Master Communication Skills with Sarika Singh

In this episode, Bart is joined by Sarika Singh, host of a top communication skills podcast in India and
a seasoned coach with 25 years of experience. Sarika shares her journey from her early career to
becoming the Chief Operating Officer of an Indian artisanal sugar company, driven by her passion for
communication. She coaches a diverse audience, including children, young adults, and corporate
teams, focusing on written and spoken communication through her bespoke programs in creative
writing and public speaking.

Sarika’s podcast, inspired by listener questions, addresses communication challenges in both
personal and professional contexts. Together, Sarika and Bart explore the communication challenges
faced by Indian professionals, the common queries she receives, and the critical role of
communication in India's STEM-driven landscape. This insightful discussion highlights the universal
power of communication.

Visit the following links to learn more:
Website: www.communicate101.com
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/communicate101
Spotify- https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sarika-singh88
Apple Podcasts- https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/communicate-101-speaking-writing-
tips/id1695086852
Amazon Music- https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/aa46f8f1-e044-401f-9ee4-
97a2f6c1155e/communicate- 101-speaking-writing-tips

Show Notes

00:28 Standard intro
01:05 Introducing Sarika Singh
02:09 Why are young Indian professionals seeking communication skills?
03:28 Largest % of youth in the world
04:05 Bart re-asks about youth and demand for leadership communication training
05:34 Sarika's career journey
06:07 An introvert who learned to love communication
06:30 Fear of public speaking
07:55 Entering the corporate world
09:13 The impact of podcasting
10:23 Starting a writing program for children
10:42 Children are the best teachers
11:18 Honesty and simplicity is supreme
11:34 The power of non-verbal cues
13:58 Building the writing program
15:24 How kids gained confidence as they learned to write
16:20 The curriculum in India
17:47 New generation careers
18:48 Launching her podcast
22:01 Her podcast gets a lot of interaction/audience involvement
23:13 Story of her daughter traveling and hearing someone in the airport listening to her podcast
24:31 Insights into what young Indian professionals want to know
25:07 The challenges people are having with communication
25:11 Difficult conversations
25:50 How to persuade/convince people
26:52 How to be comfortable on the stage
30:33 3 key pieces of advice
30:55 Clarity, empathy, collaboration
31:23 Clarity is like aiming for a basket
32:18 Empathy
33:27 Collaboration
35:32 Doing business in the Indian context
36:51 Embrace India
37:04 Indian business is relationship-driven
37:46 Be patient and build trust
39:57 India is welcoming to everyone
40:38 Thank yous
40:42 How to find out more

Transcript

Sarika Singh: I would say if you're diving into business in India, you need to embrace India. You need to embrace the local culture. You need to embrace the communication style, because Indian business practices, per se, are relationship-driven. So, you know, when you want to do any business in India, you need to build trust, and you need to build rapport with people.

Bart Egnal: Welcome to the Inspire podcast, where we examine what it takes to intentionally inspire. I'm your host, Bart Egnal, president and CEO of The Humphrey Group. And if you've ever asked yourself how can you develop an authentic leadership presence, or how can you tell stories that have people hanging off every word, well, then this podcast is for you. It's not just for executives. This is a podcast for anyone who wants to influence and inspire others in their work, but also in their life. So my guest on today's episode of the Inspire podcast is Sarika Singh. And Sarika is the founder and CEO of Communicate 101. And she, like me, is passionate about helping people communicate effectively. In fact, she's also, like me, has a podcast, a wildly successful podcast in India, where she answers people's questions about how to communicate. And as if that's not enough, she is the COO of Damper Green. It's an artisanal sugar company in India, publicly traded there. And so she's a tremendously accomplished woman, and she joins me from New Delhi to talk leadership and communication. Sarika, welcome to the Inspire podcast.

Sarika Singh: Thank you, Bart. Thank you very much. I'm really excited to talk to you, especially because you're in the communication space, just like me, in a different part of the world. But I'm really looking forward to this conversation.

