About Chuck Wisner
Leadership Advisor | Speaker | Author of The Art of Conscious Conversations
Career Highlights
Author of The Art of Conscious Conversations, an award-winning communication and leadership book
Trained in mediation through the Harvard Law School; senior mediator with the Harvard Mediation Program
Former partner at HKT Architects (15 years), navigating leadership in complex systems
Graduate of the Newfield Institute (Ontology of Language & Professional Coaching)
Affiliate of MIT’s Center for Organizational Learning
Regular keynote speaker on leadership, trust, and communication
IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Medal Award recipient (Business category)
Chuck Wisner is a leadership advisor, executive coach, and speaker devoted to transforming the way leaders communicate—from unconscious reaction to conscious connection.
With a career that spans architecture, mediation, systems thinking, and the ontology of language, Chuck brings over 30 years of multidisciplinary insight into the one element that shapes every moment of leadership: conversation.
As the creator of Open Hand Communication, Chuck helps leaders shift from defensiveness to curiosity, from control to awareness, and from silence to trust. His work invites high-level leaders to slow down, reflect, and examine the unspoken weight of their words—so they can create cultures where people speak honestly, listen openly, and collaborate generatively. Through deeply researched frameworks and practical models like “Catch, Check, Change” and the “Spiral of Fear and Love,” Chuck offers more than insight—he builds a new language for leadership.
Chuck’s story began in architecture, where the high-stakes demands of design, decision-making, and human dynamics sparked a fascination with how people navigate complexity together. This journey led him to Harvard Law School for mediation training, to MIT’s Center for Organizational Learning, and to the Newfield Institute, where he became steeped in the ontology of language. Over the decades, he has become a trusted advisor to executive teams at companies like Google, Apple, Tesla, and DTE Energy—guiding leaders to align how they speak with how they lead.
He is the author of the award-winning book The Art of Conscious Conversations: Transforming How We Talk, Listen, and Interact, now considered a foundational resource for leaders seeking to build trust, enhance decision-making, and engage teams in meaningful dialogue.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
— Victor Frankl
Testimonials
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Chuck taught me so many lessons over the years, and the true test of his effectiveness is that I still hear his voice in that millisecond before reacting to something. Through my work with him, I came to realize that so much of our interaction with others is determined by stories we unconsciously tell ourselves, or that others have of us. Chuck has a unique ability to identify those narratives, diagram them, and help develop methods for more mindful behavior. He’s had a profound impact on my success as a leader. Even my wife agrees!”
“Chuck was brought into Daimler-Chrysler to design and facilitate organizational learning programs. [He] made us demonstrably more effective as individuals and as a group. I then worked with him as a personal coach every other week for a period of about two years. He is particularly skilled in interpersonal relationships and in facilitating the shift that happens when you recognize you can’t control somebody else, you can only effect your own behavior. That shift is high leverage. He is also a person of high integrity, and he is rare in his sincere desire to help people become more effective. I highly recommend him.” ”
“Chuck and I have been working together for almost ten years, which has had a substantial impact on my leadership as well as my personal development. His models of communication and leadership are things I still share with my teams. Chuck has helped me go way beyond words and actions, and deep into my thinking patterns and unconscious judgments and “stories”. This journey has not only made me a better leader, but a better person.”
“I have had the privilege of working with Chuck for over 20 years, first at Chrysler Corporation and now at DTE Energy. I have worked with many executive coaches and Chuck’s approach and skills are unique and effective. Coaches make a difference when their clients trust them and have confidence in their knowledge and skills. Chuck is in high demand at DTE Energy because of what he brings to the table and his clients know he helps them create the change they want in their personal and professional life by focusing on themselves. There are a lot of people who are more effective at what they do and more fulfilled because of Chuck.”