Fifteen seconds can shape a career: talk show snippets land on TikTok feeds and videos reach audiences directly via Instagram. At the same time, leading media outlets remain the stage for strategic messaging and personality. Volker Siegert, a media coach with 15 years of experience and newly certified by the German Association for Media Training (BMTD e.V.), guides executives through this dual landscape. In conversation, he explains what CEOs can learn from Tim Höttges and Bill Anderson, why teleprompters are often overrated – and why clarity, confidence, and courage define impact today.
HimmelsSchreiber: You’ve been a media coach for 15 years. How has the media landscape changed during that time, and what new challenges has that created for your work with executives?
Volker Siegert: Mainstream media – whether online, TV, or print – remain the place where strategies are communicated and crises are negotiated. What’s new is that even top executives must now operate on social media. Both worlds demand confidence, clarity, and precision. But social media requires even greater brevity and an appearance that feels both casual and authentic. And these two media spheres aren’t separate anymore – they overlap, for example, when 15-second talk show clips spread across social platforms.
Top executives like Tim Höttges (Telekom) and Bill Anderson (Bayer) are leading the way: they speak directly to younger audiences in short video statements. What can we learn from their communication style?
Tim Höttges was already a strong communicator in the traditional media world because he can explain complex issues simply and comes across as approachable. That makes it easier for him to adapt to younger platforms like TikTok. Bill Anderson combines clear, direct, and concrete language with personal storytelling – he’s someone people genuinely enjoy listening to, and that builds trust. Above all, both have the courage to experiment and to let go of the classic “CEO gravitas.”
Interesting: Podcasts, meanwhile, have evolved from a niche format to a mass phenomenon. According to the Digital News Report 2025 from the Reuters Institute and the current ARD/ZDF Media Study 2025, the medium continues to grow in popularity. It’s no longer a purely auditory experience – more podcasts are also released as video, often on YouTube. As a result, nonverbal communication is once again gaining importance.
When leaders see themselves on video for the first time, what typical “aha” moments occur, and what do they learn about their own presence?
The first reaction is often discomfort: we know ourselves only from the mirror and hear our voice through our own body’s resonance, so we look and sound different on video. The second realization is the power of brevity – you can almost always say something more concisely without losing meaning. And third: embracing emotion is the best antidote to dull statements and interview answers.
Are there recurring mistakes you often see in executives’ media appearances – whether on camera or in podcasts?
Lack of preparation! Clarify in advance: what topics does the medium cover, what tone does it use and who is the audience? You have to align your language and storytelling accordingly. During the interview itself, it’s essential to deliver your key messages – not easy, since interviewers have their own agendas. The art lies in being a fair conversational partner while still setting your own accents – and most importantly, not boring the audience.
What role does the teleprompter still play today?
Unfortunately, a much too big one! The only people who truly use it well are professional presenters. Believing you’ll sound natural as a non-professional reading from a teleprompter is an illusion. Most speeches or statements read that way sound read. My advice: speak freely whenever possible, ideally with cue cards for support. Even if there’s an “uhm” or a slip of the tongue, it will sound a thousand times fresher than a sterile, read-out text. Of course, there are exceptions – for instance, when legal precision is required – but in those cases, it doesn’t matter whether you read from paper or a teleprompter.
The CEO used to be seen as the face of the company. Why are other leadership levels now coming to the forefront?
Communication channels have become more diverse and the more human variety a company shows, the more relatable it becomes. Younger audiences connect more with peers than with someone from their parents’ generation. Media constantly seek new faces. Expert audiences expect a depth of content that only specialists can offer. Many second- or third-tier executives already have large followings on social media – companies should leverage that reach. And the growing use of videos and podcasts in internal communications ideally makes the diversity of an organization visible – not just the same people over and over.
Media training often has effects that extend far beyond the sessions themselves. What’s one tip you can share to help people communicate more clearly, concisely, and persuasively – for example, in meetings?
Be clear beforehand about what you want to say. What should your colleagues take away from today’s meeting? And once the meeting starts: listen actively and respond – don’t just broadcast.
