CKB Consultants, Inc.
Communications Experts
Clients*
Chevron
Stanford University
VISA
The Clearing House
BlackRock
JPMorganChase
Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Palo Alto Investors
HEART of San Mateo
Keirsy.com
Gap Inc.
Cellfire
Bank of America
City National Bank
USC
GE Praxis Engineers
The Robotics Foundry
Stern Fisher Edwards
ABA Staffing
* Partial client list
Preparing you is our specialty.
• Making a speech?
• Talking to employees?
• Chairing a meeting?
• Meeting with analysts?
• Making sales calls?
• Pitching to VCs?
• Doing a roadshow?
We are experts.
• Print media
• Broadcast media
• Webcasts
• Local media
• National media
• Social networking
Make the most of every
opportunity. Prepare with
an expert.
Is Your Value Message on Target?
• Create a value message
that works
• Integrate message to
support brand
• Use message to advance
sales
• Analyze competing
messages
• Evolve message as
company changes
We help you articulate an
effective message.
Polishing Communications Skills.
• Communicating internally
• Improving meetings
• Working with the Board
• Making conference
calls count
• Preparing for webcasts
• Videoconferencing
effectively
We help you build skills
rapidly.
Need a PR Strategy that Works?
• Align PR plan with
business objectives
• Positively position
company
• Identify the right media
• Identify speaking
opportunities
• Build business through
smart PR planning
We develop the right
strategy and execute it.
Giving a Speech?
• Develop original research
• Create compelling
• Target your audience
• Choose the right theme
• Select appropriate
venues
• Energize your audience
We enable you to deliver
memorable content and
engage your audience.
Your Success Depends on Communicating the Right Message the Right Way
CKB Consultants, Inc. uses a proprietary method that teaches you how to create and deliver the strongest message to your targeted audiences.
We work with executives and companies seeking to make the most of their communications opportunities with the news media, investors, customers, employees and boards of directors.
With CKB Consultants, clients achieve maximum message impact. Clients range from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups to major universities.
Presentation Training
Making a speech, addressing an internal audience, presenting to investors, meeting with analysts, making a sales call, or presenting to the board, all require unique preparation. We specialize in preparing executives for these important events.
Content.
CKB Consultants takes clients through a series of content development steps to create a compelling presentation for the targeted audience. These steps include defining the client's objectives; developing messages in a meaningful and captivating way; and providing the audience with motivation for taking action. We also provide extensive speechwriting services.
Delivery.
CKB Consultants uses a "building block" approach, breaking down the elements of presentation delivery and working closely with clients to build an effective skill set. We emphasize the client's strengths and personalize the sessions to his or her style.
Questions and Answers.
CKB Consultants teaches the most effective ways of handling questions during the question and answer portion of a formal or informal presentation - skills that are critical to advancing your objectives. We videotape and provide feedback throughout each session.
Media Training
Every media encounter can profoundly impact the image of a company and its executives. To ensure the best results when dealing with news media, preparation is critical.
Just as reporters spend time preparing for an interview, interviewees must hone their messages, anticipate questions and, most importantly, develop "quotable quote."
The media training session includes a thorough discussion of the most effective ways to work with print and broadcast journalists. We analyze what your company wants to achieve with the news media and develop the overall approach, message and supporting points.
As former financial journalists, we incorporate our interviewing expertise, guiding you through various interview scenarios. Each interview is specifically tailored to reflect news media questions and situations you are likely to encounter. Exercises are videotaped and critiqued, allowing you to learn rapidly and to build confidence.
Message Development
Critical to the success of any organization is having a focused message that is immediately understood by your target audiences, including customers, news media, investors, analysts or employees. We work with your executive team to create that message.
In a highly interactive session, CKB Consultants thoroughly explores all aspects of effective "messaging." Exercises guide the group toward message identification and articulation, exposing the best of what your company has to offer in a way that is meaningful and easily understood. Also, we provide your team with the skills it needs to keep your message on target as your business grows and changes.
Executive Communications Coaching
Executives need the ability to communicate persuasively and credibly. Working one-on-one, we teach you how to create and deliver messages that are meaningful to your audience.
Whether it's a newly appointed CEO who needs to establish his or her identity, or a seasoned executive who seeks to improve his or her communications skills, we create a customized coaching plan to address all internal and external communications needs.
We coach clients to maximize their effectiveness when working informally and formally with colleagues, peers, boards of directors, and others. We also provide tools to help clients develop effective communications techniques within their corporate environments. We examine person-to-person and person-to-group skills and develop specific implementation plans. Follow-up strategies for continuous improvement are provided.
Strategic Communications
CKB Consultants provides expert counsel for a variety of public relations and communications challenges.
We have expertise in media relations, internal communications, company and product launches, crisis communications, speaker placement, and acquisition communications.
We provide clients with a strategic approach to public relations. Aligning communications objectives with your business plan, we help you effectively position your company and produce outstanding results.
Speech Writing
CKB Consultants has extensive experience writing speeches for executives. Our speeches are written to engage the audience. We work to ensure that the speech reflects the personality and authority of the speaker. We personalize content and capture his or her “voice.”
We develop major keynote speeches, internal addresses and other customized material for a variety of venues and audiences. We have expertise in developing original research and producing speeches worthy of reprint.
Services
Executive Coaching
Maximize the Message
About Us
Cynthia Kasabian
Managing Director
Biography
Cynthia Kasabian, Managing Director of CKB CONSULTANTS, INC., has more than 20 years of communications experience. With an extensive background in executive coaching, corporate communications, and award-winning financial journalism, Ms. Kasabian brings unique expertise to message development and delivery.
