Speakeasy has been providing services to a very broad range of
clients for a very long time. We’re globally recognizedexperts
in individual communciation development and consulting, and we
employ a very unique set of processes and methodologies through
one of the most credentialed faculties in the world.

Bottom line, we deliver results – for your people and your business.
And we do it in a way that no one else can. We invite you to
find out more... more about how we do that and why we think
it’s important to you and you organization.

How long has your firm been providing instruction and roughly how many participants have gone through your programs?

Speakeasy was incorporated in 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia. The company has been offering open enrollment programs, on-site custom workshops, and executive private coaching for 35 years. Speakeasy opened its San Francisco office in 1984, and its New York office in 2006. The company has established relationships with some of the most respected corporations in the world, globally delivering a full range of communications development and consulting services. In 2008, the company conducted workshops and private coaching in eight countries, including China, Australia, and the Czech Republic. To date, some 100,000 individuals have been coached and instructed by Speakeasy. Their individual development records and progress are tracked on the company’s sophisticated, secure database. Speakeasy has ongoing, multi-year relationships with over 50 companies including:

What is the level of experience with some of your larger clients?

One of Speakeasy’s largest clients for the past 30 years has been Accenture, formerly Andersen Consulting, formerly Arthur Andersen. Speakeasy has developed over 3,000 Accenture consultants, provided executive development and consulting services to Bill Green, Chairman and CEO, and George Shaheen, former Chairman and CEO, as well as the company’s entire executive team. Speakeasy has been a partner in the planning of many of Accenture’s worldwide meetings and conferences, and has been a provider of services to Accenture’s Strategy College for over a decade. During the 30 years that Speakeasy has been serving Accenture, they have sent, on average, 200 individuals a year through Speakeasy’s programs worldwide.

Speakeasy has also been a key provider of services to Ernst & Young – at all levels of the firm from the Executive Council, Principal Partners, to hundreds of Partners, Directors, and Senior Managers across all of Ernst & Young’s practices worldwide. To date Speakeasy has worked with just over 2000 Ernst & Young employees. For many years, Speakeasy has been a key provider to Ernst & Young’s “Next Gen” program that incubates future partners, and has been a key service provider for their Tax Excellence Leadership Program. This past year Speakeasy prepared Ernst & Young executives for high consequence presentations in Singapore, Sydney, London, and Amsterdam.

What is the average tenure of your instructors, and what accreditations/certifications do they hold?

Speakeasy employs 12 full-time faculty. The company has never used “contract trainers.” The faculty has developed under the guidance of Speakeasy’s staff Psychologist, Dr. Bernhard Kempler, who has been employed by the company since 1975. The current faculty’s background and tenure with Speakeasy are:

Doris Bucher... 30 years... MA Speech Pathology, MA Pastoral Ministry, Licensed and Certified by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association, Faculty Lead: Style Impact Curriculum
Judith Bliss... 27 years... BA Communications... Certified Faculty – GE Crotonville Executive Training Center
Jane Jones... 27 years... MA Speech Communication... MA Speech Pathology... Licensed and Certified by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association
Danny Slomoff... 23 years... PhD in Clinical Psychology
Joanne Meyer... 22 years... PhD in Clinical Psychology... PhD in Audiology and Speech Pathology... Licensed and Certified by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association
Sandra Ashe... 20 years... MA Education from Columbia University... Member of the American Society of Training and Development
Doug Foltz... 18 years... BA of Architecture... BA Environmental Design... Faculty Lead: Visual Communication, Design Strategy and Content Impact Curriculum
Bill Mackinnon... 13 years... MA in Counseling and Psychology... Member of the American Society of Training and Development... Member of the American Counseling Association
Victoria Squier... 5 years... MA in Communicative Disorders... Licensed and Certified by the American Speech Language And Hearing Association
Alice Rutkowski... 4 years... PHD in Movement Education... MS Integrative Education
Pat Wahoske... 4 years... MA Speech Language Pathology... Licensed and Certified by the American Speech Language And Hearing Association... Member of the American Society of Training And Development
Alison Behrman... 2 years... PhD in Speech Physiology from Columbia University... MA in Speech Language Pathology... Licensed and Certified by the American Speech Language And Hearing Association

What level of customization can I expect in a Speakeasy program?

Speakeasy offers a variety of customized programs designed for specific clients and their specialized needs. Speakeasy employs a team of PhD’s for all curriculum design with decades of experience in meeting specific learning and development requirements. An example of Speakeasy’s customization expertise is the two-day program Speakeasy designed for Accenture’s Strategy College and is currently being executed several times a year around the world. The program is designed to develop Accenture consultant capabilities in unique strategic messaging, communicating with “C-Suite” executives, and increased ability to establish credibility when managing challenging and demanding questions.

What are the types of pre-reads/materials provided for the course (books, web-based courseware, etc)?

Speakeasy owns numerous copyrights, and other intellectual property. The company publishes a number of support tools used in their programs and consulting work. Currently that includes two widely published books,“Speak and Get Results” and “Good Enough Isn’t.” Both were authored by Speakeasy’s Founder and have been in print for 30 years with several revisions. The company also publishes an audio CD “Breathe For Results” that has been in distribution for over 20 years, and a wide range of specialized written, interactive, and on-line tools. All these materials are an integral part of all Speakeasy programs.

How much time is spent on personal one-on-one instructions in Speakeasy’s programs?

All Speakeasy programs provide one-on-one instruction. Speakeasy’s methodology is behavioral in nature and individual connection is the core of the company’s processes. As a result, there is no single template for everyone and the length of time depends completely on the individual needs of each participant.

