SPEAK LIKE A CEO

SPEAK LIKE A CEO

Speak Like a CEO is the podcast for ambitious leaders who want to become top 1% communicators - and scale themselves and their businesses by mastering the ultimate leadership skill: communication. Hosted by Oliver Aust - one of the world’s leading voices on leadership communication, bestselling author of Unignorable and Message Machine, and trusted advisor to Fortune 500 leaders, unicorn founders, and government leaders - this show pulls back the curtain on how the world’s most effective communicators think, speak, and lead.

Episodes

June 3, 2026 24 mins
Leadership isn't management. Management tells people what to do; leadership gets them to want to follow. Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, says the difference is a great story. In this episode, he shares the one thing every leader has to sell, how to fight the negativity bias that pulls most leaders under, and why the biggest goals are often the easiest to reach. You'll walk away with a new definition...
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The science of persuasion has nothing to do with logic. Most people try to "win" with better arguments — and Joshua Bandoch, author of How to Get What You Want, says that's exactly why they fail. In this episode, he shares a three-step framework for moving people to action. He breaks down how to find the real barrier blocking any "yes," craft a story that persuades your audience, and the surprisingly simple test that tells you i...
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If your presentation goes well, your audience will forget 90% of what you said. So, the question is: what's the 1% you want them to remember? Andrea Pacini, author of Timeless Presenter, joins Oliver to ensure you become a confident presenter whose message isn’t forgotten by tomorrow.  They unpack why you don't want to start with an agenda or title slide, how to find your 1%, how to work with the brain not against it like mos...
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What if the way you've been going after bigger opportunities is exactly what's making them harder to land? There are two approaches most leaders take, and they both leave opportunities on the table. Mo Bunnell, one of the world’s leading experts on business development and author of Give to Grow, teaches a third strategy that actually wins the work with less effort. This episode breaks down the difference between doing the wo...
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You’ve been trained to stay on message. The problem? “On message” is forgettable. Bill McGowan, author of Speak, Memorably and founder of Clarity Media Group, has spent 25 years coaching executives on how to be memorable, even working with clients like Kim Kardashian and Cookie Monster. In this episode, he breaks down the difference between speakers people remember and speakers people tune out. From how to open your presentat...
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April 30, 2026 42 mins
Most leaders think their idea will win on merit. It won't. Even NASA could not get funding for a $100 million mission to measure air pollution from space. Not because of the science, but because not enough people believed in it. In this episode, NASA's former Chief Story Architect Paul Propster shares the persuasive framework NASA now uses to win funding for their missions. You'll learn the four-point structure they use to pl...
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Every platform eventually turns on the brands that built on it. The leaders winning now aren't begging algorithms for reach – they're owning their audience directly. Tyler Denk is doing exactly that. As CEO of beehiiv, he's built a $500K newsletter in five hours a week while running a $30M business with 110 employees across 15 countries. Before that, he was employee number two at famed newsletter Morning Brew, which sold for $75...
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Most leaders avoid AI entirely or let it do all their work. Both are destroying their credibility. In this episode, Oliver sits down with Allison Shapira, Harvard lecturer and author of AI for the Authentic Leader, to discuss why AI is actually making so many leaders worse communicators and leaders. She shares her frameworks and insights on how to write with AI without losing your voice, let it help with your biggest problems, and...
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Meetings, emails, conversations – the reason they all break down is the same: we get the first minute wrong. Chris Fenning, author of The First Minute, literally wrote the book on how to get that first minute right. His frameworks are simple, but they fix the problems most leaders deal with every single day. In this episode, you'll learn how to lead better meetings, write emails that actually get answered, and communicate your ...
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Boards are now asking one question about every CEO candidate: are they coachable? Scott Osman and Jacquelyn Lane, leaders of 100 Coaches, pull back the curtain on how elite coaching actually works: what makes someone coachable, what questions to ask, why coaching (almost) always justifies the price tag, and how long it takes to see results. In this episode, they share why the best leaders are coachable and how you can build that ...
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Get the Presentation Planner: https://eo-ipso-comms.kit.com/presentation-planner Most leaders spend hours preparing presentations that get mediocre results. They stare at PowerPoint, fill slides with bullet points, and still struggle to connect with their audience. This comprehensive course reveals the exact system Oliver uses with CEOs and founders to cut preparation time in half while doubling impact. You'll learn the three-ste...
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Here's a hard truth: the people you think are idiots think the exact same thing about you. In this episode, Thomas Erikson, bestselling author of Surrounded by Idiots, helps us answer the question: are we really surrounded by idiots or are we simply failing to communicate? He breaks down the four personality types that shape how every person around you behaves and explains exactly how each one thinks, communicates, and needs to be...
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Beliefs can limit us – or liberate us. And most of us are still carrying a few that stop us short of reaching our goals.  Our guest Nir Eyal helps us identify and overcome the limiting beliefs that hold us back. Nir is the bestselling author of Hooked and Indistractable. He spent the last six years researching the science of motivation for his brand new book Beyond Belief  – and what he found explains why even highly motivated le...
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The communication “rules” most workplaces follow weren’t built for every brain. In this episode, Andy J. Pizza explores how ADHD and other forms of neurodivergence shape the way people think, speak and lead. You’ll hear why entrepreneurship attracts so many neurodivergent thinkers, how to turn these traits into a storytelling advantage, and what leaders can do to support neurodivergent teams so everyone can do their best work. An...
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30 seconds. That’s all you have to win the room – or lose your audience. Oliver Aust is joined by Nancy Duarte. Calling Nancy a guru wouldn’t do her justice. As a persuasion expert, she cracked the code for effectively incorporating story patterns into business communications. She has written six bestselling books including Resonate and DataStory, and has advised some of the highest-performing brands and executives in the world f...
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Same sentence. Different gestures. Totally different message. Your body and the subconscious signals it sends decide whether people find you credible – and it happens in just 10 seconds. In this episode, Mark Bowden, ranked the World’s #1 Communication Keynote Speaker and Body Language Professional, explains the body language rules that shape how the world sees you. You'll learn how to use your hands to build trust, the signals t...
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Micromanager or “easy” boss. Most leaders I meet feel stuck in the middle – they are trying not to be controlling, but also don’t want to be that nice boss people don’t respect.   As a result, team communication feels messy and exhausting. Ashley Herd, author of The Manager Method and a former HR boss at McKinsey and Yum Brands, says the solution is cozy joggers leadership – where leaders set clear expectations, provide support, b...
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When you’re a leader, your words don’t stop with the room. Compliment someone in a meeting? Their partner hears about it that night. Express concern about a deadline? It travels through the team as “we’re in trouble.” Get visibly angry? People are still talking about it weeks later. Adam Galinsky calls this the Leader Amplification Effect, and it helps explain why some leaders inspire while others infuriate — often without realizi...
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Download your copy of the 21 Storytelling Frameworks (https://eo-ipso-comms.kit.com/21-storytelling-frameworks-with-oliver) guide: https://eo-ipso-comms.kit.com/21-storytelling-frameworks-with-oliver AI isn't going to run your company – but not for the reason you think. Business thrives on innovation and adaptability, which requires more than logic. That's where storytelling comes in. Angus Fletcher, Professor of Story Science ...
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January 22, 2026 13 mins
Download your copy of the 21 Storytelling Frameworks guide:https://eo-ipso-comms.kit.com/21-storytelling-frameworks-with-oliverHave you ever been told to "fake it till you make it" or “just be yourself"? It's no surprise this common advice doesn't work – it focuses on acting confident instead of becoming confident.This episode breaks down Oliver’s three-step method that helps you build true confidence so you’re not overthinking or ...
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