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My ExpertiseMy Expertise
Area(s) of expertise:
Coaching, Training, Public Relations
Summary of expertise:
Alan Cohen has more than 25 years of business experience in the areas of public relations, marketing, human resources, leadership training, and development. As executive coach, trainer, brainstorm facilitator and speaker, Alan serves professionals in public relations, marketing and the media, as well as other industries, to help them better navigate their ever-changing business landscape and thus achieve greater success, fulfillment — and balance. Through his coaching, he helps executives and small business owners become more meaningfully engaged and communicate more effectively, resulting in leading their organizations to greater performance and highly improved business results. An active member of PRSA’s Counselors Academy, Alan has worked with such major PR agencies as Peppercom, Text 100, Maloney & Fox (New York; a Wagner Edstrom company), Airfoil Public Relations (Detroit), Strategic Objectives (Toronto). Start-Thinking (Wichita, Kansas), Clairemont Communications (Raleigh, North Carolina) and FerenComm (New York), as well as PR executives at Edelman, Dan Klores, PMK, Fleishman Hillard, and Morris-King. Prior to starting his own coaching business, Alan served as the Director of Communications for The Broadway League, the national trade association for the commercial theatre industry, presenter of the Tony Awards. As Communications Director, his most notable contribution was leading the crisis communications team during the Broadway stagehands strike. Prior to his position with the Broadway League, he served as Director of Corporate Training and Development for Scholastic, where he established and supervised the company’s management training curriculum. At Scholastic, he was also Director of Publicity and led the publicity team promoting the acclaimed Harry Potter book series. As Vice President at Serino Coyne and Rogers and Cowan public relations, Alan supervised public relations and cultural sponsorship activities. At Robinson Lehrer Montgomery, also as Vice President, he led consumer publicity campaigns for United Airlines, AOL’s “Find A Job” service and AOL’s Small Business and Life Management programs. Alan holds a B.A. in English and Theatre from Connecticut College, and a MBA from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business, where his focus was leadership development. He is an accredited member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) and is one of only 2,000 Professional Certified Coaches in the world. He is also a trainer for The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, one of the only ICF-accredited coaching institutes in the world, and a trained brainstorm facilitator through Idea Champions. For iPEC, he teaches coaching skills to coaches seeking ICF accreditation, entrepreneurs, and leaders. He is certified in the Energy Leadership Assessment Tool (www.energyleadership.com), which helps the professional develop a personally effective leadership style that positively influences and changes not only the individual, but also colleagues and the organization as a whole. Alan has been a guest speaker at PRSA’s Counselors Academy, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Fordham Graduate School of Business, Rutgers University, mediabistro, the Commercial Theater Institute, and Pinnacle Worldwide.
Blog/Web site:
www.actsofbalance,com
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/actsofbalance
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/actsofbalance
Books/articles published:
Tough Talks for PR Pros: A Guide to Handling Difficult Business Conversations
Awards/associations/memberships:
PRSA, Counselors Academy Manhattan Chamber of Commerce International Coach Federation
Educational background:
Connecticut College, BA Fordham Graduate School of Business, MBA IPEC Coaching
References:
“Shortly after inviting Alan to speak at our national PR network meeting I knew I had made the right call. Alan works hard to make sure you get what you want and what you need. He is incredibly detail oriented and follows up promptly on all requests. In short, he is a delight to work with and on top of that our group found his presentation extremely valuable and gave it high marks in our post-conference evaluation.” - Indra Gardiner, Pinnacle Worldwise, Chief Operating Officer, BG Creative “It’s rare to find an executive coach, speaker and trainer that has all of the attributes someone like Alan Cohen has. I’m amazed at his ability to engage and connect instantly with an audience on an intimate level and make it seem effortless. More importantly, Alan truly cares about creating and getting results for his clients. He has a deep understanding and knowledge of how to coach someone from where they are, to where they want to be. If you are looking for an executive coach that is sincere, highly intelligent, has real-world experience and is one-hundred percent immersed and focused on you and your success … call Alan.” - Eric Taylor, President & Chief Collaboration Officer, Empowerment Group International “Alan Cohen recently presented at the 2010 PRSA’s Counselors Academy Spring Conference and did a wonderful job of engaging and motivating our membership of senior-level agency managers. We’re not an easy group to impress, but Alan managed to get us thinking in a whole new way, and we continue to talk about what we learned. I highly recommend him.” - Anne Subervi, Spring Conference Chair, PRSA Counselors Academy President, Utopia Public Relations “Alan Cohen has helped our staff understand how to refine and focus on their individual strengths and become more approachable, positive leaders. Thanks to Alan’s guidance, employees now are celebrating their moments of success and have become confident in offering recommendations and voicing their opinions. Alan’s counseling has enabled us to further our corporate value of accountability, with staff members holding themselves and others accountable for results.” - Janet Tyler, President, Airfoil Public Relations, Higher Thinking® “In Clairemont’s first year in business, Alan Cohen served as my trusted on-call business partner, consultant and coach. As I launched a business and began hiring team members, Alan worked side-by-side with me to ensure that we put processes in place that I’m certain will serve my agency for years to come.” - Dana Hughens, President, Clairemont Communications “Alan’s PR experience combines with his business acumen to supply his clients with valuable tools to find balance in their business on many levels. Alan helped me identify and address