How many speeches is a participant asked to deliver in a typical Speakeasy program?

All Speakeasy “style-impact” programs and private coaching sessions involve participants practicing the delivery of content many times over a typical two or three-day session. Multiple video-recordings and direct feedback experiences are just one of many learning tools used, but on average, a participant will deliver 6-8 simulated presentations.

What types of additional or advanced courses do you offer for those participants that want to develop further?

Speakeasy’s approach calls for a long-term commitment to continuously improving communication competencies over the course of a participant’s career. Our curriculums are designed to progressively challenge individuals through initial programs that focus on “core competencies,” and in more advanced programs that focus on demanding and high consequence communication situations faced by senior executives. Application is also extended to communication leadership, and communication culture challenges. The company’s methodology is intended to “enable” participants, and support them throughout their career with a number of development services available directly from Speakeasy, and through SpeakeasyCONNECT the company’s suite of on-line follow-up services. SpeakeasyCONNECT is available to every Speakeasy participant – for life – at no additional fee.

SpeakeasyCONNECT includes “Encore,” an evening style and delivery refresher workshop, electronic support using the Speakeasy’s proprietary Communication Content Planner, or ePlanner, monthly chat rooms and conference calls with faculty. More importantly, Speakeasy provides an extensive database of participant’s learning and growth dating back over 25 years, where faculty notes, recommendations, and progress are tracked in a confidential manner to provide a continuum of development for each participant.

What options are available for additional one-on-one instruction once a single course or a suite of programs is completed?

Speakeasy offers daily, half and full-day private coaching sessions at all three of their office locations. The company’s faculty also travels all over the world to work with executives one-on-one in private sessions designed for either on-going development or preparation for specific high-consequence communication opportunities.

As we hire new individuals, what alternatives do you offer for sending them individually through your courses?

Because of the company’s unique classroom methodology, Speakeasy typically recommends only one participant from each client company attend any style-impact open-enrollment session. This is critical in maintaining the safe and honest environment required for exploration, discovery and real growth. Speakeasy is currently offering some 20 open-enrollment sessions in their three offices every month – approximately 5 sessions per week. For clients like Ernst & Young and Accenture who send hundreds of executives a year through the company's program, that model provides geographic convenience, and individual experiences at a scale no other company can provide.

What do you believe are the greatest benefits your programs provide to participants?

Speakeasy strives for deeper, longer lasting behavioral change that requires a different kind of commitment from both our distinguished faculty and the clients we have the privilege of working with. Because that commitment provides a deeper experience, clients can expect an immediate shift in the way they are seen by others, and an increase in their own comfort with a more powerful and effective way of communicating. It’s not easy. It requires intense effort and an ongoing dedication to becoming more of who you are when you communicate. The company’s philosophy is summed-up in our belief that “good enough isn’t,” and that the rewards of this approach are well worth the effort, both personally and professionally.

What are Speakeasy’s three most distinguishing factors?

Speakeasy’s unprecedented 35 years performance with some of the most respected executives and companies in the world has been built on a number of very specific and very strong values, executed daily by every member of Speakeasy’s staff. The three most important values are:

Excellence. There is no question that Speakeasy’s full-time faculty is unparalleled on every level. They represent the most experienced and credentialed faculty of its kind anywhere in the world. Many of them have committed and dedicated their life’s work to Speakeasy and the clients they serve. As a result, they have changed the lives of thousands of individuals both personally and professionally. The impact Speakeasy’s faculty has on the growth and development of the individuals they have the privilege of working with, is without question, the most significant differentiator in the company’s success year after year. Speakeasy is clearly in a ‘league of its own’ in this regard, and any individual committing the time, energy and money it takes to truly develop themselves, will see the unique value delivered through these instructors and coaches.

Depth. Speakeasy’s methodology is not based on “tips and tricks” or best practices. It originated during the “human potential movement” of the late 1960’s, and begins with the individual, their unique obstacles, life experiences, and physical capabilities. Through a deepening of self-awareness, and honest peer and video feedback, individuals grow to more deeply accept their challenges and opportunities as communicators. Real change – in the form of behavioral modification – can then be advanced by just as deeply connecting with the full possibility of one’s individual strengths. Every Speakeasy participant experiences their development in a unique way – as a personal growth, allowing them to become a powerful communicator, presenter, and facilitator. This transformation can have a profound impact on their business results, as well as their personal lives.

Congruency. The word “quality” has been redefined by Speakeasy through decades of dedication to providing the highest level of executive development possible. Every aspect of what the company does, from its faculty, its staff, and its learning environment, to its curriculum, and its learning tools, is world-class. That dedication has allowed Speakeasy a reputation as the very best in the world at what it does. It is one of the reasons Speakeasy clients are willing to fly the company’s faculty around the globe – no other company can deliver at a level of quality and impact that Speakeasy can, and they do it every day, consistently, without deviation.

What cost effective alternatives can you provide from your standard pricing (cost per head, and “volume” discounts)?

In 35 years of business, Speakeasy has never “discounted” its standard fee structure. The company’s fees are negotiated with it’s largest clients based on their volume, at least $500,000 or more per year, and then all clients are “grandfathered” at that fee structure so everyone is charged an equal fee for the company’s services. In other words, every client receives a volume discount based Speakeasy largest client’s volume. It’s the only way the company can maintain the trusted relationships established with clients over literally decades of work.

For several months – during the current economic downturn – Speakeasy has been working creatively with clients as their budgets are more challenged and their need for development increased. While not discounting fees directly, we have been very willing to provide flexible solutions to help our clients through this difficult and unprecedented economic period.