Michael Chad Hoeppner is the founder of GK Training and the author of Don’t Say Um, a national bestseller featured on Good Morning America and recommended by linguist John McWhorter in The New York Times. His book has been translated into eight languages and his methods have helped over 40,000 professionals improve how they speak, lead, and show up.

Michael has coached three U.S. presidential candidates, leaders at Fortune 500 companies, and professionals at 45 of the AM Law 100 firms. He has taught at Columbia Business School and works with high performers across law, finance, government, academia, and tech.

His approach treats communication like a physical skill — something you can build through practice, not personality. Using a set of proprietary drills, he helps people replace habits like filler words, poor posture, or vague delivery with clearer, stronger communication.

If you want to lead a room, land a message, or just stop rambling in meetings, this is where to start.