 |
|
|
|||||
From my earliest days as a journalist, Ive always prized my dictaphone. It sounds quaint now, but I actually remember excitedly keeping up with advancements in the field. Sonys ICD-TX50 was a particular revelation for me in 2012, with its tiny OLED display and worlds-thinnest 6.4mm frame. There was no sleeker way to show up to Tokyo press conferences. In recent years, though, my dictaphone collection has taken on a new, less physical form. Googles Pixel phones have been a revelation for journalists, offering real-time, on-device transcription through the Recorder app. Ive often found myself bringing a Pixel along to a press event even if I wasnt actively using it as a phone at the timethe ability to get an automatic transcript once your recording is done has been an incredible timesaver. But now a new wave of hardware, buoyed by the AI revolution, has been changing my habits once again. While the jury is out on a lot of hyped AI devices, some startups have locked in on voice recording as one of the few serious use cases. These arent like the Humane AI Pin or the much-mocked Friend pendanttheyre gadgets with a focused, real-world use case. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/multicore_logo.jpg","headline":"Multicore","description":"Multicore is about technology hardware and design. It's written from Tokyo by Sam Byford. To learn more visit multicore.blog","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.multicore.blog","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} The devices Ive been using a couple of recorders from Plaud for several monthsthe Plaud Note and the Plaud NotePinand testing them against a product from a newer Japanese startup called Notta. At least for now, Ive found that both companies devices offer a significant upgrade over the Pixel for working journalists. The Plaud Note is an incredibly thin audio recorder that can magnetically attach to an iPhone or a newer Pixel through an included leather case. Theres a simple record button, as well as a switch for a mode that lets you record phone calls through audio vibrations. (Obviously, you should make sure of the legality in your jurisdiction before using this feature.) The NotePin, meanwhile, is a small pill-shaped device that attaches to various magnetic accessories like a clip or a wristband. Its designed for hands-free use, as opposed to holding the Plaud Note out toward a subject or resting it on a desk. Both devices feel very well-built, with solid metal cases. Power and recording status is indicated on each through a tiny LED in the A of the Plaud logo. The Note is a little easier to use than the NotePin thanks to its tactile round power button; the NotePin relies on an invisible capacitive surface that you have to hold down until you hear a vibration, which isnt quite as convenient in situations where youre scrambling to start a recording. The NotePin does have a usability advantage of its own through its magnetic USB-C charging adapter, however. The Note is so thin that it requires a proprietary pogo-pin cable, which Im not sure I trust myself not to lose at some point. Overall Plaud has designed some attractive hardware, but given that every phone has a microphone built in, the app is what sets the product apart. Once your phone is paired to one of the devices, transferring audio files is simple and quick over Wi-Fi, and then you have to upload them to Plauds cloud servers for processing. This can take several minutes depending on the length of the file, though its still much faster than manually transcribing. What Ive really appreciated in the chaotic aftermath of press conferences is how Plaud automatically generates a summary of the recording and identifies speakers, so you can dial right into the most important parts and verify the quotes for yourself. The auto setting works well, but you can also choose from specific templates and AI models like GPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and so on. Plauds free plan offers 300 transcription minutes a month. You can top up with 600 extra minutes for $12.99, or theres a $100 annual Pro plan with 1,200 minutes a month. The unlimited plan will set you back $240 a year. Meanwhile, the Plaud Note and NotePin each cost $159 themselves. I think this is reasonable pricing for anyone using this as a professional service. I did find Plauds app to be a little fussy in use, however, requiring a fair amount of interaction on the part of the user when it comes to uploading files and selecting how they ought to be processed. Despite its access to several AI services, I also thought the lack of in-app translation was an obvious miss. The Notta option Thats what got me interested in a Japanese startup called Notta, which is making a very similar product to the Plaud Note called the Notta Memo. I suspect each company may have related supply chain contacts in China, because the resemblance really is uncannyeven the magnetic leather cases and charging cables are near-identical. The Notta Memo does add a tiny monochrome OLED screen that shows useful information like recording status, and more importantly reminds me of my Sony dictaphone. (Plaud has since released a Note Pro model with a similar display, though I havent yet tested it.) Personally I think the Notta Memo looks sleeker, with a black finish and a geometric, quilted diamond texture. While Nottas app is similar to Plauds, I also preferred its design. Files begin transcribing automatically after transfer, and you can also translate them right within the app itself, which saves an extra step when youre on the move. I used the Notta Memo while reporting at some recent sports events in Tokyo and the process