Bart Egnal: We're going to talk a bit about your journey into this field, but maybe we just step back. You've become a recognized authority and voice, in particular to young Indian professionals. Tell people listening about India today and why young people are interested in leadership, communication.

Sarika Singh: India is a very bustling, very booming market right now when it comes to professionals. In fact, the whole world is looking at India to outsource from India, whether it's human resources or anything else. In fact, you just mentioned my company, which is into wholesome sugar, which is panela, which is jaggery, and artisanal sugar. So we are doing a lot of exports to Canada, to everywhere in the world. So, you know, because, see, there are two things. One is that there is Indian diaspora everywhere. We are an English-speaking country. We speak English like, you know, like any other English-speaking country. Although we still have to give the TOEFL exam and, you know, all sorts of English exams to get into a university outside. But we are purely English-speaking. We are very welcoming to any technology, any new change. And we are big in number.

Bart Egnal: Right. I think you have the largest percent of youth in the world.

Sarika Singh: Exactly.

Bart Egnal: And would you say that in your podcast that it is youth who are the biggest listeners?

Sarika Singh: I would agree. So, because it's mostly, you know, 18 to 35 is what I noticed from the analytics, if that was to believe that the segment is majorly focused on listening to Communicate 101, speaking and writing tips.

Bart Egnal: Yeah. And I know you've built this incredible following. We'll talk about it. People who listen, they want to know, how do I have difficult conversations? How do I get rid of the filler words? How do I speak on the spot? I mean, I feel like it's all the same things we tackle, but you've tapped into it. So what do you think? Is this moment in time in India that young people, why is it that they want to be better communicators and more effective in their leadership communication?

Sarika Singh: See, we supply the largest biotechnology to the world. The largest IT to the world. We are huge in exports, we are huge in providing different kinds of services, whether it's care or it's technology or it's anything else. So, which means that a lot of countries from outside are interested in India, which also means that we have a huge multinational company presence in India, again, which translates into lots of job opportunities, which means that we have to be internationally communicative, whether it's products or its packaging or it's just basic communication. So, building up communication skills ensures that we are ready to take on anything and understand, you know, whichever way the language works. For example, if you design packaging for Canada, it has to speak to the Canadian audience. So I have to be fluent in what kind of communication goes into Canada and likewise.

Bart Egnal: Right, well, okay, so let's go into how you've come to this point, because you didn't start as a podcaster or as a leadership communication professional. You began as a writer, but even before that, you're an engineer and an MBA. So talk to me about how your career began, how your life began, and ultimately led you to this work in Damper Greenhouse.

Sarika Singh: Thank you for asking that. And, in fact, you know, becoming a communication skills coach was quite the journey. Quite the journey. I've always been an introvert. I know you'll find it hard to believe now, but communication skills coaching was just like discovering a hidden superpower. Like, you know, a gardener who suddenly finds he's got a green thumb, right? You know, everything they plant flourishes. So, you know, it's that satisfaction of seeing things grow and thrive under your care. But as a kid, I was painfully shy, and the mere thought of public speaking used to terrify me. I still remember I was in third grade, and my teacher assigned me to a last-minute debate competition. I was just seven or eight. And, you know, when you're just that age and you don't know anything, you just feel like you're being thrown into the deep end of the pool and you don't know how to swim. So she told me a very cute trick, you know, to tell a little seven- or eight-year-old. She told me to picture the principal, who was the judge, wearing a clown nose. So, you know, that image just sounds silly. But to my surprise, it worked for me. I won the debate. You know, fast forward to going into the B Tech MBA route. You know, I thought science was my calling because I had a family of scientists. Nobody was into writing in my family, but I think that childhood experience sort of lingered. I started helping friends with their presentations, you know, teaching kids as a side hustle, teaching them how to write stories and poems. And I slowly, I think this led to doing little workshops in schools and institutions. I learned it back then, and I love it today. But I think the major shaping up happened when I entered the corporate world because I naturally gravitated towards, I would say, communication-related tasks. Whether it was packaging design or newsletters or anything, you know, I would find myself gravitating towards that. And actually what frustrated me and what inspired me to take some kind of action was when I saw these very young, talented freshers from top-tier colleges. They used to struggle with interviews. They didn't know how to present themselves. You know, if it was a group discussion, they had a bright idea, but they didn't know how to put that bright idea across. So I think that's probably when I wanted to slowly take a leap of faith. And that's the journey for Communicate101.com.