triggers that were blocking my ability to effectively lead my agency team. He’s coached me on why balance matters and how to use my core strengths to achieve it.” - Kris Schindler, Managing Partner, Start-Thinking Public Relations “Alan is full of great information and delivers it in a way that is both professional and relatable particularly because he is able to address specific issues and pressures in the PR industry. Even when there was information presented that we already knew being reminded is a great tool as well because it helps build a stronger team. I also found some of the tools effective in my personal life as well and highly recommend his workshop.” - Principal, Public Relations Agency “Alan has helped me to focus not only on finding a job but also on what is important in my life and what type of position will allow me to use my experience and skills and give me the most satisfaction both personally and professionally. He has helped me to organize my time, and my life, so that I can more effectively search for a new position while also allowing myself time for other things that are important to me. Alan has helped me market myself more effectively and to calm the anxiety I felt at losing my job. I would highly recommend Alan as a job coach.” - PR Executive “Alan is a warm and genuine coach who also possesses keen intelligence and palpable enthusiasm… He’s like a great friend in your corner, who you just love to hang out with and talk to…but who also has the insight and the tools to help you get where you want to go in life. My friends are all a little jealous when I tell them about Alan…I mean, who WOULDN’T want someone smart, fun, cool, savvy and caring in their corner to help them cut through all the most frustrating bullshit in their life?” “Working with Alan is fun, but it’s also thought-provoking and sometimes really challenging. It’s great to be asked the questions he asks, though…because they really cut to the chase about what I want in my life, why I want it, and what’s stopping me from getting it.” - Private Coaching Client and Workshop Attendee, Author/Editor “In a very brief amount of time, Alan Cohen encouraged me to look within to identify the solutions I was searching for. With patience, guidance and support, he helped me to access the various resources, tools, and confidence building techniques I needed for continued personal growth and professional achievement. Most importantly, he reminded me of the power of positive thinking. He entered my life at just the right moment and I consider myself very fortunate to have met him.” - NY Theater Producer, coaching client “I attended one of Alan’s workshops (PR for Coaches) and learned a ton of information! He knows the industry well! Alan is a natural leader and coach. He is a great human being who enjoys helping others. I look forward to attending another one of his workshops!” - Professional Coach “I am so glad to have been introduced to Alan’s Career and Leadership Coaching! It has been a tremendous opportunity to learn so much about myself, the skills I have, and how to channel them into being the best leader I can be. Alan provides a very inviting space to work in, he is a great listener and has a great intuition for when to be supportive or when to question thoughts or assumptions. Thanks to Alan, I am filled with a new-found sense of joy from discovering all the opportunities that truly are out there!” - Broadway Theatre Owner “While it’s only been a few months that I’ve been working with Alan, trying to make some changes in my career path and in my life in general, I’ve already gained some big insights–those “aha!” moments–and am starting to feel some of the blocks begin to unblock, and some of the murky areas (what DO I want in my life, anyway?) become clearer. Alan is a positive force–warm, funny, down-to-earth, insightful, creative, open, and encouraging– and I believe that he has the skills and tools to help his clients attain more fulfilling, fruitful, and satisfying lives. I look forward to more positive changes to come!” - Book Editor “Alan has the ability to help you tap into the best part of yourself. His inviting personality puts even the most trepidatious at ease. Alan’s coaching style lets you break down those roadblocks that you have put in the way of your own success. He is trust-worthy, honest and caring. I highly recommend Alan to anyone who is looking to become the person they want to be.” - Workshop Attendee “I can say that within three months of working with Alan as my coach, my small business has increased at least 300% from before my coaching. This was extremely important to me, as Alan helped assist me in building my team and growing my business all while bringing balance to my personal life. With Alan, I was able to implement strategies and tactics on a weekly basis to reach my goals!” - Shawn Cronrath, Click Sticky “I highly recommend Alan Cohen at Acts of Balance. He is not only smart and insightful but also has a delightful way of giving feedback that is honest and constructive and valuable. His experience and expertise allows him to analyze a situation from all the angles and then offer multiple solutions and strategies.” - Stephanie Grayson, Social Media Consulting “Alan Cohen is truly a class act and an excellent coach! In just a few short months, Alan helped me to see challenges and ‘problems’ from an entirely different point of view, and in turn, confront them positively and productively. At a time in my career when I was experiencing anxiety and some professional growing pains, I came to look forward to my weekly sessions with Alan. Ultimately, I am a stronger, more confident person thanks to Alan’s coaching. I highly recommend him!” - Daniel Griffin, Account Manager, Maloney and Fox Public Relations “Alan is a highly insightful and motivating Leadership Coach who has brought great value to our organization and has helped us strengthen our agency culture, mentoring of staff and executive collaboration to propel success.” - Judy Lewis, Co-Founder & Executive Vice President at Strategic Objectives “We are so pleased to have Alan on our Center for Professional Studies team. The program he designed for us “Harness Your Dreams and Beat Today’s Career Challenges” really resonates with practical yet up lifting advise for professionals who have hit today’s economy challenged career wall and need a new game plan for finding satisfying work. Alan is an upbeat consummate professional.” - Joan Volpe, Managing Coordinator, FIt Center for Professional Studies
Interests:
Coaching, Training, Speaking Meeting and Brainstorm Facilitation, Strategic Alliances Consulting |
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