What makes a company invincible? How do you know if a company takes innovation seriously? Alexander Osterwalder has the answers. Alex is an entrepreneur, leading author, and in-demand speaker, and one of the world’s most influential strategy and innovation experts. Ranked no. 4 of the top 50 management thinkers worldwide, his work has changed how established companies do business and how new ventures get started. His books include the international bestsellers «Business Model Generation», «Value...
Mar 21, 2024•42 min•Ep. 171
A brand is not a logo or a misspelled word. “It's the perception someone has about a company.” In this actionable episode, Howie Chan breaks down his step-by-step process for building a powerful brand in just 15 minutes. Howie is a sought-after branding expert, the founder of Healthy Brand Consulting, and the creator of Legend Letters, one of the fastest-growing newsletters out there. We discuss how you can define your brand's "organizing idea", identify what makes you truly differentiated and r...
Mar 14, 2024•58 min•Ep. 231
Our guest today is the inventor of FOMO. Patrick McGinnis is an international venture capitalist, the host of the hit podcast FOMO Sapiens, startup coach and the author of two books: "Fear of Missing Out" and "The 10% Entrepreneur." Patrick coined the terms FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and FOBO (Fear of a Better Option) in a 2004 article he wrote for the Harvard Business School student newspaper. In this wide-ranging conversation, Patrick shares the origin story of FOMO, why it has become a global...
Mar 07, 2024•42 min•Ep. 230
In this two-part series, I interview 9 thought leaders about the impact of AI on all aspects of communications. These thought leaders are world-renowned CEOs, business school professors, company builders and crisis communications experts. With their combined expertise, my aim is to give you the most complete and actionable overview on the topic. In this episode we will discuss how AI can be rocket fuel for your internal communication, how you can use it to boost recruiting and employer branding,...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 229
Who has all the answers when it comes to AI and communications? In my view: no single person. Which is why I asked not one, but nine thought leaders about the impact of AI on all aspects of communications. They are world-renowned CEOs, business school professors, company builders and crisis communications experts. With their combined expertise, my aim is to give you the most complete and actionable overview on the topic in this two-part special. Our four guests this week: Matt Abrahams is one of...
Feb 22, 2024•35 min•Ep. 292
A society of innovators makes the world a better place. That’s according to David Rhotert, the CEO and founder of Companisto. Based in Berlin, Companisto has pioneered digital angel investing at scale. They have already facilitated the investment of over 150 million Euros in startups. David and his team achieved this by building a tech company and at the same time building one of the largest networks of Angel investors anywhere in the world. We talk about how they created a community of 150,000,...
Feb 15, 2024•50 min•Ep. 227
One of Oliver’s predictions has been that your own story and unique voice become even more valuable this year because of AI. We already see more “social CEOs” and “creator CEOs” – business leaders who become thought leaders thanks to content creation, social media and podcasts. That’s why we invited Laura Lewandowski, founder of SmartChiefs, and top CEO advisor Julius Bachmann to talk about career sovereignty, creator practices and how CEOs can integrate creation and creativity into their busy l...
Feb 08, 2024•42 min•Ep. 226
Julian Treasure is a world-renowned expert on speaking and listening and a bestselling author. His 5 TED talks have amassed over 150 million views worldwide. His talk "How to speak so that people want to listen" on powerful speaking alone has garnered 100 million views, making it the 6th most popular TED talk of all time. As the author of “Sound Business” and founder of The Sound Agency, he is also one of the world’s leading thinkers on audio branding. In this wide-ranging conversation, Julian s...
Feb 01, 2024•52 min•Ep. 225
The world suffers from a human energy crisis. Meet the man who brings back the energy. Simon Alexander Ong is a celebrated author, speaker and award-winning life coach. His 2022 debut book, Energize, became an instant bestseller. In this wide-ranging episode, we discuss how you shift your own energy and the energy of your team towards a more positive state, how to deal with energy vampires, and how energy management, not time management, is the key to productivity. He shares how you can develop ...
Jan 25, 2024•47 min•Ep. 224
Netflix has “No Rules Rules”. Caroline Kroll has “Nø Rules”. Caroline is the impressive young founder and CEO of Nø Cosmetics, a disruptor in the clean beauty realm that is taking the retail world by storm. In her very first podcast interview in English, Caroline shares why Nø Cosmetics breaks the rules of branding and marketing. We go deep on her social media strategy, especially Instagram and TikTok, which Nø Cosmetics use for community building, market research, and even the co-creation of ne...
