WHAT WE’VE DONE IN THE PAST
Our Wheelhouse
Political consulting has been part of our portfolio during the past four years. However, our focus area has widened as more business executives recognize the importance of honing their communication skills. These same skills are applicable in virtually any profession. If interacting with people, persuading or inspiring them, is in your wheelhouse, then we can help make you a more authentic, charismatic speaker.
Our clients include business owners and executives, politicians, and professionals such as educators, physicians and trial lawyers – anyone who needs to improve their communication skills and ability to connect with a constituency, whether they’re board members, clients, employees, voters, students, jurors or patients.
Case Study #1: Helping Out in a Crisis Situation
During a national political campaign, “Neil” was constantly being labeled by another candidate as unlikeable and disingenuous. Although he was extremely bright and articulate, and he was clearly committed to the values that informed his campaign platform, the negative rap was starting to take hold with voters. As he prepared to give a make-or-break speech to a skeptical audience, Neil decided to take some professional coaching.
Feeling stressed and frustrated from a perpetual barrage of criticism, the tension came shining through in Neil’s facial expression, which tended to make him look unfriendly and unapproachable. His impassioned exuberance in his speeches sometimes made him seem like he was overselling, not telling the truth.
Applying our techniques in a holistic manner, we methodically addressed the issues of presentation that tended to undermine Neil’s message. We helped him relax so he could naturally soften his demeanor and personal presentation style. We also addressed body language issues that reinforced negative perceptions about his likeability and sincerity. Using the techniques we taught him, the critical speech he gave proved to be his most successful to date. It became a watershed moment in his career, something he could add to his personal communications skillset going forward.
Case Study #2: Tapping Your Own Power
“Siobhan” was an executive in a law firm who was having trouble getting heard. The way she communicated tended to undermine her natural potential to come off with charm and gravitas. We worked with Siobhan on a series of training sessions, helping to prepare her for several speeches she had to give for her organization. We identified key problem areas and improvements she could make, primarily related to being a good listener.
We say it all the time, and it was true in this case: All forms of public speaking are a conversation, whether you are speaking to an audience of one, or an audience of 5,000. Siobhan wasn’t “reading” her audience, and she wasn’t paying attention to the responses she was getting about what she was saying or how she was saying it. In fact, she was overlooking much of the positive feedback she was getting. She wasn’t thinking of it as a dialogue.
We helped Siobhan develop her listening skills – to understand the feedback she was getting and then respond to it thoughtfully, rather than brush it aside and rush ahead to make another point. When she realized how much people genuinely liked her and enjoyed hearing her speak, she was able to relax. Her confidence swelled and her innate charm shone through.
Case Study #3: Unlearning Tension and Eliminating Twitchy Tics.
“Frank” ran a very large company. He regularly spoke to large audiences and ran staff meetings. He felt so much tension that he developed unconscious facial tics and flop sweat whenever he did any public speaking. The problem was that he couldn’t control his attention, he was constantly getting distracted. After our training he learned how to turn down the noise level in his head and focus his attention at will. The exercises he learned helped him relax so that he was able to speak smoothly – without the twitchy yips and tics that plagued him previously. Speaking before a large audience became as natural to him as it had always been engaging one-on-one.