of recording directly on the device, uploading the file and getting a translated, annotated transcript that I could check myself was seamless. Notta slightly undercuts Plaud with subscription pricing, charging $98 a year for 1,800 minutes a month or $200 for the unlimited plan, and the Notta Memo device itself is $149. Nottas free plan only offers 120 minutes a month, though, and doesnt support longer recordings or transcript translation, which complicates the comparison for anyone unsure of how much theyll use it. Worth the cost Overall, any one of these devices is going to be a serious investment. But for working journalists or other professionalsmaybe lawyers or consultantswhere voice recordings are a daily need, I actually think theyre all quite compelling. If you have a Pixel phone, sure, you might get by with the built-in transcripts most of the time. But the advantages of having dedicated hardware are real. You can press the record button at any time regardless of what youre doing on your phone. The NotePin is a unique form factor that expands the situations in which you can rely on being able to record. Call recordings, meanwhile, straight-up arent supported in phone operating systems. The hype around AI has led to a lot of hardware startups that havent been able to live up to it. But one thing AI is indisputably very good at is understanding language, and these voice recorders are perfect for the task. If theres a use case for AI-first hardware right now, its this. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/multicore_logo.jpg","headline":"Multicore","description":"Multicore is about technology hardware and design. It's written from Tokyo by Sam Byford. To learn more visit multicore.blog","substackDomain":"https:\/\/www.multicore.blog","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
Category:
E-Commerce
How do I control my emotions? I get asked that question a lot. As an emotional intelligence coach, Ive received thousands of emails from readers over the years who get caught up in a cycle of emotional thinking, which leads them to say or do things they later regret. Often, this results in harm to their closest relationships, professional and personal. Heres the thing: Emotions arent bad. Theyre what make us human, and thats a good thing. The key isnt taking emotions out of the equation. Rather, you want to balance emotions and rational thinking, so you can look back and be proud of what youve said or done. To help with this, I recommend using simple self-talk expressions. These can help shake you from that vicious cycle of overly emotional thinking and restore balance. Here are five short phrases that will help you develop your emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions effectively. (Sign up here for my free email emotional intelligence course.) What advice would you give? When you face an emotionally charged situation, its easy for emotions to cloud your judgment and cause you to say or do something you later regret. But when you ask yourself, What advice would I give someone else in this situation? you take yourself out of the hot seat. You think more clearly, with more balance. To help you use this framework effectively, try to imagine yourself a few years down the road. Whether you faced the challenge successfully or not doesnt matter; its past you. Now, imagine how you handled it and what consequences it led to. This will help you stimulate your thinking and answer the question more effectively. Mistakes are part of the process Everyone makes mistakes. But when you view mistakes not as failures but as part of the process of learning, you manage expectations and help others to benefit from them. When you train others, this framework can help you prepare for mistakes. For example, you might allocate more time or resources, because you know mistakes are coming. Itll also help you be more patient with those you are training, which helps build trust and psychological safety. Additionally, reminding yourself that mistakes are part of the process helps you and the people you train to see the bigger picture. You both see mistakes as learning opportunities, and leverage them as such. Be the change This expression is usually attributed to Mohandas Gandhi, but the first official record of it is found in a book chapter written by a high school teacher in Brooklyn: Be the change you want to see. The basic lesson goes like this: You cant force someone else to change. But you can provide a model for them to learn from. This is effective because researchers have shown that people learn not so much through reinforcement (rewards and punishments), but much more through observing others. When you remind yourself to be the change, not only do you set a positive example, you focus on what you can control (your own behavior) instead of getting frustrated by what you have no control over (the actions of others). At the same time, though, you increase the chances that those around you will change over time, too. Experiences over things As a business owner with four kids, Ive found that by prioritizing experiences over things you can learn more, remember more, and get more out of life. To be clear, things arent bad in themselves. The problem is the more stuff you have, the more stuff you want. (I like to call this more disease.) This sends you down a cycle of always wanting more, and thats a recipe for unhappiness because youre never satisfied. In contrast, experiences become a part of you. You create memories that change what you think about, how you act, the decisions you make. When an experience is over, its effects continuethey mold who you are as a person. You can use that three-word motto