Malcolm Gladwell Interview on Tim Ferriss Podcast

http://fourhourworkweek.com/2016/06/21/malcolm-gladwell/

Show Notes

• What have been the easiest — and hardest — books for Malcolm to write? [08:05]
• Who does Malcolm consider to be the “gold standard” of storytellers? [09:30]
• What working at The Washington Post for 10 years taught Malcolm about dealing with writer’s block. [12:30]
• Malcolm on story structure. [15:07]
• As early as the research stage, sometimes good stories write themselves. [18:27]
• Malcolm on taking and organizing notes. [22:18]
• How does Malcolm determine what starts a chapter (or a book)? [24:49]
• Trying different creative “recipes” for storytelling. [26:04]
• How Malcolm plans his speaking keynotes (and how he got better at it). [28:24]
• Malcolm’s speaking hero. [30:36]
• The elements of a good speaking performance. [33:17]
• Tying stories together to support a theme. [35:32]
• Getting better at asking questions. [40:55]
• The most worthwhile investment (of time) Malcolm has made. [45:57]
• Malcolm’s favorite failures. [48:18]
• Malcolm’s morning routines. [50:55]
• Why is Lapsang Souchong a controversial tea? [51:30]
• Why Malcolm prefers writing in noisy public places. [53:46]
• How Malcolm winds down from a day of work. [54:42]
• Malcolm’s bedtime routine. [55:45]
• The worst advice shared with young people today. [57:27]
• Malcolm’s flaws that turned into strengths. [1:02:07]
• Malcolm on giving and receiving advice. [1:04:38]
• The first person who comes to mind when Malcolm thinks of the word “successful.” [1:05:43]
• Systems Malcolm relies upon. [1:10:28]
• Two necessary contradictions elite runners face. [1:12:21]
• Books Malcolm has gifted the most. [1:13:18]
• The purchase of $100 or less that has had a positive impact on Malcolm’s life. [1:17:24]
• The most articulate person Malcolm has ever met. [1:18:29]
• Something Malcolm believes that other people think is crazy. [1:19:09]
• Malcolm’s reaction to Peter Thiel’s disagreement with one of his positions. [1:22:14]
• An innovator Malcolm finds particularly inspiring. [1:24:22]
• Advice Malcolm would give to his 30-year-old self. [1:26:39]
• How Malcolm started podcasting. [1:30:53]
• What Malcolm finds most novel about creating podcasts versus writing books. [1:31:46]
• How Malcolm feels about doing another season or two of podcasting. [1:33:14]
• What would be on Malcolm’s billboard? [1:35:18]
• Why does Malcolm believe in the legal maxim of “Difficult cases make bad law?” [1:36:07]