pivotalTESTING®
CEO Communication Optimization
SITUATION:
- CEO was preparing for a series of high-profile interviews with the media and wanted to determine the most successful way to communicate announcements about changes in the company
- Required a high level of credibility for the speaker in order to maintain credibility for the firm
- Feedback on CEO’s speaking effectiveness was anecdotal and firm desired to test against key stakeholders to ensure that the message could be delivered with maximum effectiveness
TESTING:
- Evaluated reactions to CEO statements by surveying key stakeholders
- Assessment included evaluations of interviews with other top CEOs
- Continuous response tracking while viewing interviews to map positive and negative reactions
- Identified key words/phrases that detract or add to key messages
OUTCOME:
- Results provided a benchmark for CEO’s key communications strengths and weaknesses when discussing business issues
- This informed the communications strategy for the new announcement as well as future public communications from the CEO
- Provided a relative assessment of strengths and weaknesses relative to other leading CEOs