565: Founder and CEO of GK Training on Communicating Effectively to Live a Better Life

565: Founder and CEO of GK Training on Communicating Effectively to Live a Better Life

Michael Chad Hoeppner, CEO of GK Training and adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, brings a deeply practical lens to one of the most undervalued professional skills: spoken communication. With roots in professional acting and over two decades coaching executives, Hoeppner challenges conventional wisdom, arguing that most communication advice is either vague (“slow down”) or abstract (“just be confident”), and fails to address the real issue: communication is physical.

In this episode, he shares specific, kinesthetic methods that help clients speak more clearly under pressure. From using Lego blocks to build well-structured thoughts, to timing answers with a wiffle ball in political debate prep, Hoeppner demonstrates that improving communication is not about talent, it’s about training behavior.

“Speaking is movement. We put air into action—that’s what talking is. And you can learn to do it a lot, lot better.”

Key Insights:
  1. Delivery is Undervalued, but Often Drives Perception
    “Most coaching hyper-focuses on content and completely neglects delivery,” Hoeppner explains. Yet “delivery really, really determines much of the impression your audience makes about you.”
  2. Rambling, Fillers, and Anxiety Are Physical, Not Mental, Problems
    He critiques typical advice like “don’t say um” as “thought suppression” and instead teaches clients to physically anchor themselves. One client stopped chronic blushing mid-session by simply learning to ground her feet.
  3. Tools Like Lego Blocks Make Structure Tangible
    “Pick up a Lego block, say your first idea, and put it down in silence. That pause gives your brain time to think,” Hoeppner shares. These physical anchors help clients avoid word salad and clarify complex thinking.
  4. Founders with Growth Mindsets Improve Fast
    “They’re not held back by ego. They care deeply, they want to improve now, and that means they practice,” he says. In contrast, those with fixed mindsets (“I’m just a bad speaker”) often plateau.
  5. AI Will Make Delivery the Strategic Differentiator
    As language models democratize content, he argues, “delivery, how you say it, will matter more than ever.”

The episode closes with a powerful call to reframe communication not as a soft skill, but a trainable, high-leverage behavior, one that can transform not just boardrooms and keynotes, but daily leadership and presence.

Get Michael’s new book here: https://dontsayum.com/

Learn more about Michael here: https://gktraining.com/michael-chad-hoeppner/

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

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97: The most important output in a consulting study | Management consulting project  | Benefits case

97: The most important output in a consulting study | Management consulting project  | Benefits case

An episode 96 of Strategy Skills iTunes podcast is here (Strategy Skills podcast is ranked among 5-10 top for careers in many countries worldwide).  One thing you always need to present in all of your management consulting projects is a business case. If you are not presenting a business case to a client, or a benefits case, I prefer the word benefits because it makes it clear you are looking for a benefit for a client, if you are not presenting a benefits case to a client you are making it very difficult for the client to make the decision to implement what you are saying in your recommendation as part of your management consulting project. www.FIRMSconsulting.com - optin for email updates to receive access to some episodes from our advanced #strategy programs.

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96: "Are you undervaluing your customers?" with Bain & Company's Rob Markey

96: "Are you undervaluing your customers?" with Bain & Company's Rob Markey

Listen to this thought-provoking discussion between Michael and Rob Markey, Bain and Company's partner.  Rob Markey, a partner and director at Bain & Company and the founder of the firm’s Global Customer Strategy and Marketing practice. He is a co-author of The Ultimate Question 2.0 and is the host of the Net Promoter System podcast. He is based in New York. https://www.firmsconsulting.com/

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95: Value chain mapping | When value chain analysis are useful | Strategic management

95: Value chain mapping | When value chain analysis are useful | Strategic management

We have seen many value chain mapping examples. We have seen good value chain mapping, bad value chain mapping, incomplete value chain mapping. Ultimately, given the nature how value chain mapping will work, it can only do few things and it cannot do a few things. So if value chain mapping is presented to do things it cannot do it is flawed. When you do value chain analysis it is far more useful to see where profits are going to shift over time, that is one thing you have to do. Two, assign some probabilities of what are the odds of this happening. And 3, what influences those probabilities. You are analyzing the entire sector, the entire industry. A lot of things influencing a sector. Consumer spending can change with the recession. Recession can change things. Different legislation could cause profits move from point x to point y. Competitor making a misstep could cause it, new competitor entering, competitor going bankrupt. So whenever someone says I am so certain this will happen you should question their business judgement because you cannot predict the future. #valuechainmapping #valuechainanalysis #valuechainanalysisexplained https://www.firmsconsulting.com/

7 Jan 20209min

94: Design the value chain you need | Value chain analysis | Management consulting

94: Design the value chain you need | Value chain analysis | Management consulting

An episode 94 of Strategy Skills iTunes podcast is here (Strategy Skills podcast is ranked among 5-10 top for careers in many countries worldwide).  www.FIRMSconsulting.com - optin for email updates to receive access to some episodes from our advanced #strategy programs.

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93: How to Manage Like Amazon (with CEO Advisor Ram Charan)

93: How to Manage Like Amazon (with CEO Advisor Ram Charan)

Every business wants to succeed like Amazon so we invited New York Times bestselling author & CEO Advisor Ram Charan to talk about How to Manage Like Amazon. From their high-velocity decision-making to their top talent hiring practices to their “Forever Day-1 Culture”, the insider secrets behind Amazon’s success are now within anyone’s grasp. Find out how Amazon does it and how you can too by listening to this fascinating conversation between Michael and Ram, whom Fortune calls “The most influential consultant alive” and whose book  Execution spent 150 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Ram's new book The Amazon Management System can be purchased here https://amzn.to/2RGGLy6 https://www.firmsconsulting.com

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92: Senior partner at McKinsey & a global leader of their Organization Practice

92: Senior partner at McKinsey & a global leader of their Organization Practice

Meet Bill Schaninger, Senior Partner at McKinsey and a global leader of their Organization Practice (based in Philadelphia). Bill focuses on driving large-scale organizational and cultural change for clients across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. An expert on the role of culture, values, talent and leadership in improving business outcomes, he helps executives enhance management effectiveness. Bill has published extensively in practitioner and academic journals, on organizational topics. FIRMSconsulting.com - optin for email updates to receive access to selected episodes from our advanced training programs.

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91: How do I know what is corporate strategy

91: How do I know what is corporate strategy

An episode 91 of Strategy Skills iTunes podcast is here (Strategy Skills podcast is ranked among 5-10 top for careers in many countries worldwide).  www.FIRMSconsulting.com - optin for email updates to receive access to some episodes from our advanced #strategicmanagement programs.

24 Sep 20195min

90: What makes corporate strategy different

90: What makes corporate strategy different

You can find more training resources here: Get free access to selected episodes when you sign up for email updates: https://www.firmsconsulting.com Get Access to Firmsconsulting Training by Becoming a Member Here: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/subscription-options/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firmsconsulting/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Firmsconsulting/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/firmsconsulting Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/firmsconsulting

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