Bart Egnal: Yeah, I love it. I think it's such a counterintuitive path, right? MBA, engineering. But I think, as you said, the throughline was that you always saw that there was a need for communication and that you have this unique ability not just to do it yourself, but to help others.

Sarika Singh: Yeah. And I think the podcast has genuinely helped in that, because with the podcast, I'm sure you know, it's just one medium, and you can reach people anywhere and everywhere in the world in just one shot.

Bart Egnal: Totally.

Sarika Singh: So, you know, it's a lot of impact. I was, in fact, listening to one of the episodes of your podcast, which was using AI to become a better communicator.

Bart Egnal: Oh, yes. Isn't that clever?

Sarika Singh: I thought it was very exciting and, you know, such a meaningful conversation, so you're able to spread the good word far and wide. And I think there's a lot of room for growth and for learning and to make that impact.

Bart Egnal: Yeah, I totally agree with you. I think the ability to help people, the ability to learn and grow yourself. I mean, there’s so much I’ve learned from my work, both from my clients and from these conversations, and you realize that communication is just a universal priority and also a skill. And actually, both of us, I didn’t do an MBA, and I wasn’t an engineer. I took history. But both of us do have a common start, which is writing. And I know on your journey to starting Communicate 101, you actually started with children, right? You started a writing program. Tell me a bit about that, and tell me how that shaped your business today.

Sarika Singh: So I think children are the best teachers, you know. I say the same thing to my daughter’s pediatrician, who’s also my GP right now, that, okay, you know, because you know how to handle kids, you know how to handle adults. And especially, I think, in communication, kids are—they're the most unfiltered mirror.

Bart Egnal: That’s true. If they love you, they love you. But if they’re bored...

Sarika Singh: They’ll tell you on your face without a second thought. And they’ve taught me that honesty and that simplicity are supreme. My daughter, for instance, is a master at cutting through jargon. If I’m explaining something and she doesn’t get it, she’ll just let me know. No sugar-coating, just plain clarity. And also, I think children have shown me the power of nonverbal cues, which is extremely important. Kids are all about body language—you know, the facial expressions, the tone. What you tell them doesn’t really matter; how you tell them makes all the difference. They’re often saying more with their eyes than their words. And plus, they remind you that communication is a two-way street. You listen to them, really actively listen to them. And that’s been a game changer—to understand how to engage and how to connect effectively with just anyone, not just children. So I think children have been hugely responsible for my learning to become a better coach.

Bart Egnal: So tell me about this program you started back in 2000—the writing program for children who were seven to ten. And I know it’s had an incredible impact, particularly in rural communities. What was that program, and how did you get involved in it?

Sarika Singh: Right, so, you know, I always used to write stories and poems myself. I would just enjoy when somebody else did the same. So as a side hustle over the weekends, I started a program called creative writing. And today, if I talk about it, creative writing is a subject—a formal subject—in the Central Board of Secondary Education in India. But back then it wasn’t, and it was difficult to tell someone what creative writing was, you know, because typically children were going for tuitions for, say, science and math. So this was like, okay...

Bart Egnal: What’s the point of this? What are we doing here?

Sarika Singh: So. And slowly people realized that if the child is able to write a story or a poem or something like that, that translates into his grades in school. You know, he’s able to communicate the answers, he’s able to structure, format them, put his thoughts on paper. So it was not just about stories and poems and essays and things like that. It was about communication. It was about putting your thoughts onto paper just the way you want them to be communicated to everyone. So I started doing a program for children from seven to 17 years.

