World Class Communication - by Virgil Scudder & Ken Scudder (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Many executives focus too narrowly on the financial side of their business and neglect the importance of communicating with their employees, the media, and the public. World Class Communication equips you with crisis lessons, procedures, and examples that could help your company save millions of dollars through proper preparation and response. The must-have book every CEO needs, World Class Communication is packed with examples of good and bad handling of countless situations and expert instruction on how to manage them without breaking into a sweat.

• Reveals the keys to successful shareholder communication
• Tips for winning in the media--every time out
• Expert tips for developing powerful public speaking techniques
• Discover how to rally employee support and performance through communication

There is a great, and often irrational, fear of the media among CEOs, with too few executives truly knowing how to deliver a message effectively in an interview. World Class Communication delivers the necessary tools and techniques you need to communicate your message to your target audience--from shareholder meetings to corporate communications to handling crises.

From the Back Cover

As the "face" of a company, the CEO has to communicate successfully with diverse audiences. Many people and organizations can have an impact on a company's fortunes, including shareholders, the media, employees, unions, and government. Not surprisingly, those CEOs who communicate best tend to have the longest tenures and the greatest success on the job. World Class Communication is a valuable guide for any CEO who wants to win with all audiences. It is also essential reading for any executive who wants to rise through the ranks and for those who help guide their careers.

For over thirty years, author and media trainer Virgil Scudder has coached and counseled CEOs from scores of organizations, from their greatest successes to their worst high-profile crises. World Class Communication captures these lessons and illustrates them with real-life examples drawn from the author's experiences.

Emphasizing the communication responsibilities of the C-Suite--including public speaking, media appearances, internal communication, and investor relations--World Class Communication explores:

• The effective Scudder Method, and how to apply it successfully to nearly every communication situation
• Cultural sensitivity and why it is critical to success in a global economy
• Why the wrong choice of words can be damaging to a leader's image and effectiveness
• The power of an apology and how it sets the stage for healing and moving forward
• Why communication with investors and employees must be clear, concise, credible, and delivered with confidence
• The importance of media interviews/training
• Why taking questions after a speech builds a bridge between you and your audience and creates goodwill for the company
• How to handle the inevitable crisis that is often the supreme test of your leadership
• How to prepare for government hearings, the toughest arena for an executive

Featuring extensive interviews and detailed case studies--including Gillette, BP, Kraft, UPS, and Avon--this book provides examples of best practices and lessons learned to help you optimize your career and your organization's good standing. Each chapter concludes with a series of tips to show you specific areas that need to be considered in all aspects of leadership communication.

Communicate clearly, confidently, and memorably with the valuable, real-world instruction found in World Class Communication.

About the Author

VIRGIL SCUDDER, president of Virgil Scudder & Associates, has trained and counseled heads of major corporations for over thirty years, serving in two dozen countries on five continents. Often referred to as "the dean of media trainers," he is a prolific writer and speaker. From his New York base, he regularly comments on current management issues on his blog and in his quarterly column, "In the C-Suite," which appears in each issue of The Public Relations Strategist.

KEN SCUDDER is a writer and communication trainer and consultant. He cofounded Virgil Scudder & Associates in 1990 and, along with having bottom-line responsibility for the office, has conducted media, crisis, and presentation training programs in the U.S., Africa, and Europe.