Features
Getting the Ear of Your
CEO
by Diane Gayeski, Ph.D
Communication professionals can and should have
frequent, direct access to and influence on executive
leadership. Your CEO needs you, but are you ready?
It is a misperception that CEOs are too busy,
uninterested or unreceptive. While some communicators
have close contact with executives, many other
communication professionals rarely see the CEO
and may have many layers of management between
themselves and that "C-level" suite.
But you don't have to report directly to the CEO
to get his or her ear.
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more…)
Twelve Strategies to
Raise Your CEO's Profile
by Edward J. Barks
Some business leaders have a natural panache.
How do you raise the profile of a CEO that lacks
that kind of flash? The answer is to approach
your communication strategically and to use your
CEO wisely. This applies whether you represent
a Fortune 500 company or a small non-profit group.
Media training, presentation skills training and
testimony training workshops can devote large
amounts of time to defining and seizing strategic
communication opportunities. Let's review a dozen
techniques designed to secure strategic placements
for your CEO and put your organization on the
road to out-thinking the competition.
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more…)
Is the New CEO Allowed
to Care?
by Stephen Manallack
The brand experts and advertising gurus tell us
that "caring is commercial," but this
has not changed the behavior or profile of many
chief executives. One new chief immediately canceled
the daily VIP lunch delivered to his office and
instead went down to the staff canteen, sitting
among his workforce. In another case, a tough
CEO confronts an aggressive media at an annual
meeting and declares, "Our task it to manage
the business to provide maximum return for our
shareholders -- end of story." In these cases,
communicators provide support and advice, yet
in many instances, the decision about profile
is made before they are called in.
(read
more…)
Do You Sound Like
a CEO Behind a Microphone?
by Joanna L. Krotz
"You have two options when you walk into
a room," says public speaking expert Richard
Levick about the art of giving speeches. Most
entrepreneurs find speech making to be either
terrifying or a waste of time. Too many CEOs see
dealing with the media or making presentations
as an interruption, but it's as essential to doing
business as customers. If you can't deliver energetic
and commanding speeches, or polished and articulate
interviews, then you're short-circuiting your
company's future. It's time to do something about
it.
(read
more…)
What to Do When the Boss
Says No
by Edward J. Barks
It's an undisputed fact. Some CEOs refuse to acknowledge
that their communication skills could use a tune-up.
Someone in your organization -- quite possibly
you -- needs to assume responsibility for sharpening
your CEO's communication skills. If your leader
neglects this part of her leadership toolkit,
it's time to offer some frank advice on how she
can improve. You must also be prepared to deal
with the sensitive matter of how to encourage
the boss to accept the benefits of learning from
a communication training workshop.
(read
more…)
Columns
Communication in the
News:
Violent Attacks Put Two Crisis Communication Plans
to the Test
by Virginia Sowers and Heather Turbeville
Pam Lepley, director of University News Services
at Virginia Commonwealth University, had barely
settled into her seat at the movie theater on
a Saturday evening last October when her pager
went off. Answering the call, she learned that
the Medical College of Virginia's hospital had
just admitted a male with a gunshot wound to the
abdomen. He was believed to be the latest victim
of a sniper who had been terrorizing northern
Virginia and Maryland communities for two weeks.
For the next 48 to 72 hours, Lepley and key members
of her staff abandoned sleep to juggle the competing
demands of the medical center, law enforcement
officials and the media.
(read
more…)
Technology Corner:
Employees Want to be Led by Leaders Who Lead
by Shel Holtz, ABC
We know from years of research that building
employee commitment to organizational goals and
objectives involves building trust between management
and employees, involving employees in decisions
that affect them, and helping employees understand
where they (and the work they do) fit into the
big picture. Your company intranet can help your
CEO or president play a major role in earning
that commitment.
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more...)
Case Studies
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Industry News
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