Bart Egnal: And did you create this program, or were you part of a larger program? How was it happening?

Sarika Singh: Okay, so that’s a good one. In fact, when I started doing this, there wasn’t a scripted lesson. I started teaching friends’ kids, and like that, people known to me came to me first, and I would help them. I understood from them what they wanted, how to navigate my way through it. And slowly, more and more people came, and, you know, so I gradually developed the program which... Okay, I’ll give you an example. For instance, suppose my one class had ten students. Now, those ten students, I would gauge what their level is, what their interests are. So it was a very personalized effort, and we went from class to class. There was no structured thing like, okay, you have to go from A to Z, because a lot of things come in the way and they’re doing something in school. If you do something which is related to that or related to something that is a current topic which suddenly comes into the news, children get more interested.

Sarika Singh: So I would keep evolving, and slowly over the years, finally, I was able to structure a program that was more relevant. Of course, that also was like a live document, which I kept flexible. But I think I was very happy with how they were receiving it and what impact it made in their lives and how they slowly, you know, became very confident. I remember there was this one parent—her daughter, in fact, you know, now just graduated from high school—she said she came to me one day and said, "Can you please tell her that next week there is no class?" I said, "But there is class." She said, "No, we need to go on holiday, but she is refusing to go on holiday because she wants to come to the class." So, you know, it was so much fun and they would just laugh and be happy and enjoy the thing. They did not understand they were learning imagery, learning personification, and they were learning all sorts of figurative language because they were doing it with fun.

Bart Egnal: And I wanted to ask you something. You mentioned earlier about the curriculum in India. You mentioned the focus is more on technical, math, engineering, and all the skills that lead into engineering. Is it accurate to say that? And you mentioned creative writing wasn’t even a topic or understood. Would you say that it’s accurate to say that the Indian curriculum generally was more dominated by those kinds of technical capabilities, math, science, quantifiable skills more than the arts? Am I misreading what you're saying?

Sarika Singh: No, I think you’re right. See, back then when I was growing up, I would see more focus on either becoming a doctor, an engineer, or a lawyer—the typical three careers which ensure that you are doing well in life and you get the best jobs and, you know, you are financially secure and whatnot. But slowly, because, see, in India we don’t have anything like Social Security systems, where the government takes care of you, and all those kinds of things. We are very hardworking, and we ensure that things are well rewarded because we work so hard at it, and we don’t stop at working hard. So that’s the beauty of India. With that, what happens is that slowly, over the years, a lot of new-generation careers have evolved. For example, today there are a lot of content writers, there are user experience professionals, there are people who show you just to write, maybe the taglines. There are specialists of all shapes and sizes. But back then, this wasn’t the case. And I think that has happened all over the world, maybe because of social media, maybe because of so much communication evolution in the space. So now India focuses equally on arts as it does on any other technical fields.

Bart Egnal: Okay, so let’s leave schools behind. You discovered that, you know, in the corporate world, you had a passion for helping people with communication. You nurtured it through schools, and at the same time found that there was this moment in time because of the growing need for communication, the interest, the rise of youth. And this all led you to launch the podcast. What year did you launch the podcast? And take me back to the moment where you thought, "I’m going to do a podcast."

Sarika Singh: I’ve also published a couple of books. There’s one series called Poetry Writing Made Simple, which is a self-help tutorial. It’s in two volumes, and it’s just based out of my experiences—how I trained children on the writing part and how I made them learn. So I put that down in print. And the publisher has been working very closely with me for a lot of programs. And they connected me to Spotify. They said, "You do so many workshops here. So Spotify India said, 'Why don’t you do a podcast? Start a podcast.'"

Bart Egnal: So you were approached by Spotify India to start a podcast?

Sarika Singh: I love it, but it’s not as big as I’m trying to make it sound.

Bart Egnal: Hey, I wasn’t approached by Spotify Canada, so you’re ahead. Full kudos to you. Full kudos to you.

