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Case Studies

Corner Office Coaching
The CEO of a financial services firm merged with another and went public. While the CEO was an experienced speaker, his audiences were now much larger and far more diverse, from stockholders to analysts and the media. In addition, he had a variety of individuals preparing him for opportunities, each with a different style. As a result, the CEO's communication was wanting. The organization turned to CCG. We worked with the busy executives in hour increments, on weekends, on planes.whenever, wherever. We worked with his support team to come up with one due diligence that consistently delivered what this CEO needed to be a successful communicator.

Executive Polish for a High Potential Executive
The leader of a large pharmaceutical sales organization had been promoted and needed a style adjustment. What worked in small groups didn't in speaking to big crowds or the board of directors. She needed more gravitas and the ability to inspire as well as inform. In short, she needed executive polish. Over a 6 month engagement we worked with her to prepare for every major presentation making sure that she practiced new skills when the bar was set lower, in front of direct reports versus casts of thousands.

Warming Up a Leader
The new CEO of a large not for profit group was a distinguished scientist but needed help talking about people versus science and numbers. We worked with him to tell stories, what he'd seen and felt in his world travels. While he was at first reluctant, fearing that emotions would trivialize him, the donor base overruled, supporting his new effectiveness behind the podium, in media interviews and in conversations, with their dollars.

Sharing Control in a Media Interview
The CEO of a medical supplies business was a strong presenter but reluctant to do any media, saying he saw all risk no reward. His frustrated communications chief asked CCG to help. Among other techniques we helped this leader look at a reporter and see stakeholders. We helped him listen to a reporter's question and hear a "topic." Reminding him that it was a conversation not a quiz, this CEO felt more comfortable and in control. A few great quotes in the next story were proof you can profit.

2003 Clarion Award for Creativity from Women in Communications - Westchester/Connecticut:
You know the one question that every consultant gets is, "What are the other guys doing?" Here is an idea that Civiello Communications Group came up with for a client at a multinational company, an idea that won CCG a 2003 Clarion Award for Creativity.

Client Challenge
Our client was in charge of a business unit that included thousands of people in over a dozen countries. He wanted his year-end report to stand out from the crowd without breaking his budget. He also wanted to win positive recognition for his team from upper management and guarantee a strong budget for his unit for the next year. This is a challenge in tough economic times, and in general, when working with a multinational business. Our client likened working for a big company to being a child in a very large family: You have to figure out a way to get on their radar screen! That requires clear messages presented in a persuasive, memorable manner.

Client Solution:
We decided that the time to make his bid was in his year-end report. Because we had worked with this executive for the past year to polish his media and presentation skills, we knew he could be very persuasive, so rather than doing the usual PowerPoint extravaganza, we suggested a newscast format to deliver his messages. It would vividly show top management the creative ways in which his department leaders were meeting corporate objectives within new budget constraints.

Now very few businesses think of their activities as being particularly "visual." But CCG‚ a collective of former news reporters‚ does know how to tell‚ and sell‚ a "newspaper" story with pictures!

At the beginning of the year we traveled with a videographer to cover activities in various countries. Then budget cuts hit across the company, so we quickly adjusted: We asked other country offices to grab a video camera, tape certain pre-determined activities, and then ship the tape to us to edit.

The result was a year-end report that accomplished all of our client's objectives. He won positive recognition from his top management; in fact, his immediate supervisor agreed to "open" the newscast. He also maintained his budget unlike parallel units.

At CCG we think this "newscast" could be a model for a year-end report that might work for others. Most importantly, we think it illustrates our creativity as well as our ability to adjust when budgets are cut.