Jan 18, 2024•44 min•Ep. 223
Lubomila Jordanova is an Obama Leader, MIT Under 35 Innovator and the CEO & founder of Plan A. She is also the co-founder of the Greentech Alliance. Together with her team, she helps 1500 businesses including many global brands become more sustainable. Expect to learn how to create 100x partnerships, how companies can become more sustainable and avoid accusations of greenwashing, and what kind of storytelling can be a catalyst for change. At a more personal level, we also talk about humor an...
Jan 12, 2024•42 min•Ep. 222
What’s the future of advertising, branding and performance marketing? To answer these questions, Dimitri Gärtner kicks off the year on Speak Like a CEO. Dimitri is the founder and CEO of Framen , a fast-growing media tech scale-up based in Berlin that is rapidly becoming one of the major players in advertising and creating communities around the world. Dimitri’s insights into the future of advertising and marketing are particularly valuable right now. Customer acquisition costs keep rising and w...
Jan 04, 2024•50 min•Ep. 221
2024 will be the year AI gets real for many businesses. It is also the biggest election year ever as the US, the EU, the UK, India and many other countries head to the polls. Against this meta backdrop, I am sharing my 10 Predictions for 2024. They cover AI, memes, video, deep fakes, what happens to CEO communications, the state of marketing and mission-driven companies. I will be right on some and wrong on others, but it does help me to enter the new year with a clear hypothesis of where we are...
Dec 29, 2023•14 min•Ep. 220
Based in Berlin, born in India, and educated at Harvard – Naren Shaam is a unicorn founder once rejected as a call center agent. The CEO of global tech & travel company Omio has two superpowers: patience, and not recognizing a 'no' for a 'no'. He moved to Berlin after graduating from Harvard, not knowing anyone, and without speaking the language, determined to pursue his mission to make world travel seamless for everyone. Naren has a talent for active listening and understanding the needs of...
Dec 21, 2023•39 min•Ep. 219
“The human species thinks in metaphors, and learns through stories.” Mary Catherine Bateson The best leaders and companies in the world use metaphors deliberately. Think Apple and Amazon – a nourishing fruit and the world’s longest river respectively. Metaphors are a crucial part of the language of leadership, yet few of us use them deliberately. Stories appeal to the emotional brain, which is why they are so effective. But metaphors appeal to the instinctive brain – the oldest and most powerful...
Dec 14, 2023•7 min•Ep. 218
When investor and entrepreneur Jörg Rheinboldt was a student, he managed to convince Bill Gates to speak at a student conference in Germany. Jörg was bored of “just studying”, and joined a student organization putting together conferences. They called Microsoft, and asked if Bill Gates would be interested to speak. Of course, it wasn’t that simple. But sometimes you just have to dare to make the call! This is a Moment from episode 25, one of our most popular episodes ever. Jörg Rheinboldt is Gen...
Dec 08, 2023•5 min•Ep. 217
Can we apply FBI persuasion techniques in business? Even in high-stakes negotiations? Absolutely, say a former FBI hostage negotiator and a top DC publicist. Adele Gambardella and Chip Massey have just published an original and insightful book entitled "Convince Me: High-Stakes Negotiation Tactics to Get Results in Any Business Situation.“ In our conversation, they introduce the FBI-inspired concept of forensic listening, explain different types of convincing styles, and share advanced strategie...
Nov 30, 2023•56 min•Ep. 216
What differentiates the top 1% of founders and CEOs from the rest? What makes them excellent in leadership and communications? To find out, Oliver has interviewed more than 200 CEOs, founders and world-renowned experts on this podcast. To celebrate 5 Years of Speak like a CEO – we started out in November 2018 – in this episode he breaks down 10 of his favorite lessons. Expect to learn what the hallmark of a great speaker and leader is, how you can make your story perfect, why authenticity means ...
Nov 23, 2023•21 min•Ep. 215
This week, we sit down with Arne Schepker, the visionary CEO behind language-learning powerhouse Babbel. The company has become synonymous with language mastery. With millions of subscribers and over 16 million users so far, Babbel has revolutionized the way we learn languages. In this episode, Arne dismantles language-learning myths and unveils his personal growth into a dynamic leader. Discover the power of storytelling, the ROI magic in marketing, and the art of building global brand awarenes...
Nov 17, 2023•39 min•Ep. 214
Giving formal presentations is stressful. But there is another, more common type of communication that is as crucial for success: unscripted and uncontrollable situations like small talk at a networking event, an interview, a pitch, a sales presentation. Yet little has been written about spontaneous communication in business. Until now. In this episode, Matt Abrahams shares his six-step approach for speaking confidently and clearly when we don’t have a script. This allows us to focus on what mat...