Sarika Singh: You’re very kind. They’re just very kind. And, so, you know, back in school, I used to do a lot of radio gigs, you know, as a sidekick in school, because somebody told me, "You have a good voice, why don’t you speak?" And, you know, as children, somebody just motivates you for something. Oh my God, I’m like queen bee and approaching all these things. So I worked—I was in Jammu and Kashmir—and I worked a lot with Radio Kashmir Jammu, and did a lot of programs there, you know, documentaries and coordination and things like that. So when somebody talked to me about radio—I mean, podcasting was like radio—I said, you know, that...

Bart Egnal: That old flame rekindled.

Sarika Singh: Exactly. So I said, "Okay, I think I’m getting closer to my calling." So I think that’s when Spotify happened, and there's not been a looking back.

Bart Egnal: How many episodes have you done?

Sarika Singh: So I started in September two years ago. And then my dad wasn’t well. I started in September. And from November onwards, my dad wasn’t well until I lost him in the following year, in February. So for, I think, about six or seven months, I was completely out of action when it came to podcasting or anything else. But I think I picked myself up around the summertime. And so ever since, I’ve tried to give a podcast episode every two weeks or so.

Bart Egnal: Good for you. And I know that one of the things that you get, which I was very envious of, is a lot of questions.

Sarika Singh: John Daniel going a lot.

Bart Egnal: You actually get a lot of questions and interaction from your audience to the point where I know you have a segment where you answer their questions. So first of all, selfishly, talk to me about how do you get these young professionals writing into you? Let’s just start with that question. How has that come about?

Sarika Singh: In India, we talk too much, and we, you know, we... And, you know, Spotify or Apple Podcasts or Amazon, they typically show you the podcast of the neighborhood or, you know, whatever your demography is. Probably that’s why I have about 70% of listeners from India.

Bart Egnal: Okay.

Sarika Singh: So because of that, they see, and they follow, and they love to ask. And I answer. I try to answer each one of them personally.

Bart Egnal: I love it. And I love that interaction because for me, I do love podcasting. I think I’m six years into it, and yet it always amazes me. I’ll meet someone, one of our clients will say, "Oh, yeah, I love your podcast." You just don’t know who’s listening. So it’s a fabulous thing that you have.

Sarika Singh: So it’s really amazing. In fact, I’ll tell you a very small little episode.

Bart Egnal: Please.

Sarika Singh: My daughter lives in London. She went from India. She was at Heathrow Airport. She was, you know, just when you go back from home, you’re sort of missing home, and you’re thinking about, you know, your family. So she was at the airport, and she heard my voice. So she thought, "Am I hallucinating? What is it? Mom’s not around." But then she said, "No, I can really hear her." And she saw there was some gentleman sitting on a bench at the airport, and he was listening to my podcast.

Bart Egnal: Amazing.

Sarika Singh: She messaged me, called me.

Bart Egnal: Just amazing. I love it.

Sarika Singh: And I couldn’t believe it. I said, "Really?" She said, "This was somebody from India who was traveling there, and he was listening to your podcast." So I stopped there and I told him, "You know what, I’m her daughter." And she said, "I felt like a celebrity."

Bart Egnal: Isn’t that special?

Sarika Singh: This was really flattering.

Bart Egnal: That is very flattering and a great sign of the power of podcasts. So let’s actually, you know, I think the other interesting thing—vanity aside from the fact that you have all these people writing to you—I think one of the most fascinating things is that you’re getting real-time insights into what young Indian professionals want to know. And so what would you say, if you kind of grouped the things they ask you into three broad categories, what would be the three things that young Indian professionals want to know about how to communicate more effectively?

Sarika Singh: Okay, that’s a good one. In fact, it’s also a part of my analysis. That’s why I had to do a couple of episodes on those topics. And a couple of them are, you know, in the pipeline for that. One thing which people really struggled with was difficult conversations. I think it’s a touchy point for most of us. And those difficult conversations can come in so many shapes and sizes. But difficult conversations at work and in personal life have fetched me more than a few questions. In fact, I had to dedicate three episodes exclusively to that topic. So that’s one element. The other one which I felt people have been really warmly looking forward to is how to convince.

