Case Study Oraganizational

Case Incident 2

Do You need a speech coach?

Speech coaching is a growing business. In a way, this is surprising. As noted earlier, more and more communication is electronic, seemingly making the quality of one’s speaking skills less important. Although electronic forms of communication clearly have grown exponentially, that doesn’t mean that oral communication no longer matters, especially for some jobs.

Consider Michael Sipe, president of Private Equities, a small mergers and acquisitions firm in Silicon Valley. Sipe worked with a communications coach to give him the edge when pitching his company’s services relative to competitors. “If a customer can’t determine who is any better or different or worse, then they are left with a conversation about price,” says Snipe. “And as a business owner, if you’re only in a price conversation, that’s a losing conversation. It is really important to paint a picture of why should do business with them in a very compelling way.” Snipe felt a speech coach helped him do that.

To look at it another way, you can have all the expertise in the world, but if you can’t effectively communicate that expertise, then you’re not getting the most from your talents. R. W. Armstrong & Associates, an Indianapolis-based engineering project management company, has used speech coaches to refine its pitches. Although the investment wasn’t small—the company estimates it paid $8,000 to $10,000 per day to train 25 employees—the firm believes it helped land several lucrative contracts.

Asset manager David Freeman agrees. “We may fly across the country to present for 45 minutes to a pension fund or consulting firm that can be worth $25 millions, $50 million, or $100 million in the amount of many we are being given to manage,” he says. “You want to increase the probability that you are going to be remembered.”

So what do these coaches do? Some of their training is oriented around speech—how to communicate with excitement, how to use inflection effectively—and body language. One of the big areas is to teach people to use short sentences, to speak in sound bites, and to pause so listeners can absorb what’s been said.

Questions

1. What do you think explains the growth of speech coaches in business?

Answer: Communication, particularly oral communication is an essential skill, maybe more now than ever. With all of the electronic communication, good oral communication should stand out.

2. Do you think hiring a speech coach is a good investment for managers to make?

Answer: Yes, the return on investment would be realized quickly with one big sale or good presentation. People who are articulate and good listeners are more effective

3. Do you think you would benefit from the help of a speech coach? Why or why not?

Answer: Yes, everyone could benefit from a speech coach, even those who only need more of a refresher course. Communication as a skill needs to be continually honed and is a competitive advantage.

Source: H. Chura, “Um, Uh, Like Call in the Speech Coach,” New York Times, January 11, 2007, p. C7

Applying the Concepts

Where is the hottest market for business today? If you answered the 60 million Americans born between 1979 and 1994, you just won the prize. These Generation Y or Digital Generation kids will be a sizable market force in the years to come. Though this generation and its vast spending power are enough to whet marketers’ appetites, there may be problems on the horizon for organizations that are banking on attracting this dynamic market. First, this market is highly tech-savvy and expects communication from marketers to be just as savvy. Text messages via cell phones, high-speed links (broadband) with music and video venues, and instant messaging are but a few of the communication channels that this generation expects marketers to master if consumption dollars are to flow their way. Second, this generation wants to use communication to link itself with organizations as well as other members of the generation. The popularity of video games that allow for multiple players in different parts of the country and the usage of cell-phone text messages to participate or vote in television reality shows such as American Idol show the degree of commitment to new communication forms. Finally, this generation is also the Zap Generation where TiVo and other devices allow viewers to bypass traditional communication formats and get right to the programming. To effectively communicate with this generation, organizations will have to try new communication venues such as product placement in visual programs and digital billboards in such places as stadiums and shopping malls. *
Using a search engine of your own choosing investigate product placement. Write a short paper that describes how the process works and why it can be a lucrative channel of communication for a marketer. *
Using a search engine of your own choosing investigate digital billboards and other visual presentation formats that seem to be preferred by this generation. Comment of the perceived effectiveness of such formats. *
Lastly, list three other communication techniques that might be used to stimulate attention and response from this generation. Explain your rationale in making the suggestions that you made.