQ - 045
How many times have you heard someone say "read the room" without ever being told how to actually do it? In this episode, Bryan Buckley breaks down OQ (Observational Intelligence), the second core skill inside the Think Personal pillar of...
How Gen Z Builds Trust and Closes Deals: A Multi-Generational Conversation (Interview with Kole Buckley & Jackson Hannah) - 044
What if the "Gen Z can't connect in person" stereotype is just plain wrong? In this episode, Bryan Buckley sits down with two 20-something sales professionals, his son Kole Buckley and longtime family friend Jackson Hannah, for a candid multi-g...
You're Not Listening: The Silent Reason Your 1st 5 Minutes Fall Flat (Book Breakdown) - 043
Most people think they're listening, but Bryan Buckley breaks down Kate Murphy's book You're Not Listening to show why hearing and listening aren't the same thing. Using six research-backed insights, from brainwave synchrony to improv ...
The Persuasion Mistake Even Smart Executives Make (Ted Speaker Explains) - Interview with Joshua Bandoch - 042
In this episode, TED speaker and persuasion expert Josh Bandoch joins Bryan Buckley to unpack why most of what we think we know about persuasion is wrong. Drawing on his TED Talk and new book,
The Trap of the Small Talk Triangle and How to Escape It - 041
Most business conversations get stuck in what Bryan Buckley calls the small talk triangle: three corners that feel like connection but guarantee none happens. In this episode, Bryan breaks down why small talk fails, the three traps to watch for...
Stop Answering. Start Asking. J.R. Briggs on the Skill That Changes Every Conversation - 040
Most people think they ask enough questions. They don't. In this episode, Bryan sits down with J.R. Briggs, author of The Art of Asking Better Questions, to unpack why curiosity, not information, builds real trust. Listeners walk away ...
Book Breakdown - Revealing: "What a Behavioral Scientist Says About Revealing in the 1st 5 Minutes" - 039
Most people worry about oversharing, but Harvard Business School professor Leslie John's research says the real danger is saying too little. In this episode, Bryan breaks down her book, "Revealing," and shows how too little information (TLI) qu...
The Most Avoided Two-Letter Word in Business and Why Elite Connectors Go For it (Interview with Andrea Waltz) - 038
In this episode, Bryan Buckley sits down with Andrea Waltz, co-creator of "Go for No," to unpack why the word "no" terrifies most people in business — and why top connectors chase it instead of avoiding it. Andrea shares the mindset shifts, per...
The Last Minute - Think Problem - 037
Most business conversations fall apart in the final minute, right when connection turns into a pitch. In this episode, Bryan Buckley breaks down "the last minute" of his 1st 5 Minutes framework, showing why diagnosing the real problem matters m...
From NBA to Business: Alan Stein Jr.’s Blueprint for Elite Performance
In this episode, Bryan Buckley sits down with elite performance coach Alan Stein Jr., who trained NBA legends like Kobe Bryant and Steph Curry, to unpack what separates the best from the rest. Alan shares why mastering the fundamentals — not ch...
Book Breakdown - Question Your Question-Asking Ability: The ASK Method Meets the 1st 5 Minutes - 035
How many questions do you actually ask in the 1st 5 minutes of a business conversation? In this episode, Bryan Buckley breaks down Jeff Wetzler's book ASK and maps its five-step method directly onto the 1st 5 Minutes framework, reveali...
Interview Mashup Session One - 034
In this special mashup episode, Bryan curates the best moments from five recent expert guests into one high-impact conversation on business communication and connection. You will hear twice from each guest, covering everything from name memory ...
Top Ten Questions Asked About the 1st 5 Minutes - 033
Bryan Buckley answers the most common — and most skeptical — questions he gets about the 1st 5 Minutes Framework, straight from keynote audiences, DMs, and corporate workshops. From introverts to 15-year sales veterans, this episode tackles the...
What a PhD in Communication Says Great Connectors Do Differently [Interview with Dr. Brenda Buckley-Hughes] - 032
What separates a good communicator from a truly great connector? In this episode, Bryan sits down with Dr. Brenda Buckley-Hughes — his sister, a PhD in Communication, and a lifelong student of how people truly connect — to unpack the sci...
5 Habits That Prove the 1st 5 Minutes Works — Every Conversation Counts | Book Breakdown - 031
In this episode, Bryan Buckley breaks down Riaz Meghji's bestselling book Every Conversation Counts, revealing how its five core habits map directly onto the 1st 5 Minutes framework. Backed by seventeen years of television experience a...
What a Mascot Turned Executive Coach Knows That Most Leaders Don't (Interview with Keith Lewis) - 030
What does being a mascot for a team on the longest losing streak in Division I college football history have to do with leadership, connection, and the first five minutes? Everything. In this episode, Bryan Buckley sits down with Keith Lewis — ...
The Morning Routine Nobody Talks About (But Every High Performer Uses) - 029
The most successful people in business aren't winning because they work harder — they're winning because of what they do before 8 a.m. In this episode, Bryan Buckley breaks down ten specific, research-backed elements of an elite morning routine...
Why This AT&T VP Still Works on Her 1st 5 Minutes (Interview with Ashley Siller) - 028
What happens when one of AT&T's top sales leaders — an Area Vice President, Double Diamond Club winner, and leader of a massive B2B organization across the East Region — reads your books, applies the principles, and comes back to tell you e...
What a Pulitzer Prize Winner Got Right About the 1st 5 Minutes - 027
Charles Duhigg spent three years interviewing FBI negotiators, neuroscientists, and CIA operatives to decode why some conversations click — and what he found maps almost perfectly to Bryan's 1st 5 Minutes framework. In this episode, Bryan break...
The 7 Issues Holding Sales Leaders Back - 026
What's really holding leaders back from their greatest impact? In this episode, Bryan Buckley sits down with Dr. Garland Vance and his wife and co-author Dorothy Vance for a...
Top Ten Mistakes People Always Make in the 1st 5 Minutes - 025
You're not losing deals in the pitch. You're losing them in the first five minutes.In this episode, we break down the 10 specific, identifiable, and fixable mistakes business professionals make before a conversation ever gains traction a...
How to Gain Clarity When the Business Conversation Begins with Chris Fenning -024
What happens after the 1st 5 Minutes — after you finish the last minute in the framework? How do you handle the very first minute of that next conversation?I found the answer in a great book that unpacks this exact issue. I reached out t...