Bart Egnal: The art of persuasion.

Sarika Singh: The art of persuasion. So they typically ask me in very simple terms, "How do I convince a customer?" or "How do I convince my child?" This was, again, difficult conversations: "My child is not listening to me. How do I convince him or her to listen to me?"

Bart Egnal: There may be limits to the powers of communication. I have three kids. I run a communication company. They don’t listen to me either. Sorry to tell everyone listening.

Sarika Singh: It always happens. They listen not to the parent, but to the other person.

Bart Egnal: That’s right.

Sarika Singh: And, you know, it’s a tough battle. My daughter tells me, "You had a good kid, and you have no idea what difficult conversations are."

Bart Egnal: That’s right. So persuasion is the second topic.

Sarika Singh: Yes. And the third one, which has been quite a bit on the radar, is how to be comfortable on the stage, how to speak on the stage, how to get rid of the anxiety, how to shed those fears, how to, you know, not use filler words—all those things which are dedicated to the stage or speaking to a group.

Bart Egnal: Right.

Sarika Singh: But that has come typically from the corporate space, from students who need to go into universities, who want to be part of projects and discussions where they’ll need to interact with more people. So, speaking confidently there and without really missing the point that they wanted to put across, and coming back later and thinking, "Oh, I forgot to talk about this."

Bart Egnal: So, yeah, that’s super helpful, Sarika. And, you know, just what’s striking to me in listening to you describe these three imperatives—difficult conversations, influence or persuasion, and comfort on stage—is how, despite being half a world away, despite having, you know, as you've described, a different kind of perspective in the educational system, the challenges are identical. I mean, if you had asked me to list the three things, I would agree.

Sarika Singh: So, I would say these are very practical aspects. And somewhere, whether it’s Canada, the US, the UK, India, you know, I think we all face quite similar challenges. It’s just our exposure that is different. So maybe our reaction to things may be slightly different, but otherwise, the challenges are pretty much the same.

Bart Egnal: I mean, we found that our business—we work globally, the Americas are our primary market—but as we talked about in our prep call, we’ve done work with some companies in India, and the challenges are the same. I mean, the people are all... Everyone’s circumstances are unique, but leadership, communication, and persuasion are fundamental human imperatives. And I think, you know, what your people coming to you are asking you suggests that despite the rise of social media, whether it’s TikTok or living online, the challenges remain the same. The ability to influence, the ability to persuade, difficult conversations with your families.

Sarika Singh: Yes, because businesses will be there everywhere, right? And if you have a business, you have something to sell. If you have something to sell, you need to persuade. Likewise, you'll have a family, you’ll have children, you’ll want your child to get admission to a particular school or college or whatever. So there’s a lot of convincing. For them to choose their careers, for the children to convince their parents why they need to choose a particular career and not what the parents suggest, you know. So I think the challenges are similar because our problems are the same. We all go through the same life cycle.

Bart Egnal: So let me ask you one question. I know we're gonna get your perspective on doing business in India in a moment, but if we've looked at these challenges as universal, what would you say are your three pieces of advice? And obviously, this is generic because you're dealing with many different people, but the three most common and hard-hitting pieces of advice you give to your listeners and clients are...

Sarika Singh: Okay, so I think I talk too much, and I often have more ideas than what I actually end up saying.

Bart Egnal: But since you're asking...

Sarika Singh: Three, okay. Since you're asking three, I would say any kind of effective communication, I believe, relies on three factors: clarity, empathy, and collaboration. I mean, I would say imagine communication is like a high-stakes game of basketball. Just like on the court, with clear teamwork, clear passes, strategic moves—that is what is going to lead you to victory. So I would say think of clarity like you're aiming for that basket. If you're not clear, it's like taking a shot from way beyond the three-point line without aiming, and there’s a good chance you’re going to miss it. Okay, so you need to be precise with your messages.