to reframe your view of work. Its not just to provide things; its to provide time for more experiences. But you also have to use that time, because once its gone, its gone forever. So, dont buy more stuff. Do more stuff. Attack the problem. Not the person I hate to admit it, but I tend to be passive-aggressive. Maybe you struggle with the same habit, or you know someone who does. You know, someone who says there okay when they clearly arent. Or, they pout or give the silent treatment when they dont get their way. Or, they simply agree to a decision but then dont do their part to make that decision a success. Theres a reason people like me start heading down that passive-aggressive path. Usually, Im trying to cope with negative feelings like frustration or disappointment. This phrase reminds me that my behavior isnt helping the situation; worse yet, its harming my relationship. Heres where this short phrase can be extremely helpful: Attack the problem. Not the person. This phrase helps me focus on being more activeattacking the problemby telling the person why I feel the way I do. Whats more, I can now work with them to find a solution to the problem. Or, at least I feel better at supporting the decision weve agreed upon because Ive had the chance to fully express my feelings. So, the next time you find yourself becoming a victim of your own emotions, remember the following phrases: What advice would you give? Mistakes are part of the process. Be the change. Experiences over things. Attack the problem. Not the person. Do so, and youll bring your emotions back to balance. Youll make better decisions. And youll reduce regrets as you make emotions work for you, instead of against you. Justin Bariso This article originally appeared on Fast Companys sister publication, Inc. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
Category:
E-Commerce
Some companies see leadership and managerial training as an investment. Others, however, provide very few resources for the transition from individual contributor to leaders. For most of the latter companies, managerial training is a one-off event. Take a seminar or two, and off you go. Sometimes you get a company that offers executive coaching or mentorship to their C-suites. But for many first-time (and even some middle) managers, they’re often left to fend for themselves. This is the problem that leadership coaching startups are trying to solve. The answer, they believe? AI. While founders of these startups acknowledge the limitations, many are adamant that AI can help break the barriers, democratizing a perk that companies often reserve for the very few at the top. In this paid Premium story, you’ll: Learn how AI and human coaching differ in function, and how they can complement each other. Understand how AI can help solve the gaps that are common in today’s leadership development. Identify AI’s limitations as a coach and trainer. Most organizations dont provide managerial training Ian Gover is a trained industrial psychologist with over 25 years of experience in human resources. Initially, he was resistant to the idea of AI having any part in coaching and mentoring. That is, until he started to dig deeper into the dataand realized he was part of a group that he calls the fortunate few. I got amazing training from the companies I worked for, he tells Fast Company, starting from a 30-day, high-immersive sort of leadership programming to having access to coaches and mentors when the company promoted him. He soon learned, however, that those experiences were rare and far between. He quotes a Gartner study that found 85% of new managers receive no formal training. Thats when a switch flipped in Govers brain. He realized that he was asking the wrong question: Its not whether AI can replace humans for this type of learning. Its about how AI can potentially help the majority of managers, who receive very little initial and ongoing support from organizations. Eventually, that led to Gover cofounding Rypple, a platform that aims to help managers by providing them with an AI-driven leadership team. This includes a range of AI assistants that can help managers with tasks like meeting preparation and follow-ups, and point managers to relevant resources that tackle a topic they might be struggling with. There is also a role-play component, where managers can rehearse difficult conversations with an AI assistant and receive feedback on what went well and what they could have done better. All of these interactions build a context-specific and personalized leadership profile, and can analyze patterns and suggest opportunities for growth. Viewing human and AI coaching as two different tools Like Gover, Leon Wever experienced first-hand benefit of one-on-one coaching during his stint as a corporate lawyer. Wever was eager to bring coaching into more working environments, which led him to cofound Coachello. Unlike most AI-coaching startups, Coachello actually provides a hybrid model that incorporates human and AI coaching. Their customers can access coaches that are credentialed through the International Coaching Federation and have access to AI tools. These tools help with role-plays, training sessions, and dashboards that track behavior change progress, competencies, and skill gaps. Wever believes that human and AI coaching are two distinct tool that provide different benefits. Technically, AI cannot resonate from experience, and it cannot care for another human being, he says. What AI can do, he explains, is provide an assessment or a reflection tool, and enrich the human coaching experience. For example, AI can live record your human coaching session. The next time you do something to apply your