SPEAK LIKE A CEO

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 independent film he shot in Berlin in just three nights during Covid. On the podcast he shares the story behind the making of the film, how to think big and stay on track despite insurmountable challenges, how to combine business and creativity, and his 5 E’s for success - Empathy, Enthusiasm, Energy, Emotion, Execution. 

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“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 them for decision making. By telling stories you help the people around and save time. 

In this week's episode, Karen talks about the importance of thinking about your audience before the story, to keep your model simple and tell the story in a way that works for you, and how to incorporate storytelling into the daily workings of your organisation.  

Subscribe to the Message Machine newsletter and become an unstoppable founder yourself. 

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“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 worldwide. 

Internally, as the leader of a 600-strong team across the globe, Yannis focuses on creating a shared culture and team unity through internal communications, feedback, and willingness to change. 

In this week's episode, Yannis talks about the importance of internal communications, receiving outside coaching, and building a great company culture. 

Subscribe to the Message Machine newsletter and become an unstoppable founder yourself. 

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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. 

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 this issue couldn't be more apparent. The stakes are sky-high, and how a company handles these delicate situations can make or break its future.

Handled correctly by the leadership, the team will understand why the reduction was the right thing to do to ensure that the company has a future. They will double down and focus on the mission. 

Handled badly, layoffs can trigger a crisis that leads to revenue loss, which in turn requires more layoffs – a downward spiral some companies never recover from.

As much as we would all like to avoid this topic, it's an inescapable part of being a great leader and founder. In this episode, we'll explore the nuanced strategies, empathy-driven approaches, and crucial insights that can make all the difference when facing the challenging task of letting employees go.

Connect with Konstanty Sliwowski on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sliwowskik/

Listen to the School of Hiring Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/21lu1coKVNYQPZ718puRUl

Get the 'Message Machine' Newsletter and receive communications insights in your inbox every Friday: https://www.eoipsocommunications.com/newsletter/

How do you build a magnetic employer brand that attracts and retains new talent?

In this special episode of Speak Like CEO, we are reposting the final instalment of Employer Branding: The Inside Podcast by Georgiana Ghiciuc. 

Georgiana and Oliver dissect how any company can become a magnetic employer of choice by focusing on three aspects of building a great company: culture, internal communications, and employer branding.

Drawing from my latest book, "MESSAGE MACHINE: How Communications Will Make You An Unstoppable Founder," Oliver underlines the idea that culture is a continuous work in progress, and effective internal communication is pivotal in unlocking a company's potential.

They discuss "Message Machines" and their development, the importance of communication skills for business leaders, strategies to become an employer of choice in uncertain times, and the key role of employer branding in building employer appeal!

Enjoy!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgianaghiciuc

Employer Branding: The Inside Podcast Georgiana GhiciucApplehttps://podcasts.apple.com › podcast › employer-bran...

Does your message cut through the noise? How do you achieve message-market-fit as a startup? 

We are excited to bring you an episode from WHU’s The Most Awesome Founder Podcast, hosted by globally-recognised startup expert Gerrit McGowan and entrepreneurship professor Dries Faems. 

In this episode, Jag Singh, Managing Director at Angel Invest, and Speak Like a CEO host Oliver Aust discuss their latest book, "MESSAGE MACHINE: How Communications Will Make You An Unstoppable Founder." 

We discuss topics like the importance of listening, decisive factors in storytelling, how to build a great brand, personal branding, and how to establish a strong yet flexible company culture. The episode provides valuable lessons and tips on communication, branding and culture to help founders succeed. It is one of the most wide-ranging and insightful discussions on mastering communication as a startup founder.

Gerrit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerritmcgowan/

Jag: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jagsingh85/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-aust/

The Most Awesome Founder Podcast: ⁠https://mostawesomepodcast.com/singh-aust/⁠

This week's podcast guest holds an impressive list of credentials. 

She is an investor, board member, speaker, and co-founder and managing director of 2hearts. She was also awarded the title Impact Entrepreneur of the Year in Germany in 2023. 

Gülsah Wilke shares her unique journey in the tech & startup industry as an immigrant's granddaughter with Turkish roots. She has a simple but impactful mission: to build tomorrow's tech society with cultural diversity. To this end, she co-founded Europe’s largest platform in the tech space for talent with a migration background. 

2hearts is a success story of community building. Grown solely based on reputation and word of mouth, they have yet to spend a single euro on marketing. On this week's episode, Gülsah shares how the team at 2hearts grows and expands the community, and what we can learn from it about connecting, communities, and the future of tech. 

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https://www.eoipsocommunications.com/newsletter/

As a CEO, you want to own your message. Thanks to technology and social media, this has never been easier. 

This is according to Oliver Kaltner, the former CEO of Leica, the iconic camera brand, and current CEO of Cherry - a leading manufacturer of computer equipment. Both are listed companies at the forefront of technology and engineering.  

His mantra is that business is not about talking, but about doing - so how does that fit in with communications? Leading in a hybrid work environment is all about over-communicating and making sure everyone is onboard with the messaging. 

Only when your people are with you, can you get sh** done. In this week's podcast episode he talks about the importance of being relevant, transparent, and not overpromising. 

Subscribe to the Message Machine newsletter and become an unstoppable founder yourself. 

https://www.eoipsocommunications.com/newsletter/

Erik Podzuweit is a former German Rugby Champion, and co-founder and co-CEO of Scalable Capital - one of Europe’s leading FinTechs. In this week's podcast episode he talks about how he leads and communicates with his gut! 

Developing and trusting your gut feeling takes dedication and tenacity, but in turn you will have a team and clients who trusts you and a thriving business. 

His approach is always keeping it simple and straightforward, and that honesty pays off in the long run. Check out my conversation with Erik to find out how he leads a fast-growing unicorn, and how he turned it into a European finance powerhouse over the last decade.  

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Subscribe to the Message Machine newsletter and become an unstoppable founder yourself. 

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