Bart Egnal: I love that.

Sarika Singh: If you're giving instructions, for example, to someone, instead of saying, "Please complete this soon," you need to specify, "Please complete this report by 3:00 p.m. today." So just like, you know, that well-aimed shot increases your chances of scoring, clear instructions increase the likelihood of your message being understood correctly.

Bart Egnal: I couldn’t agree with you more. For us, the ability to influence, the ability to inspire begins with clarity of thinking. One world away, we’re aligned. So what’s your... Okay, give me your second one there. What was the second point you had there?

Sarika Singh: So, empathy is what I believe is very, very essential in any kind of communication. It’s like being a great teammate, you know? Like coming back to your basketball game. Imagine you’re playing a game and your teammate is having a rough day. You wouldn’t just pass the ball without a word, right? You would encourage them, offer support. Like that, in communication, you need to understand your audience’s feelings, their perspective, what they’re going through, and then communicate in that language. If you’re presenting a new idea to your team, you need to acknowledge their concerns. You need to show how that change, which you’re presenting, benefits them. You have to make it about them.

Bart Egnal: So being audience-centric and really thinking about what’s going to resonate for them.

Sarika Singh: Exactly. And you have to genuinely empathize with them. It cannot be gold-plated; it has to be real gold.

Bart Egnal: Love it. And your last point?

Sarika Singh: So, yes, we covered clarity, we covered empathy. Yes, collaboration. That’s effective teamwork. So passing the ball, working together, leads to winning plays. So, in communication, I would say working collaboratively means you’re open to feedback, means you're willing to adapt. Whether it’s a project, you’re involving everyone, be it a brainstorming session, you’re considering their input, you’re valuing their input, and then you’re adapting to things, evolving your idea. It’s like you’re creating a winning playbook together. And that, I believe, is a very fundamental point of good communication.

Bart Egnal: I love it, again, so much that resonates. It’s always nice to talk with another person in the field. We very much talk about—I mean, you mentioned empathy. We would just use a slightly different term. We talk about audience-centricity, which means that when you develop a message, it has to be one that matters to the people who you’re delivering it to. And then collaboration, you know, this idea that you really do have to connect with your audience. So, yeah, again, I think it just reinforces that wherever you are in the world, these skills are universal.

Sarika Singh: Universal. And they’re applicable in professional life and personal life. In fact, these three takeaways, these three central points of communication, I believe that... You know, I worked in the FMCG industry for about 30 years, and so these have come because of my working in the industry for so long, and I’ve experienced things in my corporate life, in my working, and that’s where all this is coming from.

Bart Egnal: They really do pass in all scenarios. Now, Sarika, I want to end with one final perspective. I think, for me and I think a lot of people listening don’t know enough about business in India, and we’ve talked about so many of the things that are universal: this imperative, the desire to learn, the need for communication skills, even the scenarios where you probably need to develop leadership communication skills. If we look at the future of the world in global business, India is clearly a rising force. You have the largest youth workforce. You’re growing as an economic and cultural power. Here is your chance to be the voice of India. For people listening in the Americas, which is our primary audience, who may be thinking, "Hey, I’d like to do business in India," or "One day I will do business in India." What piece of advice would you give us to do so with great success?

Sarika Singh: Absolutely. I’m loving the idea of playing the brand ambassador.

Bart Egnal: Yes, you’re an unofficial ambassador. Aside from listening to your podcast every week. Every other week, right?

Sarika Singh: Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is listening to this because here is my pitch.

Bart Egnal: Let’s get him on the podcast. The three of us can talk leadership, right?

Sarika Singh: When he comes, only he talks because he’s a great communicator.

Bart Egnal: Right. Well, we’ll listen.

Sarika Singh: So, I would say if you’re diving into business in India, you need to embrace India, you need to embrace the local culture, you need to embrace the communication style, because Indian business practices, per se, are relationship-driven. So, you know, when you want to do any business in India, you need to build trust, and you need to build rapport with people.