learning from the coaching session, it can record and suggest feedback. Say youre working on having a difficult conversation with a direct report for the first time. After your human coaching session, you might role-play a potential scenario with an avatar. AI can analyze your performance based on the takeaways and feedback that you receive from your human coach. Your human coach will then have access to that information the next time you meet. In this instance, Wever explains, AI can actually enrich human coaching by making it more accurate. The opportunity to provide on-demand, 24/7 support For James Cross, cofounder of Tenor, going into the AI-leadership space was about solving the lack of time and scalability problem that many companies face when it came to leadership development coaching. When it comes to interpersonal skills that managers need to possess, the former Workday VP explains: We know that humans need to practice and retain those skills . . . Thats what AI is really good at. However, theres only a limited number of qualified coaches in the world, and many are unable to provide 24/7 support. Cross believes that COVID expanded the meaning of what it means to be a manager. Theyre being expected to do more with less headcount, he says, and middle managers and frontline managers are bearing the brunt of it. But with AI, he explains, a manager can tap into an on-demand support, almost like a really good HR business partner and executive coach who knows the business, [and] knows you and your team. He believes this to be especially beneficial for frontline managers in industries like manufacturing and distribution. I think tech company managers are fairly well supported, he observes. In most instances, youre only ever a Slack message away from your HR team. But if youre a manager at a large grocery store chain, youre having to deal with these dynamic situations in the moment. You dont have direct HR support. Cross says many of these managers are working in a fast-paced environment while dealing with issues like lateness, hygiene, and personal problems. They can turn to AI coaches for suggestions on what they might want to do at that specific moment. For example, say an employee has been late several times in a row, managers can ask AI for suggestions on how they might want to approach this conversation in a sensitive way. The more they do that, the more AI picks up on patterns and insights that the managers might not be aware of. Cross finds that once they get over the hurdle of the idea of talking to an AI, managers are often more receptive to AI feedback than they would be to feedback from a human manager. Thats because theres no emotion attached to it, he explains, and they see it as something thats logical and contextual to them. Acknowledging AI’s limitations All three cofounders acknowledge that while AI has its strengths, it also has its limitations. Tenor, for example, has specific guardrails in lace. The moment a manager starts to ask AI for advice on certain topics, it directs them to speak to an actual human. What AI determines as off-limits will be different for every customerCross believes that managers should discuss termination, health concerns, or specific personal problems with another human in the company. Dr. Marais Bester, a Netherlands-based occupational psychologist for software firm SHL, said that it would be a risk for a company to rely on AI as a “one-stop-shop for all learning and leadership growth. After all, human beings are weird, unique, wonderful and unpredictable,” he says. In his opinion, a hybrid model is ideal. This might look like a human coach building a development plan, and using AI to supplement where necessary. For example, say the human coach doesnt have the time to analyze every single persons psychometric testing results. The person that is being coached might use AI to do that, inputting only the information that theyre comfortable with. Kseniia Aksenova, a customer service manager at The Pokémon Company International, observed one downsides of using AI coaching. She found that it didnt provide any surprising or unique insights. It just gave me something that I was thinking of already, she says. It didnt give me much of a new perspective that I was trying to get. At the time Aksenova was using an AI coach, she was going through some personal and professional issues that she wanted to work through. The solutions that she received from the AI coach were ones she already thought of. It was up to her to do a lot of the critical thinking herself. Only then was she able to work with the AI coach and obtain the new insights that she was looking for. AI as a tool to democratize learning Gover is hopeful that in the future, AI can be a tool to democratize learning and coaching. For his team at Rypple, the thing that excites us every single morning is really that idea of what happens if we are able to level that field. Its not about making every manager the worlds best expert in every single leadership topic, he explains. But what if we are able to actually improve the capability and capacity of a material part of that community of managers that are struggling out there right now? What does it mean if we can provide leadership and management opportunities to those who have historically been left out of those discussions and conversations? Gover ponders. The main message, he insists, shouldnt be about AI replacing human coaches. Its about increasing access to all of these leadership trade secrets that only the few and fortunate have had the privilege to access, he explains. Nows the time to open it up and make it available.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||