Nov 02, 2023•34 min•Ep. 213
Navigating the path from CEO to visionary is tricky. That’s why I’m excited to share my interview with the “Besser Gründen” Podcast (in German). We explore the strategies and insights that entrepreneurs and founders can use to establish themselves as thought leaders in their respective industries.Almost everyone wants to stand out in their industry, but few manage. This episode gives you the tools that make the difference. Find the original Podcast here: https://www.fuer-gruender.de/podcast/folg...
Oct 26, 2023•33 min•Ep. 212
This week we are launching our new guide on ‘Presentation Hacks: 50 Powerful Strategies to Captivate Any Audience’ . So on this episode of Speak like a CEO, I go deeper on some of the ideas I cover in “Presentation Hacks” including how to come across as charismatic, why slides kill your mojo and how to cut out the ‘umms’ and ‘ahhs”. You can download the full guide here: https://www.eoipsocommunications.com/newsletter/ In this tactical guide, I share with you the 50 most powerful hacks to deliver...
Oct 19, 2023•8 min•Ep. 211
How many entrepreneurial journeys have started with a wrongly booked ticket to China? Alone in a hotel room in Beijing, Johannes Reck realised how a city is transformed when you have access to tour guides and experiences. Two years later, Johannes and university friend Tao Tao took a leap of faith and launched GetYourGuide – a platform that unlocks unforgettable experiences. Fifteen years later, GetYourGuide has built a global brand with strong word of mouth, product-market fit in multiple count...
Oct 11, 2023•15 min•Ep. 210
This week, I’m excited to share my interview with the “Besser Gründen” Podcast (in German). We discuss my latest book “MESSAGE MACHINE” and how Communications can solve 90% of all problems in a company. We are all constantly communicating – even when we are not communicating. But how do we communicate successfully? How do we manage to lead, inspire and convince others with words? It comes down to the language of leadership - our topic in this episode. Find the original Podcast here: https://www....
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 209
What’s the hallmark of a great speaker and leader in a volatile world? The ability to recenter your nervous system. That’s because our speech has an immediate impact on the nervous systems of others. And in leadership, “what you do to other people’s nervous systems is a big deal.” Says this week's guest on Speak like a CEO, @Caroline Goyder. She is a TEDx speaker with over 10 million views, an expert on speaking and voice, author of multiple books, and founder of the Gravitas Method. We discuss ...
Sep 28, 2023•34 min•Ep. 208
This week’s episode is a rare behind-the-scenes interview on how a Hollywood movie gets made – and how to persuade the right people to back an impossible dream. Torsten Ruether is a filmmaker, director and the CEO Hello Moment Productions . He has pulled off the unthinkable: to make a Hollywood movie with award-winning actors during some of the most challenging times of the film industry – first the pandemic and then the writers’ and actors’ strike. The movie “Uppercut” is the remake of an indep...
Sep 21, 2023•46 min•Ep. 207
“ Don’t wait for the perfect story, make your story perfect.” This is the message of Karen Eber , author, storyteller and TED speaker with 2 millions views. In her brand new book ‘The Perfect Story’, she shares the science behind how your brain processes stories and how storytelling is the best way to communicate in business. It is accessible and actionable for anyone who wants to lead, inspire and inform through stories. Storytelling is the best way to make people retain information and prepare...
Sep 15, 2023•41 min•Ep. 206
“Communications is more important than most CEOs and founders think,” says Yannis Niebelschütz , co-founder of CoachHub - the world’s largest digital coaching platform. As the leader of a global tech company, he is focused on scientific research and AI, and building a holistic approach to coaching that is unparalleled. His goal is to transform the workforce, rethink how people work together, and increase productivity. All through digitally available coaching packages with more than 3500 coaches ...
Sep 08, 2023•35 min•Ep. 181
This week I share with you the podcast episode I recorded with Startup Insider (in German) about my latest book ‘Message Machine: How Communications Will Make You An Unstoppable Founder’. I share insights from decades of experience working with founder and CEO communications and provide practical tips on how to develop a growth story and how a startup can gain visibility in oversaturated markets.
Aug 31, 2023•50 min•Ep. 276
Today we are sharing the repost of an insightful episode from the School of Hiring podcast, hosted by Konstanty Sliwowski. Oliver and Konstanty dive into a topic that might not be the cheeriest, but it's undeniably one of the most critical aspects of running a business, especially in challenging times: letting employees go, dealing with redundancies, and navigating the turbulent waters of layoffs. In a year that has seen hundreds of thousands of tech workers lose their jobs, the gravity of thi...
Aug 23, 2023•36 min•Ep. 203
