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Voice in Canada Podcast

Dr. Teri Fisher on the Artificial Podcast with Nick Myers

Ep. 117
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In this episode, Teri is welcomed by Nick Myers on the Artificial Podcast to talk about flash briefings and healthcare.


Enjoy the Conversation!

Teri is a sports exercise physician and clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He is the founder of Voice First Health, the leading podcast about the intersection of voice first technology and healthcare. He is also the founder of Alexa in Canada, the leading Amazon Alexa resource for Canadians. He is an award winning TEDx and keynote speaker, Amazon Alexa champion, educator, consultant, podcaster and briefcaster who loves sharing his excitement for artificial intelligence and voice first technology. He is the host of both his podcasts, and the daily Voice in Canada flash briefing, which is the number one rated Amazon Alex flash briefing and new skill in Canada.

Early Inspiration

  • Teri had an interest in voice tech from a young age when he used to play with radio control cards.
  • He had an interest in digital photography, video editing, audio, and music.
  • He was very much involved in the creative space as he was growing up. His mother is a music therapist and she trained as a professional musician.
  • She made sure Teri learned how to play the violin from age three all the way to high school. He also developed an interest in percussion instruments somewhere along the way and has been a drummer and percussionist for many years.
  • As he was listening to podcasts, he heard about Amazon Alexa and he discovered that it was not in Canada.
  • He started researching online for information on voice technology, but couldn’t find anything on the technology’s presence in Canada. So he thought he should combine his passion for technology, healthcare, education, and create a resource for people to learn about the technology.

The Role Being an MD Has Played

  • He has a strong science formal educational background, and part of that is being able to critically look at things, synthesize information, and determine how something can help people.
  • From his research, he determined that the computer science behind voice technology had some similarities to the science background that he has had.

Flash Briefings 101

  • Teri thinks of them as cousins to podcasts.
  • They are the prime real estate of voice because they are the easiest way for any content producer to enter into voice technology, create content, develop an intimate relationship with the audience, and become an authority in whatever area they’re passionate about.
  • There are about 12,000 briefcasters compared to 700,000 podcasters, signifying that there is a tremendous opportunity in flash briefings
  • Most people enjoy listening to flash briefings that are around 2 minutes in length, and they tend to be listened to during transitional moments of the day like getting ready in the morning.
  • Flash briefings are easy to play. Once someone has them enabled, they just invoke the flash briefings name, and it gets much easier because they just have to say, “Play my news”
  • Teri loves the fact that people are impacted by flash briefing content. He has been able to develop a community around his Voice in Canada flash briefing.
  • He gets frequent feedback and reviews on his flash briefing.
  • An interesting fact is that a lot of his audience is visually impaired, and that lends itself to the fact that voice technology is such an inclusive type of technology where one doesn’t have to be looking at anything to get content or initiate it.

How Teri Learned Everything About Flash Briefings

  • With his formal training as a physician, he’s familiar with the constant change of information.
  • It’s always the responsibility of the physician to be on top of new research and information, and he approached learning about flash briefings the same way.
  • He went through a lot of the Amazon developer information and manuals that are there, and with his previous podcasting experience, he was able to start doing flash briefings.
  • His background in sound, audio, and music also helped in a huge way in him creating his flash briefing.
  • Amazon has made the process of developing flash briefings easier.

All About Alexa in Canada

  • It’s a website and resource where people go to learn how to get more out of Alexa.
  • He also highlights skills that are available in Canada.
  • He also has a list of common Alexa commands, tutorials, and links to the Voice in Canada flash briefing on the website.
  • He has the Flash Briefing Formula course that covers everything from how to come up with a flash briefing idea to how to launch it. It has screenshots and explainer videos.

Strategies and Tips for Starting a Flash Briefing

  • Teri advices that if one is going to do it, then they must commit to it and be consistent.
  • Lack of consistency damages a brand and confuses the listener. It sends the message that one is unreliable.
  • One has to define a specific consistency for their flash briefing. It could be daily or weekly, but one must stick to whatever schedule they’ve come up with.
  • Another important thing to consider is what problem one can solve for someone with the flash briefing. People find that valuable and it helps with listener engagement.

The Impact of AI and Voice on Healthcare

  • Teri feels AI and voice will impact healthcare in every single way we can imagine.
  • People are no longer going to be tied down to a physical device. They will have an ambient computing device that will listen to them.
  • It will be easy for patients to interact with the technology to get help with their health, for example, the technology will act as a physician and ask someone about their symptoms so it can diagnose their issue.
  • Personalized medical care using AI and voice technology will become a reality in future.
  • Teri is currently working on a Corona Virus skill (Corona Virus Doc) that will give people the information they need to help guide them on everything about the virus.

Leveraging Voice Tech

  • People should get a presence on voice either for their passion projects, businesses, or organizations.
  • Teri believes that the easiest way to do that is a flash briefing.

List of resources mentioned in this episode

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