Ms. Kasabian specializes in preparing executives to deliver highly effective messages to audiences including the media, investors, customers, employees and boards of directors. She has developed a proprietary method of message development that she applies to media training, presentation training and executive coaching. Ms. Kasabian’s clients include major corporations, start-ups and universities.
Prior to founding CKB CONSULTANTS in 2000, Ms. Kasabian was Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, at Bank of America. She worked directly with Bank of America CEOs and their management teams on presentation delivery, speechwriting, and media training. In addition, she has broad experience in all aspects of communications and public relations.
During her 15-year career with Bank of America, Ms. Kasabian held a variety of senior management communications positions. Her responsibilities included strategic communications, crisis communications planning, acquisition communications, media relations, executive speechwriting, internal communications and new media.
Before joining Bank of America, Ms. Kasabian was a financial reporter. She wrote for The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, BusinessWeek and the San Francisco Examiner. Also, she was editor of the San Francisco Business Journal.
Ms. Kasabian was a Knight-Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and graduated summa cum laude from San Francisco State University with a BA in journalism. She is the recipient of several national journalism awards and was a contributing writer to the book: A Guide to Financial Reporting, published by Columbia University Press. She is also a contributor to the 2009 PRNews Media Training Guidebook. She has been a Conference Board speaker on the subject of corporate communications and served as a director on the board of Goodwill Industries.
Greg Berardi
Greg Berardi has more than 20 years of communications and media experience. Mr. Berardi has managed public relations, investor relations and marketing programs for Fortune 1000 firms, as well as early stage companies. Mr. Berardi worked for Bank of America, Fidelity Investments, InsWeb, GCI Group, and Tradiant (now GT Nexus). At Bank of America, Mr. Berardi worked in the Corporate Communications group in support of the Chairman’s Office. He also did extensive work with the bank’s credit, real estate, investment management, mutual fund and retail brokerage divisions. Also at BofA, Mr. Berardi served as a business development officer in the Private Banking Group, helping high-net-worth individuals secure trust, investment management and credit services. At Fidelity Investments, Mr. Berardi was in charge of retail public relations programs in the western United States. At GCI Group, he helped manage Sun Microsystems and the firm’s other major technology clients. At InsWeb, a leading insurance marketplace, Mr. Berardi was Vice President of Public and Investor Relations, where he worked on the company’s initial public offering. At Tradiant, he was Director of Corporate Marketing, with responsibility for advertising, public and investor relations, collateral, the corporate website and trade show programs. Earlier in his career, Mr. Berardi was a newspaper reporter for 12 years at several Northern California papers. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and journalism from California State University, Sacramento.
Marketing Solutions
STRATEGIC MARKETING
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MEDIA
PUBLIC RELATIONS
The Client Experience
"Cynthia is an absolute pro. She provides much more than media training. Her skills help executives take control of a message and communicate confidently and clearly in a variety of circumstances -- a key management skill in today's world."
Russ Yarrow, General Manager, California Corporate Affairs, Chevron
"Cynthia Kasabian's expertise is invaluable. She can turn any presentation into an engaging experience with the audience and help you feel very comfortable delivering it. You can feel the difference when you speak after working with her."
Caroline McNally, Executive Vice President, Visa International
"Cynthia Kasabian's method's and training aids are both easy to understand and to put into practice. In addition to improving the effectiveness of our team's ability to present, we also improved the efficiency of our presentation preparation."
Mark J. Zanoli, Managing Director and Head of Technology Investment Banking, JP Morgan.
"Cynthia's engaging teaching style not only makes tools for effective communication more accessible, but also makes the process enjoyable."
Joon Yun, Stanford Medical Center
"Cynthia not only helped HEART provide a core messaging framework for our complex organization -- a public/private housing trust fund -- during our startup phase, she also provided me with communications training that I'm still using and benefiting from years later."
Chris Mohr, Executive Director, Housing Endowment And Regional Trust, the HEART of San Mateo County
"As an investment manager I'm required to make presentations to clients often. Cynthia really helped me define my message. The client response has been terrific."
Charles Bohlen, Chief Investment Officer, J.D., CFA, Stern Fisher Edwards, Inc.
"Cynthia Kasabian is an expert in her field. She has significantly contributed to my development as a public speaker! Additionally, Cynthia is honest, reliable, and completely fun to work with -- I would highly recommend her to professionals seeking to improve their own or their group's communication skills."
Ted Janus, Principal, J Capital, Inc.
“Cynthia is incredibly effective. She helped us articulate our company’s message and communicate clearly to our clients. Her work made a huge difference to our bottom line.”
Valli F. Farmaian, Founder and President, ABA Staffing
"Cynthia's lightening-speed ability to convert the key aspects of my project to sound bites helped immediately. She has the rare ability to understand all perspectives of the stakeholders - presenter, media, client, investor, vendor. The value of her work far exceeded the actual time spent in working with her."
Emily Scott Pottruck, Author, Tails of Devotion
Contact us:
Email: info_ckbconsultants.comTelephone: 650.344.1094Fax: 650.685.2661
Email: info_ckbconsultants.com
Telephone: 650.344.1094
Fax: 650.685.2661
Clients
Encirq
All rights reserved Phone 650.344.1094 Fax 650.685.2661 Contact us at info_ckbconsultants.com
Created by Alexander Blickenstaff
