John Stoker
"I Believe...
most leaders know what needs to be said—but fear, discomfort, or uncertainty keeps them silent. That silence comes at a cost: poor performance, disengaged employees, and stalled productivity.
I help leaders find their voice and build the skills to hold the conversations they’re avoiding—so they can lead with clarity, courage, and connection.
After experiencing firsthand, the damage caused by a combative and emotionally abusive leader early in my career, I made it my mission to change the way people lead and communicate.
Over the past two decades, I’ve taught thousands of leaders how to handle the tough interpersonal challenges that come with leadership—offering practical tools that create respect, foster collaboration, increase emotional intelligence, and drive bottom-line results."
ABOUT JOHN
John Stoker is the Founder and CEO of DialogueWORKS, LC, and a recognized expert in communication and emotional intelligence. For over two decades, he has coached and trained thousands of leaders to navigate difficult conversations, improve workplace relationships, and lead with greater impact. His engaging, practical approach empowers people to communicate with clarity, empathy, and confidence—no matter the stakes.
Whether delivering a keynote or leading a workshop, John helps organizations build cultures of trust and accountability through powerful dialogue.
He has worked with clients such as Cox Communications, Banner Health, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, Mutual of Omaha, and many others.
John is also the author of Overcoming Fake Talk: Creating REAL Conversations that Build Relationships, Create Respect, and Get Results.
His work resonates with business owners, executives, and teams who want to connect more deeply, collaborate more effectively, and create lasting results.
KEYNOTES
The Art of Being People-Savvy
How to Use Emotional Intelligence to Get Results
When surprising situations occur or when expectations are violated, we some-times let our emotions get the best of us. Emotions seem to explode out of nowhere, and we might say or do things that we regret later. When people become highly emotional, they usually blame others or make wild accusations, then others shut down. Your leadership is called into question. People start stressing, and everyone spends more time worrying about what will happen next rather than doing their jobs. They dwell on bad news or things that have gone wrong rather than working together.
Navigating Tough Talk
Master Any Conversation with Anyone, Anytime
The pressure to hold difficult conversations can be overwhelming, even though we know that if we do not address issues of poor performance, employee disengagement, dwindling accountability, differing opinions, and violated expectations, things will stay the same. Quite often, when attempting to hold these conversations, people become combative, or they just choose not to say anything. Then things get worse.
Be Yourself—Establish Connection
The Art of Building Rapport in Any Conversation
Inclusion, equity, and diversity have never been more important than they are today. Because everyone is uniquely different, the way we speak and interact with others is sometimes interpreted as offense. These offenses lead to misunderstandings, violated expectations, and negative or stressful work environments. When disrespect abounds and people are at odds with one another, teamwork, collaboration, and contribution cease to exist.
PAST CLIENTS
“I hired John to speak to our senior managers. John kept the entire room of grizzled truckers engrossed in how to improve their communication and their leadership for over four hours. It was amazing.”
Jeff McCaig | Chairman & CEO, Trimac
JOHN'S BOOK
Overcoming Fake Talk
How to Hold REAL Conversations that Create Respect, Build Relationships, and Get Results
In Overcoming Fake Talk, business communication guru John R. Stoker offers proven advice for turning challenging conversations into rewarding exchanges that foster collaboration, improve performance, increase productivity, and achieve results. Stoker details a simple, four-step process for holding any difficult conversation that improves one’s confidence and expertise in talking about what matters most.
AUTHOR BIO
For over 20 years, John R. Stoker has been facilitating and speaking to audiences, helping them to improve their communicating and thinking skills. He is an expert in communications and emotional intelligence who believes the human capacity to achieve astonishing results depends on the individual's ability to interact with others. John has dedicated his professional career to the science of communication and interpersonal interaction.
John holds a master’s degree in organizational behavior as well as a J.D. Degree. His landmark book, Overcoming Fake Talk: How to Hold REAL Conversations that Create Respect, Build Relationships, and Get Results is both entertaining and engaging, and it presents skills that help readers talk about what matters most.
In the past, John worked as a practicing criminal defense attorney (until he repented!), spent summers as a Grand Canyon white-water guide, and he taught for 13 years as a faculty member at a leading university. John has been happily married since 1994, and he and his wife Stephanie are the proud and busy parents of five children.
CONTACT JOHN
