Solutions
Before a solution can be recognized and created, the problem it’s intended to resolve must first be understood. That’s why in my initial meeting with clients I focus primarily on understanding exactly what they want to accomplish.
Below are a range of solutions that I have created for executives at various companies — large and small.
Speech Writing
The spoken word is mankind’s oldest form of communications. And it can still be the most effective. The content – the writer’s contribution – must not only get the audience’s attention, it must also hold it beyond the end of presentation. I have created over 500 speeches for senior executives covering the entire range of business issues. From the most serious board of director’s presentations, to Congressional testimony, shareholder meetings, press briefings, and roasts, I have helped executives inform, explain, convince, and entertain.
Compliance
Dodd-Frank’s 2,300 pages, as well as other compliance regulations, demand increasing hours of staff and executive time — including the CEO’s. I can minimize that burden with carefully crafted letters, responses, and other documents that address regulatory requirements while effectively articulating the company’s position on each issue.
Speech Coaching
Regardless of how well a speech may be written, if it isn’t delivered well the message is lost. I have coached over one hundred executives representing a broad range of speaking skills to develop a stage presence that is effective yet feels natural to them.
Articles
I have written a broad range of articles on technical, general and legal issues affecting various businesses. During the financial crisis, for example, I worked closely with senior executives and specialized experts to prepare thought leadership publications that reflected the latest thinking on financial services challenges. I have helped CEOs write pieces that appeared in leading business journals. And I have authored technical articles on ethics and other philosophical issues that appeared in peer-reviewed academic journals.
Testimony
No communications venue is more important than an appearance before a government body. I have worked with legal teams, government relations, accountants, and CEOs in preparing both written and oral testimony before Congressional committees and powerful administrative bodies, e.g., the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). My training at Stanford Law School has prepared me for understanding complex legal issues and writing about them clearly.
Videos
Video interviews can be highly effective because they are conversations. Among the CEOs with whom I’ve had video conversations are Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, and Daniel S. Glaser, CEO of Marsh & McClennan Companies, Inc.