Rachel Cossar, CEO and co-founder of Virtual Sapiens, discusses the power of AI in coaching and communication effectiveness. She shares her background as a professional ballet dancer and rhythmic gymnast, and how she transitioned into coaching people in presence and body language. During the pandemic, she saw an opportunity to introduce AI into coaching to make it more accessible and scalable. Bob and Rachel discuss the potential of AI in talent assessment and hiring, as well as its role in education. Rachel emphasizes the importance of using AI to provide equitable access to coaching and feedback. The conversation explores the concept of reskilling and upskilling in the context of AI and technology. They discuss how Virtual Sapiens can be used to help individuals transition to new roles and acquire new skills. The importance of soft skills in the age of AI is highlighted, as well as the role of AI in improving performance in sports and athletics. The conversation also touches on the challenges of using AI in artistic fields and the need for human feedback and intervention. The episode concludes with a discussion on the evolving landscape of AI tools and the importance of having a learning mindset to gain AI literacy. Keywords AI coaching, communication effectiveness, talent assessment, hiring, education, reskilling, upskilling, soft skills, AI in sports, learning mindset, AI literacy Takeaways AI can be used to provide coaching and feedback in areas such as presence and communication effectiveness. AI has the potential to make talent assessment and hiring more objective and equitable. AI-powered tools can democratize access to coaching and feedback, particularly in education. Adapting to AI technology and leveraging it to upskill oneself is crucial for success in the changing workforce. Identifying transferable skills and reskilling to new roles can be a valuable strategy in the age of AI and technology. Soft skills are becoming increasingly important in a world dominated by AI and automation. AI can be used to improve performance in sports and athletics, but its application in artistic fields is more challenging. Human feedback and intervention are essential in ensuring that AI tools enhance rather than replace human capabilities. Keeping up with the rapidly evolving landscape of AI tools requires continuous learning and experimentation. Sound Bites "I started coaching people actually in presence and body language and non-verbal [communication] because that was an area that I was such a master in and that I found people often neglected in other professional settings." "When AI comes into the picture, on the one hand, I think it shows a lot of promise and potential because you can at least know that every candidate is getting assessed by the same rubric that the AI has been trained for." "AI often lacks the ability to understand context, right, and how behaviors change based on specific contexts that it might not be trained or equipped to really understand." "Let me make sure I'm comfortable and confident talking to a potential new manager, a new leader that I have the capability to re-skill." "The visual representation of sports and athletics in terms of improvement is a big area where I think AI could be very helpful." Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:03 The Power of Transferable Skills 04:39 Assessing Talent and Hiring with AI 06:38 The Promise and Challenges of AI in Hiring 08:27 Democratizing Access to Coaching and Feedback 12:25 AI in Education 19:45 The Role of Video in AI Coaching 22:21 Leadership Dashboard and Continuous Improvement 24:12 Embracing Discomfort and Growth 26:40 Reskilling and Upskilling 30:19 AI in Sports and Athletics 33:54 Human Feedback and Intervention 36:48 Evolving Landscape of AI Tools Rachel Cossar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-cossar Virtual Sapiens: http://www.virtualsapiens.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices