Case Studies - Individuals with Challenges

A FTSE firm recruited a senior level executive to head the Heath and Safety department. Although experienced and expert in his job he found it difficult to persuade the main board of his recommendations. He tended to swamp his audience with too many details, and failed to outline benefits and implications of certain actions. We coached him to be more rigorous in cutting out irrelevant detail, to follow his notes and to give graphic examples that were relevant to the listener. 

We coached a senior individual who appeared to lack passion and was boring. In fact we found he was most committed to his area of considerable expertise but needed to:

• Talk in short phrases
• Use pungent examples to back up the theory
• Modulate his voice more
• Ask questions – he was always on transmit and unaware that he needed to take an interest in the views of others. He was inept at asking questions.

We coached a technically brilliant fund manager who had difficulty in being understood. He found it difficult to control the flow of information, talking rapidly and without pause. We slowed him down by encouraging following his notes rather than going ad lib, using silence to allow key points to sink home.

We coached a senior sales manager whom the company wished to promote but felt unable due to his poor communication skills. His delivery faded away and lacked impact and conviction. We coached him to adopt a more emphatic style (using short phrases) The effect was quickly obvious to his listeners – and himself!

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