Our Team

Richard Klees

President

 
Richard Klees, President of Communication Power, has been a communication training specialist over 25 years. As Training Consultant for Corporate Communication Skills International his clients included American Express, The Bar Association of NYC, Bristol Myers-Squibb, IBM, Citibank and the United Nations. As Vice President of Training and Corporate Affairs for Protech International, he worked with expert witnesses on their testimony before Congress and the Judiciary. Since establishing a home in Seattle in ‘91, Communication Power has conducted programs for AT&T Wireless, Weyerhaeuser, Intuit, Aditi, QWest, Flow International, Cell Pro, Lotus, Rational Software, Macromedia, Adobe, Polycom, Mosaix, Synopsys Corp., G.A. Sullivan, Oblicore, v-Jungle, Paramark, digiMine, Quilogy, and Microsoft.
 
Communication Power is a consulting firm that helps people achieve their objectives through poised, dynamic, and confident communication skills. By empowering the individual to take responsibility for communication from a receiver centered point-of-view, each person can apply the knowledge and acquired skills to enhance competence, credibility and confidence. Richard has an uncanny knack for helping people become aware of communication challenges and overcome them quickly and permanently. “Speakers must present information with passion and confidence, using strong voices and convincing body language – whether on a stage or in an office,” he says. “Actors learn these skills. So can anyone else who puts their mind to it.”

Since 1994, Richard has worked on countless Microsoft events and conferences, offering his unique approach to coaching speakers. He has prepared individuals for meetings with press and analysts. He helped ready a Pocket PC Director for his winning debate against a competitor at Comdex 2000. He has worked with many executives, general managers and directors over the years, honing their messaging and delivery.
 
Richard has trained individuals internationally in Dublin, Stockholm, Athens, Prague, Haifa, Turkey, Romania, U.K., Singapore and Copenhagen. Richard values his relationships with his Microsoft clients and they rely on him for continued success in their work.
 
Richard was a faculty member at the University of Washington, Bellevue Community College, Lake Washington Technical College and Antioch University’s Heritage Institute where he taught many employees from Microsoft, Boeing, Digital Equipment Corp., Seafirst, GE Capital and Eddie Bauer, just to name a few. His classes included Public Speaking: Capture the Attention of Any Audience, Improve Your Speaking Voice and Your Professional Image, Consultative Customer Service, Acting For Non-Actors: A Non-Traditional Way to Be a Better Communicator, and Speak With Confidence: The Speech Doctor. His success as a trainer is fortified by 25 years of experience as a professional theater director and actor in NYC, where he was Artistic Director of a major performing arts festival for 12 years.
 

Cathy Banks

Senior Training Consultant

Cathy Banks has worked in the technology sector, training and motivating individuals since 1989. For 11 years, she served in a variety of leadership roles with Microsoft. In these roles she specialized in program management for technical teams, where she was known for her skills in balancing consumer need with the translation of complex information into understandable material. She also worked extensively to support software development engineers and design trainings and instruction for certification. In addition, Cathy has extensive speaking experience, travelling internationally to present a wide range of Microsoft products to large and diverse audiences.
 
With a background in facilitation, consultation, training, design and technical support, Cathy is an innovative and energetic corporate trainer and coach. She has a creative and sensitive approach to training clients, blending her technical expertise, speaking experiences and humor to empower and motivate. Her passion for excellence is balanced with her relaxed style, putting clients at ease while fostering dramatic growth in a short period of time.
 
“One of the most important components in successful public speaking is in the speaker’s rapport with his or her audience,”  says Banks. “As clients develop the critical self awareness needed to simplify complex ideas, they will better connect their ideas to the needs of their audience.”
 

Pam Heath

Training Consultant

Ms. Heath spent ten years with Microsoft’s Consumer Prototyping team, where she designed and produced dozens of demos and prototypes used at executive speeches and keynotes around the world, including Bill Gates’ keynotes at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world’s largest technology tradeshow.
 
As a spokesperson for the Microsoft Home, she presented at executive reviews, at conferences, and to Microsoft’s top customers and partners, U.S and international cabinet secretaries, governors, members of Congress and other legislative bodies from around the world, ambassadors, business and trade organizations, academics, internal Microsoft research and product groups, and – the most fun of all – school children of all ages.
 
Ms. Heath has been interviewed by hundreds of national and international print, broadcast and web journalists. She has appeared on the Today Show, Univision, the Travel Channel, the Food Network, Britain’s Channel 5, and CBC, as well as in such publications as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, International Herald Tribune, Reader’s Digest, PC Magazine, Der Spiegel, and El Pais.
 
“There are essentially three parts to successful and enjoyable presenting: 1) have something important and valuable to say, 2) build a strong story about it, and 3) present that story with clarity, confidence and authenticity. I’ve been a bad presenter and a great presenter. Things have gone right and things have gone horribly wrong. I use every bit of what I’ve learned to help you become the memorable and successful presenter that you want to be.”
 

Genessa Krasnow

Training Consultant

Genessa Krasnow has had a profound effect on the communities in our lives.  As a creative strategist and product innovator she has spent her career defining new paradigms for the next generation of technology, entertainment and community development products.
 
During her eight years at Microsoft Corporation Genessa was extremely influential, both in concept and usability, in the creation of emerging technologies.  Her original concepts became key features in Windows Media Player, Microsoft TV, Media Center Edition PC and MSNBC.com.  Much of her work provided the framework for partner relationships with TCI and later AT&T in the broadband space.  She was integral in the High Definition Standard debates as the first employee to direct, produce and edit high definition footage for the company.   She has several patents pending for innovative user experiences and applications for broadband television.
 
Since leaving Microsoft, Genessa has continued to consult with them on product launches and methodologies for information sharing. She spent a year as visiting artist of the Comparative History of Ideas programs at the University of Washington where she taught empathy awareness programs by building virtual reality applications and interactive installations.  She has played an essential role as a representative in Time Warner’s engagement in youth media.  Additionally she has facilitated and created programming in new media for multiple youth oriented non-profits.  Genessa currently serves as chair of the board of Reel Grrls, a Seattle based non-profit, providing teenage girls with a voice through film and video production.
 
Genessa spent most of 2005 and half of 2006 working and traveling in Central and South America where she developed curriculums and tools to teach students about their footprint on the environment.
 
She earned her B.A. from American University, a Master’s in Professional Studies from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University, and a film and video certificate from the University of Washington.
 
In her spare time Genessa is an advocate for environmental, social and political issues, loves to travel and document every moment, prefers the outdoors to indoors, and has crazy beginner’s luck.  She is known as a Creative Director, Storyteller, and Product Innovator.