The communications challenges executives face every day are diverse, complex and require strategies that are well thought out. Without someone who has been “in the hot seat” it is difficult to trust the advice you may be getting, or get the outcomes you can expect.

Working closely with executives it is important to understand their vision, business direction, and strategies, as well as both their own challenges and the challenges facing their customers. It can be as complex as addressing customers or investors in a crisis situation or as simple as preparing an email or speech to employees.

No matter what, all eyes will be on the CEO and the company’s executive leadership. 

Whether it is formulating strategy, handling crises, or just being sure you are at your best, Kairos can provide advice on how best to address your communications challenges through services like coaching, hands-on training, speech preparation, ghostwriting, and brainstorming services for CEOs and other business leaders.

Seeing the “Big Picture” and connecting it to the ground is an essential element of any strategic planning effort. Kairos makes sure your strategy is clear, all the “dots” are connected, messages are on point, and the “troops” are prepared. 

It all starts with the brand.  And the definition of your brand starts with a deep understanding of how you’re perceived by your customers, partners, employees, and investors. This is why Kairos uses both quantitative and qualitative research to gain an independent understanding of the needs of the markets you serve, balanced with an understanding of how your markets view you and your services.

Once you know who you are targeting and why, you can turn your attention to defining the messages that will resonate and support your drive for business growth.  Finally, implementing the right portfolio of marketing campaigns through the right channels at the right times, provides you with the greatest chance for success in a very cluttered and distracted world. 

Kairos has more than two decades of experience leading integrated strategic planning efforts.  Based on 3M’s approach and methodology to branding, Kairos customizes each engagement to the needs of the client with the outcome always aligned with where the business is today and where it needs to be in the future.

Reaching your audience with your message requires the ability to translate business and brand strategies into specific themes and actual content. This requires a deft touch and assurance that you are always clear on how you differentiate yourself from your competition.

Each audience you need to reach with your message is different and views their needs through a different lens. Being able to strike a balance between core message consistency and specific audience nuance is often the key to success when it comes to effective communications.

It is essential then to invest in developing an audience-specific message architecture that can be used by sales, marketing, customer service and other employees and partners to make sure you are getting the most out of your marketing spend.

Understanding all sides of the content equation is essential. At Kairos we have real-world experience in marketing, public relations, corporate communications, and journalism that offers a unique perspective to content development, planning and creation.

How well you anticipate and handle yourself during a crisis can make or break your brand. This is not something you want to be unprepared for or put into the hands of inexperienced staff or junior level agency people when a crisis situation does emerge.

A common mistake is to believe that only the big companies need to be prepared for this. In today’s connected world, viral communications can impact any business of any size at any time. It is not an option to wait until you are “big enough” before investing in this critical area.

Starting with a deep immersion into your business, Kairos helps identify potential “hot spots” that could put your business at risk and then formulates a plan where the focus is on execution to avoid the pressure of figuring out “who does and says what” on the fly.

Kairos brings significant, real world experience to your business, having led crisis management efforts involving chemical spills and fires, bankruptcies, and product defections for major international companies like Johnson Matthey, as well as community organizations and hospitals.

While a well-defined brand, integrated communications strategy, and targeted message architecture make for a great start, there needs to be a dedicated, on-going effort to develop the talent you need to support your growth. 

Teaching your executive leadership, management, and marketing staff “how to fish” is essential to growing your communications effectiveness. This requires the right tools and training, time and effort, and most of all: experience and expertise.

At Kairos we use simple tools that teach leaders to focus more on communications strategy instead of tactics that have proven to be highly effective over the years.  Developing the ability to translate strategies into smart and actionable messages is a skill set all leaders must possess.

Kairos offers hands-on coaching and mentoring services that includes evaluating skill levels, developing growth plans, and providing measureable performance indicators.