GK Training

"Don't Say Um" is officially a national USA TODAY Best Seller! Head to DontSayUm.com for a free chapter and to snag your copy.

?? What do brushing your teeth and public speaking have in common? Both can become habits—often invisible, automatic, and sometimes… unhelpful. This article gets to the heart of how GK approaches comms training: Just like reaching for the shampoo without thinking, our communication patterns are really unconscious physical habits—filling silence with “um”, over-explaining, or relying on jargon. Why is it hard to change? These habits often run on autopilot, independent of our goals. You might want to sound clear and confident in a meeting but still fall into familiar patterns because of ingrained behaviors. The article highlights that habits aren’t easily shifted by desire alone—they need intentional rewiring. And the same holds true for communication: ? Spot the habit (Do I ramble when I’m nervous?) ? Understand the trigger (High-stakes situations?) ? MAKE IT PHYSICAL (Build muscle memory around the desired behavior) ?? Curious: What’s one communication habit you’ve noticed in yourself—or in others—that you’d like to improve? Let’s talk about it ?? #CommunicationSkills #Habits #ProfessionalDevelopment #PublicSpeaking

?? Want to Instantly Make Your Stories More Engaging? Try This. We all know storytelling is powerful in business. But how do you actually tell a good story—one that grabs attention and sticks? In this video, GK Executive Coach Chiara Motely walks through a simple transformation: bad → better → best storytelling. The key? Adding just a bit of structure and sensory detail can completely change how the message lands. TL;DW? She start with a basic, forgettable explanation of remote vs. in-person presentations. Then, she shows how adding a simple personal story makes it stronger. Finally, she brings in vivid details—the empty bar, the greenhouse atrium, the strange sight of someone at the pool in the freezing cold—to make the story come alive. The difference? Now the audience feels something. And when people feel, they remember. Watch the video and try this for yourself: ? Take a professional story you tell often. ? Add one vivid sensory detail—what you saw, heard, or physically felt. ? See how much more engaging it becomes. Give it a shot and let us know—what’s one detail that’s made a story of yours more impactful? ?? #Storytelling #Communication #Leadership #PublicSpeaking

?? Why “Slow Down” is Terrible Advice for Speakers, including Presidential Candidates When Andrew Yang took the stage for his first Democratic debate in 2019, he spoke at 7.2 words per second—fast enough that even the most engaged voters struggled to follow. The debate didn’t go well. So his campaign turned to GK’s founder, Michael Chad Hoeppner, for coaching. Here’s what we didn’t do: ? Tell him to “slow down.” Why? Because that advice forces speakers to focus on themselves (not their audience) and the thing they struggle with (which only makes it worse). Instead, we broke speech rate down into something tangible and trainable: ? Timing within words (ex: “withinnnnnnnn wordzzzzzzzzzzzzz”) ? Pauses between thoughts ? Articulation and enunciation (ex: “arTiCuLatioN and ENuNciatioN”) ? The impact of speed on audience perception and comprehension Most importantly, we used kinesthetic learning tools—because speaking isn’t just mental, it’s physical. Embodied cognition helps speakers internalize change in a way that sticks. The result? ?? A dramatic improvement in Yang’s communication. ?? A shift from a tough debate performance to the best fundraising week of his campaign. When high-stakes communication is on the line, small shifts make a big impact. Watch the before-and-after in the video below. And tell us—what’s one piece of communication advice that didn’t work for you? ?? #PublicSpeaking #Leadership #Communication #PerformanceUnderPressure

"Don't Say Um" is the #1 Best Selling nonfiction book for January at Porchlight Book Company! What excitement, what an honor! Grab your copy below. And head to DontSayUm.com for more info on what you'll find inside. https://lnkd.in/eC8uzTtV

"Vocal Fry:" what is it telling us, as listeners, and what's actually happening to produce it? Michael Chad Hoeppner chats with Bob at Undercurrent Stories Podcast about the source and message of vocal fry, and a lot more more. Check out the episode here:

Bummed you missed Michael Chad Hoeppner on Good Morning America yesterday? Never fear! Check out the full clip below. While you're at it, try out some of the exercises featured, and grab your copy of "Don't Say Um" today, at DontSayUm.com. https://lnkd.in/ep_X_Xbe

We're excited to share that Michael Chad Hoeppner will be on Good Morning America tomorrow (Wednesday, 1/29) talking about "Don't Say Um!" Tune in to find out why he's got Eva Pilgrim walking on a balance beam, and what that has to do with speaking.

West coasters - a reminder of Michael Chad Hoeppner's upcoming book signing event in San Fran at Book Passage Bookstore & Cafe: 5:30pm CT. Head to the Eventbrite link below for more details: https://lnkd.in/ek4Xfg5y

Hey San Fran folks - Michael Chad Hoeppner will be at Book Passage Bookstore & Cafe this Wednesday, 1/29th at 5:30 PT to talk about all things "Don't Say Um" and sign your books. Book Passage is such a cool spot and totally worth checking out, so come say hi! https://lnkd.in/eWXAarT5