In this conversation, Andy talks with Michael Chad Hoeppner to discuss his new book Don’t Say Um: How to Communicate Effectively to Live a Better Life. The book is packed with practical drills and insights to improve communication skills. Andy and Michael explore common misconceptions about public speaking, the importance of delivery over content, and practical exercises to enhance communication skills to help you become more confident and effective communicators at work and home.

Michael emphasizes that everyone is a public speaker in their daily lives and that good communication is fundamentally about being other-focused.

Want to speak in a way that people actually listen? This episode is for you!

Sound Bites

  • “You do make a living by speaking.”
  • “There’s no such thing as public speaking—there’s just speaking.”
  • “If you ever get advice that features the words ‘don’t’ and ‘just’ in a single sentence, you should probably run away from it.”
  • “Filler words aren’t the problem. They’re a symptom.”
  • “AI is about to give us perfect content. The real skill? Delivering it well.”
  • “If every time you speak, you’re trying to sound smart, you’re going to sound dumb.”
  • “Every time you say ‘um,’ your brain is asking for time. Give it the time—without the ‘um’.”
  • “If you can tolerate silence, you’ll always sound smarter.”
  • “The first rule of better posture? Stop thinking about posture.”
  • “If you’re not getting better at speaking, you’re limiting your career without even realizing it.”

Chapters

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 02:16 Start Of Interview
  • 03:52 Why Are We All Professional Speakers?
  • 07:34 What Is Some of the Worst Speaking Advice?
  • 11:09 What is Good Communication?
  • 14:29 Why is Delivery More Important Than Content?
  • 20:40 The GK Lego Drill
  • 26:52 About Filler Words Like Um
  • 31:32 What You Need to Know About Posture
  • 39:19 Advice for Parents
  • 44:08 End Of Interview
  • 44:39 Andy Comments After The Interview
  • 47:50 Outtakes

Learn More

You can learn more about Michael and his work at GKTraining.com/Michael-Chad-Hoeppner.

For more learning on this topic, check out:

  • Episode 378 with Bill McGowan about his book Pitch Perfect.
  • Episode 98 with communications expert Nancy Duarte.
  • Episode 349 with Tina Kuhn about her book on communication scenarios.

Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Topics: Public Speaking, Communication Skills, Speaking Tips, Leadership, Filler Words, Posture, Parenting, Storytelling, Project Management

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: The Fantastical Ferret by Tim Kulig
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Synthiemania by Frank Schroeter
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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