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7 Habits Author, Stephen Covey, Transported Anywhere, Anytime with Polycom Telepresence

Interactive Forums enable renowned leadership expert and best-selling author to address audiences around the globe in intimate, interactive settings

PLEASANTON, Calif., and SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Oct 08, 2009 : When renowned leadership expert and best-selling author Dr. Stephen R. Covey addressed an audience of leading CIOs at the CIO 100 Symposium on Aug. 25th, he unveiled a new model for telepresence-enabled lecture services. The "Interactive Forums," using telepresence solutions from Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), allow Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and Vice Chairman of FranklinCovey Co. (NYSE: FC), to speak at conferences and events, and consult with business and government leaders anywhere, anytime.

The Interactive Forums are designed to improve access to Stephen Covey and other FranklinCovey thought leaders for conferences and events. Leveraging Polycom telepresence, the Interactive Forums save a considerable amount of time and travel costs, thereby delivering a more cost-effective model for the organization and its customers.

Facts/Highlights:

  • Stephen Covey and FranklinCovey are expanding the reach of speaking and consulting services through new Interactive Forums using Polycom telepresence.
  • Polycom telepresence delivers a very natural and interactive visual communication experience that allows Stephen Covey to interact with people in other locations in a very collaborative and intimate manner.
  • In the public debut of these new services, Stephen Covey directed the CIO 100 Leadership Workshop from his home in the Rocky Mountains of Utah to attendees of the CIO 100 Symposium at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo.
  • During the session, Stephen Covey shared his views on the leadership qualities needed to thrive, innovate and excel, even in today's tougher, more complex business realities, as outlined in his new book, Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times, co-authored by Bob Whitman, the CEO of FranklinCovey Co. (NYSE: FC).
  • Stephen Covey highlighted four key principals from the new book that can help people and organizations excel within today's complex and often unpredictable business environment: Executing Priorities with Excellence, Moving with the Speed of Trust, Achieving More with Less, and Transforming Fear into Engagement.

Supporting Quotes:

Stephen Covey, renowned leadership expert and best-selling author
"Polycom telepresence enables the ability to have genuine interaction…to see people face-to-face and have them see me, and to sense that we are carrying on a genuine conversation with each other."

"With Polycom telepresence, we are able to reach so many people, so fast and so efficiently. But in a way that is safe for people to be authentic, real and honest. There's an intimacy that comes that is sometimes even greater than being face-to-face in the same room with the person."

"With a large group and hundreds of people involved, you feel like you are talking directly to that person. I'm amazed at this ability of Polycom telepresence to have open, transparent and interactive discussions with people anywhere."

Boyd Craig, executive director, Stephen R. Covey Group, FranklinCovey Co.
"One of the greatest challenges we face with Stephen Covey is that he is one man, and there is demand for him all over the world. The power of using Polycom telepresence is that we can bring him anywhere at any time."

"It is just like being there. You read the body language. The sound is perfect. It really extends itself to not just creating the ability to communicate, but really to create that intimacy."

Maryfran Johnson, editor in chief, CIO magazine and events
"Our CIO 100 Symposium leadership workshop with Dr. Covey was quite compelling and memorable. Polycom's telepresence provided a much higher level of interaction and the ability to engage directly with a legendary leadership authority."

Robert Hagerty, CEO, Polycom
"Polycom telepresence is transforming how our customers operate. For Stephen Covey, this represents a new, innovative model that will help extend his reach more efficiently and cost-effectively and create new opportunities for collaboration with customers and the global FranklinCovey franchise network."

Images / Video

  • Stephen Covey CIO 100 Leadership Workshop Video
  • View Photos from Stephen Covey CIO 100 Leadership Workshop on Flickr

About Polycom Telepresence

  • Polycom telepresence provides a natural, high-definition visual communication experience that allows people to work more effectively across distances.
  • Polycom is the industry leader in telepresence having shipped more than 50,000 telepresence solutions through Q2 2009. Polycom has leading market share (41 percent) for the total installed video communication market and had leading market share (35 percent) of units shipped for the first half of 2009 (Wainhouse Research, Sept. 2009)
  • Polycom has thousands of telepresence customers, which include industry leaders in business, entertainment, education, financial services, healthcare and government. Examples include: Turner Broadcasting Systems, Georgetown University, NASDAQ, Duke University, Amgen, Atari, Massachusetts General, Regus, Zurich Financial, National Defense University, Oklahoma Army National Guard, and Defense Acquisition University.
  • Polycom telepresence solutions are based on established video conferencing standards and interoperate natively with more than two-million video conferencing and telepresence systems in use today.

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Tags / Keywords:
Stephen Covey, FranklinCovey, Polycom, telepresence, videoconferencing, collaboration, unified communications, video conferencing, communications, CIO, visual communication, video communication

About Dr. Stephen R. Covey
Dr. Stephen R. Covey (www.stephencovey.com) is an internationally respected leadership authority, teacher, writer, organizational consultant and co-founder and vice chairman of FranklinCovey Co. He is author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which Chief Executive magazine has called the most influential business book of the last 100 years. The book has sold nearly 20 million copies, and after 20 years still holds a place on most best-seller lists. He is also a co-author with Bob Whitman, CEO of FranklinCovey, of the new book, Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times.

Stephen Covey earned an MBA from Harvard and a doctorate from BYU, where he was a professor of organizational behavior. For more than 40 years he has taught millions of people—including presidents of nations and corporations—the transforming power of the principles that govern individual and organizational effectiveness. He and his wife live in the Rocky Mountains of Utah.

About FranklinCovey
FranklinCovey Co. (NYSE: FC) (www.franklincovey.com), is a global provider of training and consulting services in the areas of leadership, productivity, strategy execution, customer loyalty, trust, sales performance, government, education and individual effectiveness. Clients include 90 percent of the Fortune 100, more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, thousands of small- and mid-sized businesses, as well as numerous government entities and educational institutions. FranklinCovey Co. has 40 direct and licensee offices providing professional services in 147 countries.

About CIO
CIO produces award-winning content and community resources for information technology executives thriving and prospering in this fast-paced era of business, as well as create opportunities for information technology and consumer marketers to reach them. The CIO portfolio includes CIO.com, CIO magazine (launched in 1987), CIO Executive Programs and the CIO Executive Council. CIO properties provide business technology leaders with analysis and insight on information technology trends and a keen understanding of IT's role in achieving business goals. The U.S. edition of the magazine and website are recipients of more than 200 awards to date, including two Grand Neals from the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards and two Magazine of the Year awards from the National Society of Business Publication Editors. CIO websites and printed publications appear in more than 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, India and Sweden. CIO Executive Programs—a series of face-to-face conferences including the CIO 100 Awards & Symposium™—provide educational and networking opportunities for pre-qualified corporate and government leaders. The CIO Executive Council is a member-led executive organization, consisting of current and future business leaders working to impact the intersection of business, technology and strategy. CIO is produced by CXO Media, a subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading technology media, research and event company. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.

About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM) is the global leader in telepresence, video, and voice solutions and a visionary in communications that empower people to connect and collaborate everywhere. Visit www.polycom.com for more information and follow us on Twitter @AllAboutPolycom.

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