How To Lead a Storytelling Training

So you say you want to lead a storytelling training?I’ve led hundreds of story trainings over the years and there are a few things I’d like to share in case you’re going to embark on this journey.Here are four things to think about: Why stories matter, what stories are, how stories work and where to…

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mlk speech I have a dream

The Greatest Story Never Written – How One Moment of Insight Moved a Generation

Those words that you know by heart – those words that you’ve heard a thousand times – were never written down. It was the March on Washington in August of 1963, and as Dr. Martin Luther King, JR, approached the end of his speech, delivering his words across the reflective pools to hundreds of thousands…

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Your Title Is Deeper Than You May Think

The old saying goes that you have three names: The name you were born with, the name you are called by others, and the name you call yourself. The next time you tell someone what you do, consider the deeper name, the inscription that sits behind your “title.” I was speaking with a client the…

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CEO Storytelling

The Seven Stories Every Purposeful CEO Should Tell

Shakespeare said “All the world is a stage.” And it used to be, as CEO, your speaking would take place on the big stage, in front of many team members, at big moments. But now the stage is everywhere, all the time: on Instagram, on Zoom, small media, big media, small pitches, big pitches, culture…

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The Pattern of an Idea

You’re presenting your big idea, and yet your competition isn’t others doing similar ideas; it’s everyone who spoke to your audience today. Because they will take in 100k words between podcasts while walking the dog, drinking coffee while reading blogs, and generally navigating the information fog. How do you pierce the veil of this new…

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From The Hardest Conversation, A Life’s Story Unearthed

My dad used to tell some great stories when I was a teenager, preparing me for life out in the world. But they weren’t the earnest stories, the “You need to know this” stories. They were the crazy ones, as Kurt Vonnegut says, about falling in a hole and getting out of the hole. Having…

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Bicycle for the Heart

Why Vulnerability Is Just A Starting Point, Not An End Point.

I hear a lot about storytelling as vulnerability. But a story is not just vulnerability. It’s making use of your vulnerability to reveal a change, and show what transformation looks like. Here’s a story of one client who leveraged a story he never wanted to tell to inform a journey that gave his company true…

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All The World Is A Stage: Zoom-Time Presentation Skills

This is a new era, and the tools are developing quickly. In an effort to support your elevation to the next level of your presentations, here’s a checklist for you to consider as you up your chops. This is primarily for at-desk media and Zoom calls, not on-the-go. EFFECTIVE ZOOM PRESENTATION CHECKLIST ☐ Get Your…

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Telling an Inclusive Story

Telling an Inclusive, Collaborative Story

How do you tell a story of a movement, of an organization, of a team, or even of your own life? Telling an inclusive collaborative story means being able to gather many stories, and often many storytellers, into one cohesive journey. And the gathering is a journey in itself. There are many variables to consider…

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Six Steps to Telling a Story of Change

1. Revive Your Adventures. To shake up those old stories, go back in time and look around. Get quiet, and wander back into those key moments of your existing story, and see what relevance they have. Think about the challenge you’re facing now, and what power lives in those moments. Maybe there’s a new insight there, or you need to toss that moment out and find another that serves your greater story.

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