Bart Egnal: So it’s much less transactional, it’s more...

Sarika Singh: Relational. It’s more relational. And, it’s very... Indians are very gullible. That’s why we were ruled, you know, we were colonized. I won’t come to the political part, but that’s why India was ruled for 200 years. Because trust is quintessential here. A lot of businesses work purely on trust.

Sarika Singh: When you work in India, you need to be patient, very patient. And also you need to be flexible because, see, even McDonald’s, when they put their burgers here, they have to tweak the recipe to suit the Indian diet. So you need to be flexible. You can’t say, "I have this rule, and this is the rule which is going to apply everywhere in the world." It works in India too. The same rule is going to work. No, it doesn’t work like that.

Bart Egnal: So much like you’re advising your listeners to be empathetic, to be audience-centric, to collaborate. That advice really applies to doing business in India.

Sarika Singh: You put it so well because we are a country of local customs, local traditions, and it varies. You go ten kilometers and even the taste of the tea changes. So, you know, we are very warm people, very respectful. So to engage with India, you need to form a bond with India. They need to feel you are one team. You’re not talking about a joint venture or a collaboration or a partnership or setting up base in India just to do business.

Bart Egnal: Right. You’re talking about doing something together.

Sarika Singh: You know, there is a reason why Amazon has India as its second biggest market after the US. But Walmart didn’t do as well in India. I mean, that’s a different...

Bart Egnal: Because of their approach.

Sarika Singh: Because of the approach.

Bart Egnal: Right.

Sarika Singh: A lot of companies do very well in India, but a lot of companies just do not do well in India.

Bart Egnal: Well, it sounds like anyone listening, if you want to do well in India, start by listening to Sarika’s podcast, then have her on your podcast, and then give her a call. But it’s helpful advice and, you know...

Sarika Singh: But I think India is very welcoming to everyone. We welcome people with open arms. We are very loyal. You know, if we form a relationship, it’s for life. We don’t build short-term relationships. And, you know, whoever India does business with becomes family, becomes a part of the big India family. And that’s why we are the biggest population, I think.

Bart Egnal: Well, I love that thought. And, hopefully, we can continue to collaborate, share ideas, you know, as far away apart as we are. Clearly, the things that we’re working on and our passions are very close. So, Sarika, thank you so much for coming on the pod.

Sarika Singh: Thank you. Thank you, Bart. And this communication has just begun.

Bart Egnal: It has. So for people listening who want to connect with you, who want to learn more from you, who want to get your pod, where should they go? And then you let us know and we'll put links to it all in the show notes. What would you suggest?

Sarika Singh: Thank you for letting me plug that in. So, yes, my podcast is Communicate 101: Speaking and Writing Tips. My website is Communicate101. My Insta handle is @Communicate101.

Bart Egnal: I sense a pattern here, and I'd like to point out that Spotify invited you to be a podcaster. I'll never forgive you, Spotify, but you made a good call with Sarika.

Sarika Singh: Thank you. And, in fact, I had somebody helping me, you know, learn the ropes, how to do the podcast. So that was very kind.

Bart Egnal: Well, clearly it's paid off. You’re a great guest. I’ve really enjoyed our conversation. Thank you so much for joining me on the pod.

Sarika Singh: Thank you. Thank you, Bart.

Bart Egnal: I hope you enjoyed that episode of the Inspire podcast and the conversation that I had with our guest. And hopefully, you left with some really practical, tangible tools and tips that you can use to be more consistently inspirational. If you're enjoying the pod, I'll ask you a favor. Please rate and review it. I love the comments, appreciate the reviews, and the visibility allows others to discover the pod. It's really how word of mouth has spread the Inspire podcast to so many listeners and helped us keep making this great content. Stay tuned. We’ll be back in two weeks with another inspiring conversation. Thanks so much for listening. Go forth and inspire.