Speaking is a Sport: Train with Us.
SPEAKING IS A SPORT
Michael Chad Hoeppner is a national bestselling author, keynote speaker, and leading expert in effective communication and public speaking.
For over 25 years Michael has been developing and refining his exclusive method of teaching communication and public speaking.
As the founder of GK Training, Michael pioneered an innovative approach to communication training that relies on physical exercises to transform the experience of public speaking.
He's coached presidential candidates, prominent CEOs, and Ivy League deans to strengthen their communication skills, executive presence, and confidence.
"Want to be a better communicator & presenter, Michael @gktraining is the best we've found.”
Charlie Kim, NextJump CEO and Founder
Real Results: From Rushed to Commanding
How a Presidential Candidate Transformed His Presence On Stage
Before Coaching: Fast Talker, Missed Impact
In his first presidential debate, Andrew Yang spoke at over 7 words per second — the fastest of any candidate. The result? His message got lost. He struggled to connect, couldn’t land key ideas, and had the lowest speaking time on stage.
After Coaching: Presence, Clarity, Confidence
Just a few weeks of GK coaching transformed his delivery. He slowed down, added strategic pauses, and spoke with confidence — leading to his campaign’s highest fundraising night to date.
Meet Michael Chad Hoeppner
25+ years coaching leaders in public speaking, executive communication, and executive presence with clarity, confidence, and influence.
“One of the great blessings of my life is that I get to watch people, practically every day, discover that the lifelong habit they thought doomed them to repeat the past forever can be changed, and changed far faster than they think.”
speaking
Michael has worked with some of the world’s most influential companies and leaders across a wide range of industries, universities, and professional sectors.
He has spoken at events and organizations around the world about the power of kinesthetic learning, embodied cognition, and effective communication.
From recent talks like “Public Speaking with AI, and the New Dominance of Delivery” at the Hudson Ideas Festival to “How to Sound Like a Pro” for the WISE/R Symposium sponsored by the NFL, Michael applies his expertise to illuminate how effective communication affects every aspect of our lives.
Founder of GK Training
Coach to three U.S. Presidential Candidates
Creator of GK’s proprietary kinesthetic communication method
Featured on Good Morning America, The Economist, McKinsey’s Author Talks, and podcasts with over 6 million listeners.
Michael Chad Hoeppner
Michael Chad Hoeppner is the Founder of GK Training, a communication training firm dedicated to helping individuals, companies, and organizations develop the communication skills they need to reach their highest goals in work and life.
For more than 25 years, Michael has worked with influential companies and leaders across industries, universities, and professional sectors. His corporate clients include three of the top eight financial firms in the world, 45 of the AmLaw 100, and multinational technology, pharmaceutical, food, and beverage companies. He also teaches his unique approach to communication and leadership communication at Columbia Business School in both the MBA and PhD program
Communication Coaching and Executive Communication
Michael helps clients improve virtually every aspect of professional communication, including public speaking, business development, executive presence, interpersonal agility, Q&A, speech writing, email communication, presentation skills, and more.
His individual coaching clients include professionals at the highest levels of their industries, including U.S. Presidential candidates, deans of Ivy League business schools, managing partners of some of the world’s largest law firms, founders of asset management firms with more than $100 billion under management, field officers of international peacekeeping organizations, and visionary leaders across a range of fields.
His clients have included the innovator who coined the term “cloud computing,” the most successful venture capitalist in the United States for a consecutive five-year period, and senior board members of the Special Olympics.
Michael has also advised U.S. Democratic presidential candidates in the 2016 and 2020 races, including serving as senior communications strategist and debate coach for the Andrew Yang 2020 Presidential campaign. He also works with political aspirants at the beginning of their careers, including pro bono work for Vote Mama, an organization supporting mothers with young children seeking their first public office.
A Diverse Background in Communication, Performance, and Teaching
Michael’s background in communication, training, and teaching spans linguistics, theatre, speech, rhetoric, philosophy, and communications at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
His professional communications career began more than two decades ago with a Master of Fine Arts degree from NYU’s graduate acting program, where he studied with many of the country’s leading vocal and performance teachers.
Following NYU, Michael developed a prolific career as a professional actor. He performed on Broadway twice, including alongside stage legends such as Nathan Lane; toured more than 30 U.S. states; performed internationally, including at the 2009 European Capital of Culture; guest-starred on prime-time network television; and originated roles in independent film.
This experience in performance, voice, movement, and stagecraft became an important foundation for his approach to communication coaching and public speaking.
Founder of GK Training
Michael’s passion for communication eventually evolved into launching GK Training, his first and still primary entrepreneurial venture.
As the head of GK Training, Michael spent more than a decade developing and refining a unique, proprietary approach to communication training that uses kinesthetic learning to create rapid and lasting behavioral change.
His methodology includes more than 40 proprietary kinesthetic drills designed to address persistent communication challenges such as excessive filler language, limited eye contact, poor posture, speaking too quickly, and other barriers to effective communication.
By combining physical exercises with communication coaching, Michael uses embodied cognition to help clients change communication behaviors in practical and lasting ways.
Today, GK Training serves clients across 43 industries and five continents.
Communication Training at Columbia University
Michael’s academic work at Columbia University spans multiple disciplines. In addition to teaching communication in the MBA and PhD programs at Columbia Business School, he designed the curriculum for the PhD program’s capstone communication course focused on entering the job market.
He has also designed Executive Presence programs for Columbia Law School. One of the GK online courses he created is integrated into the Advanced Management Program summer curriculum, while his proprietary kinesthetic learning drills are featured in communication courses within the Management Division.
Michael has also coached more than 15 members of the business school faculty. Earlier in his career, one of his first jobs after college was copy editing for the Columbia National Arts Journalism program, providing an early foundation in professional written communication.
Communication Technology and Online Training
Michael is the primary architect and visionary behind GK Training’s digital learning tools, including its online training academy, which features more than 40 hours of asynchronous communication courses; Question Roulette, an interactive practice app for iOS and Android; and Genuine Dojo, a virtual reality communication training tool.
He is currently working on a book that distills his communication coaching approach and methods for a broad global audience. He is also developing a second version of the Question Roulette app designed to help teach social fluency to autistic and neurologically atypical teens and tweens.
Written Communication and Speechwriting
While Michael is best known for his work in spoken communication, his professional writing experience is equally diverse.
His written communication work has included stump speeches and debate openers for Presidential candidates, op-eds for celebrities and public figures published in outlets including The Washington Post and TIME, plenary sessions for NGO conferences, investor pitch decks for startups, and editorial work for more than 25 New York City-based publications.
This combination of speechwriting, editing, public speaking, performance, and executive communication allows Michael to help clients develop both what they say and how they deliver it.
Communication, Sustainability, and Social Impact
Beyond his role as founder and head of GK Training, Michael dedicates time to mission-driven organizations focused on sustainability and non-partisan approaches to addressing environmental challenges.
His work has included organizations and initiatives such as WWF, the Trust for Public Land, and climate-focused accelerators including SOSV’s IndieBio and NYU Urban Future Lab.
Thought Leadership in Communication and Wellness
As a thought leader in communication, Michael explores the connection between the physical aspects of spoken communication and broader questions of health and wellness. His work examines how movement, posture, voice, physical behavior, and embodied cognition can influence the way people communicate, lead, and connect with others.
Education
Michael attended Dartmouth College and Colorado College, graduating cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in History and Philosophy.
He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University’s graduate acting program.
Today, his combined background in performance, communication, executive coaching, teaching, and kinesthetic learning informs his distinctive approach to public speaking and professional communication.
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