Zurich - Public speaking

Challenge: Zurich – former chief executive

It was his promotion to Chief Executive of Allied Dunbar in 1993 that prompted Sandy Leitch to contact spoken communications consultancy The Aziz Corporation. “Communicating well from the top of an organisation is crucial. It sets the direction, tone and style and it gives a key competitive edge,” he commented. Although already an accomplished communicator, his new position entailed a heavy schedule of speaking engagements to audiences of all sizes around the country, culminating in an annual presentation to over 2,000 top achievers in the massive auditorium of Wembley Conference Centre.

Solution: The Aziz Corporation

The Aziz Corporation devised a personalised programme carefully tailored to his capabilities. We believe that spoken communication is a skill like any other that can be improved upon and, given time and tutoring, excelled at. Sandy Leitch’s intensive
half day tutorials took place over a four month period and were always videoed so that he could see himself in action. In addition, his tutor provided objective criticism in a way that colleagues could not, ensuring clinical scrutiny of his performance.

Benefits: “I put what I had Learned into practice immediately…”
“The acid test at the end of the day was did The Aziz Corporation enhance my communications skills? The answer is definitely “yes”! I put what I had learned into practice immediately and noticed a significant improvement in my delivery to groups of all sizes. I know that it is not just what I say that maters, but how I come across to my audience – enthusiasm, posture and confidence are all equally important in getting the message across.