Class Hour Solutions
Communicate with Empathy
Communication that brings people and organizations together. Training, consulting, and advising that help organizations, small businesses, and institutions communicate with clarity and empathy, inside and out.
Our approach
Empathy: A practical skill that scales
Most organizational problems are, underneath, communication problems. We help leaders, teams, and whole institutions understand each other better, translating empathy into clear processes, stronger messaging, and healthier ways of working together. Every engagement starts by listening, and ends with changes your people can actually feel.
Why “Class Hour”?
Our name comes from klassens tid, Denmark’s weekly “class hour,” where children learn empathy by talking through real problems together. It’s one reason Denmark consistently ranks among the most empathetic places in the world, and it’s the spirit we bring to every engagement.
Read about empathy in Denmark →What we do
Communication, end to end
Training, consulting, and advising across every place communication shapes your organization, from the way teams talk to each other to the way the world hears you.
Presentation Skills Development
Coaching that helps leaders and teams present with confidence, clarity, and presence, from high-stakes pitches to everyday meetings.
Internal Communication Flow
We analyze how information actually moves through your organization, find the friction, and design clearer, more human ways for teams to stay aligned.
External Communication & Marketing
An honest look at how the outside world hears you. We sharpen your messaging and optimize how you reach the people you serve.
Team Building & Organizational Harmony
Facilitated experiences and training that build trust, ease tension, and help teams work together with genuine empathy.
Managerial & Leadership Development
Practical, people-first development for managers and leaders who want to communicate, coach, and lead more effectively.
Meet the team
The people behind Class Hour Solutions
A partnership that pairs academic depth in communication with hands-on experience leading and growing real teams.
Ellen Santa Maria
Founder, Communication & Media Brand Alignment
Ellen holds a PhD in Media & Communication from Temple University and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Communication and Media at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She brings deep academic grounding in communication theory and practice, helping organizations understand and strengthen the way they connect with the people inside and outside their walls.
Melanie Shafer
Co-Founder, Leadership & Team Building
Mel is a strategic, forward-thinking leader who has spent her career building, scaling, and developing high-impact teams through rapid growth and multiple acquisitions, most recently at Warner Bros. Discovery as a Senior Manager overseeing dozens of direct-to-consumer apps for world-renowned IPs. Her work centers on the human side of organizations: clear communication, healthy culture, and guiding teams through change.
Let’s talk
Tell us what your organization is working through. The best place to start is a short conversation. Book a free consult, or send us an email.
Or email us
hello@classhoursolutions.com